Mr Brimson writes about what he knows and this shines through. However, that is not to say that Mr Brimson’s football hooligans are less well drawn. This expertise shines through in the novel, giving it a unique realism, particularly the police perspective. The author has made something of a study of this subject, not least because he was a policeman and as a result has become an acknowledged expert on the subject. The Crew is very much a typically British book, in so much as it deals with something peculiar to Britain at the time it was written, the football hooligan. Nonetheless, even if a tale of a group of hooligans travelling to watch England in Rome might cut a little close to the bone. Perhaps Brimson is just waiting to launch a sequel.

What follows is well thought out, though the ending does not necessarily deliver all the promise of earlier chapters. With the villain of the piece painted black from the word go, the chase is always on. Using the master hooligan and the police detective as counterpoints, he weaves a believable and gripping story line, truly guaranteed to keep the pages turning.

Marrying the football violence theme with a well-established genre, Brimson turns his tale into a thriller. This time, however, things aren't for real-still, the characters and story line seem real enough, especially for those familiar with any of the tales told in the author's factual volumes. Once again, the territory covered relates to the violence that surrounds football. The Crew is Dougie Brimson's first novel, following a series of books on the subject of football hooliganism written with his brother Eddy.

The crew dougie brimson