Well, people were beginning to complain about the abuse their
scroll-bars were
getting, so here we are - a (for the moment) unsorted mass of
reviews past. Have
fun.
'Blind Justice' - Bruce Alexander
Set in the bustling London of 1758, 'Blind Justice' is a
terrific historical
detective novel of the old school, with a naive young narrator
and a gruff but
good-hearted 'tec with a suitably razor sharp mind. The novelty
of this particular
novel, as the title suggests, is that the detective in question,
the historical
figure Sir John Fielding, Magistrate and founder of the Bow
Street Runners, is
totally blind. Although by no means helpless in the world,
Fielding makes use of an
assistant, young Jeremy Proctor, the narrator of the novels as
his eyes and even his
legs. Proctor, narrating from a comfortable old age, describes
his childhood and
fortuituous meeting, from the wrong side of the bench, with the
famous magistrate,
and the first case that he assists with, the apparent suicide of
Lord Richard
Goodhope. Of course, the suicide turns out to be nothing of the
kind, as the
evidence of Proctor's sharp eyes testifies, and they are soon
entangled in a
baffling plot involving ladies of the stage, gambling dens and
colonial plantation
owners. Alexander treats his hero as a figure very much in the
mould of Holmes,
Wolfe, Poirot or any of the other 'superhuman' geniuses, who
almost without warning
produce the solution to the crime (unveiled, as it happens, in a
library in this
case). This may therefore not please readers who prefer to
follow the investigation
inch by inch, but many will find it a solidly plotted book, if
requiring a little
suspension of disbelief at times. However, Alexander captures
the bustle and spirit
of the times with great vividness, paying sufficient attention
to detail that the
reader feels part of this world. He even allows the odd guest
appearances by
worthies such as Johnson, Bosworth and Garrick. In all, an
exceptionally enjoyable
historical 'tecker, full of character and atmosphere. Given the
tag-line 'A Sir John
Fielding Mystery' and the promises of the last page, I look
forward to more from
Alexander and Fielding.
'Cold Case' - Linda Barnes
I've been a fan of the female PI genre for some time now
(variously called
'two-fisted totty' or 'feisty femmes') and although a fan of
Milhone, Warshawski and
Colorado, my favourite has always been Carlotta Carlyle, six
foot tall, red-headed
Boston 'tec and part-time cabbie. 'Cold Case' is the latest in
the series, and as
such was eagerly awaited. In 'Cold Case', Carlotta is hired to
track down a
long-dead
writer, a teenage prodigy from whom seemingly new writing is
just beginning to
emerge. Upon investigation, Carlotta finds not only that the
writer, Thea Janis, is
the sister of Bostonian political aspirant Garnet Cameron, but
is also officially
dead, marked down as the third victim of a serial murderer in
the early seventies.
What follows is a bewildering series of plot twists and
switchbacks, with characters
entering and exiting on all sides, before coming to a not
completely satisfactory
conclusion. Overall, I found 'Cold Case' disappointing, on the
basis of Barnes'
earlier work - Carlotta seems to have lost her sparkle, and
Barnes has failed to
come
up with a believable, coherent plot. The characters are tending
towards the
one-dimensional, and Carlotta, once of the most enjoyable female
PIs on the scene is
becoming increasingly morose and paranoid. The subplot with her
'Little Sister',
Paolina, and the Columbian drug lord, is becoming rather tedious
and drawn out - an
excuse for histrionics all round. Linda Barnes' earlier novels
are excellent,
particularly 'Snap Shot' and 'Steel Guitar', and it seems a
shame that 'Cold Case'
is
such a let down. We can only hope for a return to form in the
future.
'Burglars Can't Be Choosers' - Lawrence Block
I first came across Block as the author of the gritty, dark Matt
Scudder novels,
following the down-at-heel, alcoholic Scudder through the
dangerous streets of New
York. The Bernie Rhodenbarr 'Burglar' novels are also set in New
York, but are of a
very different tone. Of these, 'Burglars Can't Be Choosers' is
the first,
introducing us to the charming, talented and larcenous
professional burglar. The
opening of the novel finds Bernie expertly breaking into an
expensive apartment,
commissioned to locate a mysterious blue leather box for the
even more mysterious,
highly sinister and oddly familiar 'pear-shaped man with
chocolate eyes'. The
burglary goes smoothly until Bernie realises that the box is not
there, the police
are at the door and the owner of the apartment is lying dead on
the bedroom rug.
Choosing his moment wisely to do a swift runner, Bernie finds
himself going to
ground in an (absent) friend's apartment, whilst, with the aid
of a lovely lady who
happens to drop in, trying to find out who set him up, and clear
himself of the
murder charge.
Block's writing is light, witty and thrilling, with Bernie an
excellent narrator, a
thief with a gift for one-liners, his heart in the right place
and his eyes on the
main chance. The story careers back and forth, with characters
who are never quite
what they seem, and Bernie forced to employ all his
investigative (not to mention
criminal) skills to get himself out of the fix he's in. A
contrast to the Scudder
novels, lighter, funnier and more entertaining, but in its own
way, just as good,
showing Block to be one of the greatest American crime novelists
writing today.
