A faux-autobigraphy of an unapologetically thuggish, cowardly, narcissistic, hilarious ne'er-do-well. The whole series is wonderful; so far, this first installment is still the best I've read. Near the end of his life MacDonald Fraser lamented that it would be impossible to write a critically acclaimed, beloved book about a character like Flashy today. He was right, making this series all the more wonderful. You'll wince, but laugh many times more over.