'The Jigsaw Man' - Paul Britton
'The Jigsaw Man' is the best-selling and critically acclaimed popular work on forensic psychology
by Paul Britton, one of the pioneers of offender profiling in Britain.
Basically a memoir of how he first became involved with offender profiling, it details
of some of the more infamous cases that he has been involved in, including
the kidnapping of Stephanie Slater and the murder of Rachel Nickell on
Wimbledon Common, something I remember vividly from the time, and the subsequent collapse of the trial against a
prime suspect, resulting in Britton's vilification by the media. It is also interesting to read the other, less
violent crimes that Britton has been involved in, notably the spate of blackmail threats against baby food companies
by a former detective and the copycat crimes that followed.
This book is extremely disturbing in places, especially in views of the
names that Britton mentions are resonant with memories for me, having
heard them on the television and radio as the police appealed for
information - Stephanie Slater, Julie Dart, Caroline Hogg and most disturbing of all, the murder of Jamie Bulger. If
I have a major criticism, it is that Britton's narration can be a little self-congratulatory. Indeed, one wonders how
many cases he has advised on, and of how many his advice proved to be unproductive or misleading. However, his
simultaneous
professional interest and empathy with the crimes and their victims is
evident, and reassuring, and there is also a refreshing lack of the voyeurism that is evident in all too
many 'true crime' books. Overall, a fascinating look at the work that Britton has carried out, although I have heard
that caution is advised due to an alleged tendency to Britton to play the great detective a little too much.
'Invitation to a Funeral' - Molly Brown
I stumbled upon this charming novel as the result of a review in
the excellent UK
magazine, Crime Time,with its author, and since I was still
relishing John Dickson
Carr's novel Restoration hi-jinks, 'The Devil In Velvet', this
Restoration mystery
became very appealing. Thankfully, I was not disappointed - in
addition to capturing
the noisy, messy, gaudy sights and sounds of Restoration London,
Ms. Brown proves
herself a dab hand with cracking dialogue, intricate plotting
and intriguing
characters. The depth of research to which Molly Brown has gone
is more than evident
in the text (see her web site for details) but
this doesn't overwhelm the story as it can often do. The
heroine, spy-turned-actress
Aphra Behn, is entangled with both trying to solve the murder of
an old acquaintance
whilst trying to hammer her latest play into shape on the London
stage, tangling
with many notables of the time along the way. Molly Brown
manages to combine wit,
pace and atmosphere into a superb read, which above all is
highly amusing and
diverting. Mind you, what with all these Restoration novels, I
really think the
Parliamentarians were hard done by. Cromwellian murder mystery,
anyone?
'Burning Angel' - James Lee Burke Of most contemporary
US crime writers,
James Lee Burke is one of the few to be awarded the dubious
accolade of admission
into the narrow field of 'real' literature, and on reading
Burning Angel, the sixth
in his series about Lousiana detective Dave Robicheaux, you can
see why he appeals
to both the literati and devotees of crime fiction. On one hand,
Burke is an
extremely gifted story teller, delivering snappy dialogue and
keeping the action
rolling along. On the other, in Burning Angel particularly, he
creates the most
superb and atmospheric world for his creations to inhabit,
tinging the strange world
of the Louisiana wetlands with an almost mystical sense of good,
evil and the
unknown.
In Burning Angel, Robicheaux, ex-alcoholic, cop and baitshop
owner, is contacted by
Sonny Marsallus, an extraordinary character from the back alleys
of New Orleans via
the jungles of Central America, who entrusts a mysterious
journal to Robicheaux for
safekeeping, after his girlfriend is brutally murdered.
Determined to get to the
root of why a group of mercenaries seem so keen to see Marsallus
dead, why the
journal is so important and what exactly happened to change
Marsallus in Central
America, Robicheaux finds himself and his family are in danger
from all sides, and
his position at the sheriff's department in a precarious
position. Burning Angel is
an extraordinary novel, functioning on one level as a tense
thriller, pitting
Robicheaux, the standard issue grizzled, honest hero against the
Mob, connniving
lawyers and psychotic mercenaries, whilst on another level
illuminating yet another
level, with Robicheaux haunted by unwanted memories of his oown
past and also the
past of the land around him. Although new to the Robicheaux
series and Burke in
general, Burning Angel is certainly an auspicious start, and I
look forward to more
Robicheaux in future. And so, for that matter, should you... 'Criminal Shadows' - David Canter
'Criminal Shadows' is a definite departure from the usual slew of true crime novels dealing with forensic psychology,
and a remarkably refreshing one, given the lurid nature of many such novels. Prof. David Canter is first and foremost
a psychologist, originally concentrating on 'environmental psychology' ie. the interaction of people with the
geography and topology of their surroundings, and responsible for studies of behaviour during disasters such as the
tragic King's Cross tube fire. However, a series of rapes in the London area led him to apply his methodology,
including multispatial analysis of behavioural patterns, on a series of violent crimes as a consultant to various
British police forces. The first section of the book deals mainly with these as case histories, and he shows a
remarkable restraint in dealing with the more sensational and lurid aspects of his work, choosing instead to actually
follow the techniques used to analyse serial rapes and murders. The second half of the book is equally interesting,
being somewhat like a potted history of psychology, with Canter's own views on the subject, which given the number of
textbooks that Canter has written, is lucid and convincing. Particularly interesting is his treatment of behaviour as
being 'narrative-based', with individuals attempting to fit their own behavioural patterns around a pre-conceived,
though dynamic, inner narrative, a view that is not widely discussed outside academic circles. In all, David Canter
has produced a remarkably lucid and readable work on an important subject to which he gives due consideration without
the voyeurism evident in other popular works on.
For those interested in Canter's work, you might find the following website at Liverpool University to be
interesting, dealing as it does with Canter's bibliography and a selection of articles. 'A Famine of Horses' - P.F. Chisholm
Possibly one of the most critically acclaimed historical of
the last few years, 'A Famine of Horses' is
the first in Chisholm's series of historical novels about Sir Robert Carey, Deputy Warden of the West March, on the
Anglo-Scots Border of the late 16th century. Based on the journals of the real Robert Carey, the series of novels
deals in a remarkably prosaic manner about the day to day duties of the Deputy Warden and focusses on some of the
more dramatic incidents in his tenure. 'A Famine of Horses' follows Carey's baptism by fire in the wild Marches, and
his attempts to regain control of the March from the corrupt but well-entrenched Sir Richard Lowther, frustrated
rival for the post of Deputy Warden. In addition, Carey discovers the corpse of a member of the notorious Graham
faimly and takes the apparently unheard path of trying to discover who killed him and why.
'A Famine of Horses', and the novels that follow, are rather unique amongst the current crop of 'historicals', mainlt
because of the feeling that Chisholm's characters behave as they probably did at the time. The historical detail
immense but not overwhelming,
and Chisholm explores the complex politics of the time with admirable clarity. The principal storyline of Carey's
attempts to discover the circumstances surrounding the murder of Sweetmilk Geordie Graham is sufficiently intriguing
to form the basis of any good detective novel, and the climatic scenes of the novel are both exciting and
imaginatively portrayed. Added to this there is a wicked sense of
humour
and characters, such as Janet and Henry Dodd, who are both interesting and also likeable, with a liberal sprinkling
of vivid names and characters such Jock of the
Peartree and the infamous 'surnames' of the era, the Grahams, Eliots, Armstrongs et al. Overall, the first novel in
what is
becoming one of the best historical crime series of recent years.
'The Concrete Blonde' - Michael Connelly
This LA-based police thriller was recommended to me by many
people recently, and I
can see why. Wonderfully plotted, Connelly tells the story of
Detective Hieronymous
'Harry' Bosch, protagonist of three other novels by Connelly.
Bosch, a 'maverick'
LAPD detective with a troubled past and alcohol problem (this is
considerably less
cliched than it sounds, believe me) is on trial for the unlawful
killing a suspected
serial killer four years previously, when news comes in that the
serial killer
appears to have struck again. Without wanting to go into the
plot too much, suffice
it to say that 'The Concrete Blonde' is an exceptional police
thriller, well
plotted, with a terrific sense of atmosphere and place, and a
intriguing and
sympathetic protagonist. At times you might feel that Bosch is
just another
stereotyped 'cop with problems', but Connelly handles this so
skilfully that it
really doesn't matter. In short, this book is to be highly
recommended and I look
forward to reading more of Mr. Connelly's work in the future.
'Hung Parliament' - Julian Critchley
Julian Critchley, until the last general election, was a
Hampshire MP, and also that
rarest of beasts, a decent Tory politician. Actually, before I'm
deluged by
complaints, I'll amend that to 'a decent politician', given the
current ascendency
of a certain Minister Without Portfolio. A maverick and
back-bencher for over
twenty-seven years, never holding ministerial positions and
not-so-cordially loathed
by Thatcher and her acolytes, Critchley has long been a
journalist, writing for 'all
the good papers and a few bad ones', and I remember him well on
BBC Radio 4
programmes, proving himself to be an acute and extremely witty
observer. He is also
the author of several non-fiction works, including a biography
of Michael 'Tarzan'
Heseltine, and also 'Hung Parliament', the first of several
mysteries (or as he
prefers to call them, Entertainments) set in the rarefied mileu
of the House of
Commons.
'Hung Parliament' is indeed an entertainment, wittily following
the attempts of
Joshua Morris MP (Con, Shropshire) to track down the killer of
the glamorous young
Emma Kerr MP. Emma Kerr, after having numerous affairs with
prominent Tories on her
way up from model to MP, is found strangled, hanging in the lift
of the House.
Morris a keen Sherlockian who once solved a murder whilst at
Oxford, is asked by the
Leader of the House, John MacGregor, to investigate the murder
to forestall the
invasion of the House by CID officers. Morris, a somewhat
fictionalised Critchley,
sets to and with the grudging aid of the Whips Office, discovers
a dangerous mix of
lust, betrayal and blackmail within the corridors and lobbies of
the House.
Admittedly, the mystery element of this novel is rather slim,
the crime itself
happening over two-thirds into the book, but as an entertaining
look at the internal
politics of Westminster and the Conservative Party in
particular, 'Hung Parliament'
is a delight. Critchley has a talent for comic situations, and
his skillful blending
of fictional and real-life characters is particularly absorbing.
The fictional
element includes David Lancaster, a keen 'cottager', Sir Ralph
Grunte, a crude
boorish, corrupt and totally believable MP and Sam Langford,
rabid Thatcherite and
noted racist. Many prominent or notorious MPs from both sides of
the House feature
in cameo roles, with Hezza looking on as Lancaster's wine-waiter
lover douses him
liberally with house white, Robert Maclennan making interminable
speeches and even
Maggie herself, still foaming at the mouth after all these
years. I suspect that if
this was written now, with Critchley no longer an MP, he might
be slightly more
vicious, particularly on the more lunatic fringe like Portillo
and gang. Still,
reading about ones (former) lords and masters in such a way is
extremely
entertaining, and I look forward to coming across more of
Critchley's novels. One
word of warning though - this is certainly not a book for anyone
who isn't familiar
with at least some Westminster politics.
'Dark Spectre' - Michael Dibdin
Michael Dibdin is most noted for writing the Aurelio Zen novels,
set in Italy, but
is also the author of other 'non-series' novels, of which Dark
Spectre is the latest
example. At first impression, an US-based serial killer novel,
mingled in with the
story of a man who becomes entangled with a strange William
Blake cult following the
death of his son. Although the premise is intially interesting,
I'm afraid to say
that Dibdin doesn't quite manage to pull this one off - his
characters are never
particularly realistic or likeable, and the plot becomes rather
too predictable
after a time. As a mystery, it is also somewhat disappointing,
and the
representation of the cult one-dimensional and crude. Michael
Dibdin has proven
himself to be an exceptionally talented writer in the past with
his superb Zen
series (the incredibly silly Cosi Fan Tutti included...), and it
is a shame that he
seems to have failed to live up to his potential with this
novel.
'The Devil's Hunt' - P.C. Doherty
Another entry in Doherty's ongoing medieval crime series featuring Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the Secret Seal to
Edward I, and reluctant investigator and trouble-shooter. The arrival of Edward and his entourage at Corbett's home of
Leighton Manor at Epping (close to Doherty's current home) signals another case for the world-weary, haunted Corbett
to investigate, and drags him away from his wife, the Lady Maeve, and their young daughter Eleanor. Corbett and his
manservant, the rogueish Ranulf-atte-Newgate, accompanied by Ralph Maltote, horseman extraordinaire, are sent to
Oxford, where a mysterious figure called the Bellman has posted treasonous attacks on the King around the city,
evoking the spirit of the dead Earl Simon de Montfort, whose urgings for greater democracy within the state were met
by Edward with violent and deadly force. Furthermore, the Bellman claims to come from Sparrow Hall, founded by the
late Henry Braose, loyal knight to the king during his battles against the rebellious Earl, and where several Masters
have recently died in mysterious circumstances. Edward has assigned Corbett to locate the Bellman before his
proclamations provoke treasonous plottings within the populace, to unearth the culprit behind the deaths of the
scholars and to discover why the decapitated heads of beggars have been found hanging from trees in the countryside
surrounding Oxford. Needless to say, Corbett and his companions rapidly find that there are those in the University
City who would rather they were unable to continue their investigations, and set themselves to staying alive long
enough to discover the culprits and motives behind these baffling crimes.
Doherty's Corbett novels are not deep books, but cracking good fun and Doherty does this kind of thing so well and
certainly does not disappoint the reader in search of a diverting, thrilling mystery. Although his characterisation is
generally minimal, the principals are sufficiently well developed to be sympathetic and likeable to the reader, and
the felonious Ranulf begins to show deeper and more complex characteristics that are likely to become more significant
as this series continues, as surely it must. Doherty has great fun with the convulted plot, and once more excels in
that classic mystery puzzle, the locked room, weaving it skilfully with the rich atmosphere of fourteenth century
England that he evokes so well, and the complex politics of the time which he describes with exceptional clarity and
real authority. If you're new to Doherty, this is as good a place to start as any, and if, like me, you're a confirmed
addict, then 'The Devil's Hunt' will certainly satisfy you.
'Mindhunter' - John Douglas
Yet another popular book on forensic psychology, this time from the pen of John Douglas, a pioneer of profiling in
the US as part of the now-defunct Behavioural Sciences Unit, and investigator on all manner of gruesome and violent
crimes. Unlike Canter's work, this definitely falls into the 'memoirs' category, unmistakabely since Douglas devotes
a considerable section of the book to discussing himself, and most irritatingly, his childhood and teenage years,
emphasising what a naughty boy he was but how he was beginning to 'profile' people even then. This self-centred
approach is also particularly evident when name-dropping about Thomas Harris and 'The Silence of the Lambs' as being
inspired by himself, and how he has managed to convince lots of tough-nut coppers that he really does know what he's
talking about and won their grudging respect - but then, what do you expect from a book with a Patsy Cornwell
recommendation? This review seems to be a little one-sided, and to give Douglas his due, his work has been
impressive, and it certainly makes for slightly more exciting reading than other books dealing with UK-based crimes
(thankfully, Britain lacks a lot of this kind of 'excitement'...), and you come away, like a hard-bitten, big-city
cop, with a grudging respect for this man and his undoubtedly important investigations and studies into violent
crime.
A Time For The Death of a King' - Ann Dukthas
Yet another P.C. Doherty incarnation, wherein the author explores the now
familiar ground of unsolved historical mysteries using a new device, the
seemingly immortal scholar Dr. Nicholas Segalla. Segalla is introduced to
us through the offices of Ann, a historian with an interest in the reign
of Mary, Queen of Scots, who is astounded by Segalla's possession of a
remarkable piece of evidence surrounding the mysterious death of Darnley,
dissolute of husband of Mary. The rest of the novel then recounts
Segalla's involvement with the mystery, as a French Jesuit priest sent on
a diplomatic mission to Scotland by Archbishop Beaton, the saintly advisor
to Mary. Whilst trying to track the nefarious activities of the Raven
Master, the chief agent of Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's spymaster,
the debauched and syphilitic Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Mary's estranged
husband, is found dead outside the Old Provost's House at Kirk O'Field,
which has itself just been leveled by a massive explosion. However,
Darnley's corpse, and that of his servant, is devoid of any sign of
injury, leading Segalla to suspect that all is not as it seems.
Although the puzzle surrounding Darnley's death is intriguing (and still
unanswered by most), I'm afraid Doherty has miscalculated with this novel
by concentrating too much on the puzzle and not enough on plot, pace and
characterisation. Segalla is far too much of a device, and not really a
character with whom one can empathise. Oddly, most of the narrative is
from Segalla's point of view, but we know so little about this man that it
is hard to care much about the proceedings. Doherty might have played it
better by having an ingenue clerk or servant, say, assigned to the
mysterious Segalla's staff in order to provide a more accessible grasp on
the story. In addition, this novel also suffers through its poor
construction - the lead up to and aftermath of the bombing is, but the
finale is extremely rushed, and Segalla's conclusions seem based on pretty
flimsy, circumstantial evidence. As always, Doherty's historical
credentials appear impeccable, at least to the moderately informed
observer, and his talent for conveying a believable period atmosphere is
always welcome but although and the novel contains some interesting
passages, I'm not as fond of this new direction as I am of some of
Doherty's more established works.
'Snowstorms In A Cold Climate' - Sarah Dunant
Having been a fan of Sarah Dunant's Hannah Wolfe novels for some
years, I was
curious to read Dunant's first novel, which is really quite
different to the Wolfe
novels in many ways. Snowstorms is a much more tense,
psychological thriller than
any of the Wolfe novels, bearing quite some resemblence to
Barbara Vine. It explores
the relationship between two old schoolfriends, Marla and Elly.
When Elly asks
Marla, a London academic, to come to New York to help her finish
with her boyfriend,
Marla is sucked into the increasingly dangerous world of
international
drug-smugglers in which Elly has become involved. The plot is
dense, convoluted, and
frequently leaves the reader in some doubt as to what is really
happening,
challenging their notions of what they perceive to be the truth.
It deals with
friendship, loyalty and betrayal as Marla's feelings for Elly
become clear, and the
intense, interdependent relationship between Elly and her
boyfriend, Lenny.
Snowstorms In A Cold Climate is an excellent novel, illustrating
perfectly Dunant's
talent for creating an intense, claustrophobic atmosphere.
'The Devil In Disguise' - Martin Edwards
The sixth in Martin Edwards' successful Harry Devlin series, 'The Devil in Disguise' continues to follow the exploits
of Devlin, a down-at-heel Liverpool solicitor and plunges him deep into another case of murder. This time, the
trustees of the Kavanaugh Arts Trust find themselves at the mercy of an avaricious housekeeper who seems poised to
take the lions share of their late benefactor's legacy, leaving them up a certain creek... Added to this, their
Chairman is found dead after a fall from a hotel window, an apparent suicide, but Harry is not so sure. His
investigations, aided by the irascible PI Jonah Deegan and his keen young niece Stephanie, begin to unravel the but
danger is close at hand, leading Devlin to question the motives of some his oldest and closest friends...
Edwards is one of the best British crime writers around at the moment, blending a modern, urban novel with noir
overtones with the plot devices, which Edwards more than acknowledges with his descriptions of Devlin's addiction to
crime novels and the 'Speckled Band' bookshop in which many of the key scenes unfold. Devlin is a tremendous
character, wryly humourous, down-at-heel and still haunted at times with the memory of his late wife. As regular
readers might expect, his private life is still as unpredictable as ever, with Devlin torn between two women, though I
often wonder if Edwards is likely to give Harry a break one of these days... In this novel, Edwards has created an
almost perfect blend of brooding urban crime, traditional mystery writing and sharply observant, mordantly humourous
wit, and has certainly maintained the high level reached by his earlier novels.
'A Public Body' - Raymond Flynn
'A Public Body' is the second in a series of novels set in the
seedy Northern
seaside town of Eddathorpe, and is written by Ray Flynn, unusual
in the world of
crime writers for being the former head of Fraud at Notts CID.
The hero of Flynn's
first Eddathorpe novel, DI Rob Graham, is still finding his
feet, both in the
eccentric mileu of Eddathorpe and in his newly rescued but still
unsteady marriage,
when William 'Klondike Bill' Lynch, councillor, mayoral
candidate and drunk,
disappears with the mayoral regalia and Graham is asked to
discreetly investigate.
However, things take a turn for the sinister when Lynch's
shrewish wife, Muriel, is
found dead and Bill is lying drunk in the next room. From there,
Graham and his team
have to grope their way through a complex tangle of
relationships gone sour,
small-town cons and big-time fraud, whilst dealing with the
overbearing and
underintelligent Det. Supt. Hacker, Graham's long-time
nemesis.
'A Public Body' is, all things considered, an excellent and
highly entertaining
novel. The plot, whilst dense, is engaging and Flynn's
exposition of fraudulent
dealings superb, as one might expect from an ex-copper. His
knowledge and experience
show in the details that he supplies, and his caustic view of
modern policing and
the obsession with crime rates & statistics. Also, beyond
expectation, the writing
is also excellent - Flynn knows how to keep the perfect balance
between comedy,
tragedy and drama, and Graham makes an entertaining, if a little
smug, narrator.
Eddathorpe is an excellent creation too, a fictional blend of
many places, evocative
of the decaying seaside resort, complete with the genial
corruption of small towns,
and has a cast of characters to match. Flynn handles these
characters with
surprising sensitivity, as he does with Graham's own personal
problems and ghosts
from the past, tempered at all times with humour and wry
insight. In all, an
excellent and most pleasing discovery - I look forward to more
from Flynn. 'Blast From The Past' - Kinky Friedman
The latest opus from the pen of Kinky Friedman, country singer turned writer, concerning the exploits of Kinky
Friedman, country singer turned writing, takes a different perspective from his previous novels. For those not
familiar with the Kinkster, the series is rather hard to explain, suffice to say that Friedman has a great deal of
fun setting himself up as an offbeat PI in New York, armed only with a Stetson and the odd cigar, and populating his
cases with his friends as associates, suspects and even psychotic killers. In 'Blast From The Past', a sudden blow to
the head sends Kinky's narrative back by twenty years, when he was a struggling, penniless country and western singer
sleeping on friends couches and inhaling rather too much Peruvian marching powder. However, the arrival of the
fugitive Abbie Hoffman, in fear of his life from the FBI, CIA and just about anyone else in the vicinity, and a
series of murderous assaults on Kinky changes his life rather radically, setting him on the first steps of a new
career path.
I've always enjoyed both the writing (and quite a lot of the music) of the Kinkster, but I'm afraid Blast From The
Past was a bit of a disappointment after some of his previous highly enjoyable novels. I'll grant that the same
superb cast of characters is still in place, including young versions of Ratso, Rambam, McGovern and the late Tom
Baker (no relation), but the change of setting isn't really particularly enlightening or engaging. The mystery plot
is so-so, but then I don't tend to read Kinky's novels for the intricacy of their plots, and most of the events
rather forgettable. The mileu of late seventies New York is also ever so slightly depressing, as Kinky's previous
successes grow distant, and everything seems somewhat seedy and rundown. More importantly, the dialogue, though good,
isn't up to the usual high standard, and the famous Friedman one-liners are less than sparkling. I get the impression
that Kinky the author is getting a little tired and jaded, and this comes across in the narrative. Another criticism
of 'Blast From The Past', and of some of the more recent novels, is that Friedman is trying to develop the fictional
Kinky far more as a character (which is a difficult thing to do when writing about yourself in a work of fiction,
I'll admit...), and it doesn't always work, mainly since the earlier novels had a much less introspective and much
funnier point of view. Still, I'll keep on reading Kinky Friedman, since the man has so much to offer. 'Blind Date' - Frances Fyfield
Something a little different to my usual reading, Fyfield's 'Blind Date' is a tense, claustrophobic psychological
thriller. Elisabeth Davey is a guilt-wracked former policewomen, scarred after an attack by an unknown assailant with
caustic, and haunted by memories of the brutal murder of her younger sister and her attempts to trap her killer that
led to the suicide of an innocent man and her abrupt dismissal from the force. Escaping from the seemingly sedate,
calm world of her mother's seaside home to the abandoned church bell-tower in which she makes her home, the arrival of
Joe, a sometime photographer and now legman for her former boss, throws her deeper into confusion and forces her to
face her past and to attempt to discover the real killer of her sister and its link to the brutal killings of young
women looking for romance through the world of the dating agency.
'Blind Date' is a disturbing read, and Fyfield has a great gift for creating an unsettling, claustrophobic atmosphere,
adding to it slowly through many different plot threads to build up a picture of the human mind in torment. In
addition, her characters are deeply flawed, and with the exception of Joe, are often unsympathetic but none-the-less
highly compelling. This is true for both her 'heroes' as for her 'villains', both of whom have deeply damaged and
scarred psyches. Even more unsettlingly, Fyfield also uses the character of Lizzie's young nephew and his mutually
manipulative relationship with a local couple to explore the damage that a young psyche may encounter and the effects
that may become frighteningly clear in later life. Her use of imagery, from the decaying London bell-tower to the
theme of gems and their symbolism that runs through the book, merely adds to the dense, brooding atmosphere that
pervades this novel. 'Blind Date' is not an easy read, but confirms Fyfield's growing reputation as a writer in the
class of Rendell or Highsmith.
'For The Sake of Elena' - Elizabeth George
As part of a recent foray into crime set in Cambridge, my
current home, I read an
Elizabeth George novel for the first time, after having heard
vastly different
opinions on this American writer, resident in California, who
writes about British
characters in a British setting. As part of a forthcoming piece
on Cambridge crime
fiction, I picked up a copy of 'For The Sake of Elena', mainly
to see how it treated
life in modern Cambridge, but found myself with so many other
thoughts quite
peripheral to the subject in hand that a second piece has become
necessary.
'For The Sake of Elena' is a 'Lynley & Havers' novel, wherein
the murder of a young
female undergrad at a fictional Cambridge college causes the
calling in of DI Thomas
Lynley (or the Eighth Earl of Asherton, as his mates call him)
and his somewhat less
well-bred sidekick, DS Barbara Havers. The death of Elena brings
to the fore a huge
welter of hidden passion, secret love, lust and rivalry within
and outside St.
Stephen's College, with the promiscuous young undergraduate
seemingly entangled in a
web of intrigue and deception. Without saying more, I must admit
that George is an
exceptionally talented mystery writer, drawing out a confused
tangle of plotlines
piece by piece for the astonished reader, and for this reason I
enjoyed this novel
greatly. Her characterisation is not brilliant, but adequate,
though I wish she
would stop being so po-faced and let her characters,
particularly the put-upon, poor
little rich boy Lynley, actually enjoy themselves for once. But
still, an
interesting group and an exceptionally fine story - I can see
where George's great
success and popularity comes from.
However, I'm afraid I still feel uncomfortable with many facets
of the book, both as
a resident of Cambridge who knows the University from within and
without, and also
as a native of Britain. George acknowledges a great number of
people in the preface
for helping her with details about Cambridge life, but although
she gets a lot
right, particularly the geography (frighteningly enough, I used
to run along the
river at the very spot where Elena's corpse was found!), but
there are also a great
number of small details that are nonsensical or out-of-place -
such as a grad
student who refers to his supervisor as an advisor (US term),
and also gets to share
his supervisor's college rooms (oh! that would be lovely!), a
bar where fellows and
undergrads mix and even play darts together, and a fellow who
not only sculls after
dark but also manages to nip out of the boat to talk to someone
on the bank without
capsizing. Details, I know, but if you're going to try and get
things right and make
a point of it, get them right!
Secondly, I am always a little ambivalent about the way George
writes about British
life and has a cast of British characters. Again, there are a
lot of things that are
okay, but a lot of details just don't fit or are subtly wrong,
especially in speech
patterns and slang, so it feels very strange indeed. This can be
nit-picking, but
subtle oddities can really distract you after a while. The
characters almost seem
caricatures - witness the Earl of Asherton who is actually a DI,
still in love with
Lady Helen Clyde and still wrestling with upper-class guilt.
Actually, Lynley is a
dead spit for an up-tight Peter Wimsey, really - it seems that
George is trying to
keep alive the Golden Age myth of the Gifted Amateur, or the
upper-class sleuth.
Havers, on the other hand, is more common than common, and much
is made of her
slovenliness, constant smoking (Players? Can you still buy
them?) and chirpy but
caustic attitude. Not really your average female DS, but more of
an extreme
counterpart to Lynley. I'm also a little suspicious of Met
officers marching into
other constabularies to help solve mysteries that have the
regional plods 'baffled'.
A little blast from the past, there, and not really a common
thing, except in cases
of internal police investigations.
So, overall, I will have to admit, George is an excellent
mystery writer and her
plots and storylines are first-rate, even if she does seem
geographically obsessed
at times. However, these come across very much as an American
writing about the UK
for a US audience, with romantic settings, a chiselled,
aristocratic hero and chirpy
comedy side-kicks, and that bothers me. She should maybe write
about something she
really knows about, and put her talents to use. There are plenty
of decent
home-grown mystery writers, after all. Still, I might try again
with Elizabeth
George - she still has a lot to recommend her.
'A Bone of Contention' - Susannah Gregory
Once again, Susannah Gregory returns to the chaotic and violent world of 14th century Cambridge to follow the career
of Matthew Bartolemew, Fellow of Michaelhouse, physician and unwilling detective. This time, Bartholemew is called
upon to offer his professional opinion on a skeleton unearthed in the Kings Ditch, widely rumoured to be the remains
of a local figure renowned for his philanthropic and saintly nature. The typically hard-headed Bartholemew dismisses
this rumour as impossible, but is disturbingly reminded of the disappearance of a childhood friend many years in the
past. However, the importance of such relics to the economy of the town is reinforced by the discovery of a
suspiciously clean-looking hand unearthed by the fellows of Valence Marie Hall and Bartholemew finds his sceptical
voice lost in the enthusiam for such a find. Meanwhile, Cambridge is swept by a series of violent riots in which a
number of people are killed, and a young Scots student is found brutally murdered, which Bartholemew and his friend
Brother Michael, Senior Proctor begin to investigate.
I have a great deal of admiration for Gregory's Bartholemew novels, which has a good deal to do with my interest in
the history of the city of Cambridge, my current home, but more to do with her ability to create a rich and
believable atmosphere. This novel is somewhat more densely plotted than its predecessors, but Gregory acquits herself
well, producing an enjoyable detective story set in a fascinating location. At odds with the rather dark nature of
her previous novels, Gregory injects a degree of rather slapstick humour, which strikes a rather odd note, although
it is welcome, particularly her description of a debauched College feast to which Bartholemew invites no fewer that
three women, including a local prostitute of his acquaintance.... If I have one major criticism, it is that
Bartholemew has rather anachronisitic views on medicine, notably a love of hygiene and a contempt for astrology
(there is a rather annoying running joke about the misdiagnosis of Bartholemew's stars by a student which dogs his
footsteps past its time) but fortunately Gregory tempers this with the display of contempt shown it by his peers and
patients. Overall, a good addition to the series, though not as satisfying as her previous novels.
'Ghost of a Chance' - Peter Guttridge
The second book by freelance journo Guttridge, after his highly successful debut No Laughing Matter, Ghost of a
Chance also features hapless journalist Nick Madrid, this time staked out on a prehistoric burial site on the Sussex
downs as part of a feature for his ferocious editor. The night proves uneventful, naturally, if you discount the
strange procession of animal headed humanoids and the discovery of a hanged man in a nearby churchyard... Things go
rapidly down hill as Madrid is determined to find out why the man died, and just what the connection to 'The Great
Beast' and sorceror Aleister Crowley, legendary film director Zane Pynchon and a new Age retreat really means.
A Ghost of a Chance is a cracking novel - laugh-out loud hilarious, exciting and with more than enough quirks and
originality to keep anyone amused. It was rather reminiscent of Ripley's Angel novels in its tone and outlook, though
perhpas lakcing some of Angel's more perceptive one-liners although also lacking his rather self-satisfied viewpoint.
Madrid (it should be noted that Guttridge loves giving his characters rather bizarre monikers) isn't that
well-developed as a character, particularly since he rather obviously echoes his creator's skills, hobbies (some form
of rather extreme yoga) and outlook, but he works well as a narrator and is the butt of several rather humuorous
situations. The plot is rather outlandish, but not too difficult to follow and generally makes for fun rading.
Overall, Guttridge is definitely one to watch.
'Wicked Games' - Ellen Hart
This novel is the sixth in series about Jane Lawless, Ellen Hart's Minneapolis occasional detective and chef, by now
the owner of a successful restaurant. Jane is dragged into invesigating the background her neighbour, Patricia
Kastner, after a strange man seen lurking around her rather exclusive turns out to be an Iowa PI, Earl Wilcox. The
links between Patricia and the mysterious suicides of her previous partners becomes frighteningly real after a
skeleton linked to Patricia's family and other, fresher, bodies begin to appear. Parallel to this, Jane also becomes
suspicious, and increasingly jealous of her lover, Julia, whose separate life appears to hold more than Jane bargained
for.
Wicked Games is the first time I've encountered Hart's detective Jane Lawless, and it proved an intriguing novel. The
plot is complex and draws the reader in, but unfortunately, it is difficult to empathise with the characters. Barring
Earl Wilcox, the English teacher turned PI, Hart's writing lacks a sense of humour and pathos, and her characters
range from uninvolving to downright irritating. This is due mainly to the frequent lectures that Hart's characters
deliver on the subject in hand, but also to their ability to slip seamlessly into somewhat tedious introspection. This
might not be a failing with a stronger protagonist, but Lawless is surprisingly conservative and rather too staid to
engage the imagination. That having been said, Hart portrays the psychological tension between her protagonists rather
well, and has deals very well with the hidden conflicts within a family. Although not inspiring, 'Wicked Games' is an
engrossing read, and it would be interesting to read more of this series.
'Still Water' - John Harvey
'Still Water' is the ninth in Harvey's acclaimed series of
Nottingham-based police procedurals following the investigations
of DCI Charlie
Resnick and his CID team. 'Still Water' is, as many of Harvey's
novels, a
multistranded piece, more concerned with exploring the lives of
the protagonists and
their relationships at work and home. A serial killer is at work
in the Midlands and
the North, murdering women and dumping their corpses in the
canals of the region,
but for once, Resnick is marginalised. Passed up for promotion
to the high-profile
new CID squad, he is more concerned with his growing
relationship with Hannah
Campbell, the teacher whom he met in 'Easy Meat', and the
troubled members of his
squad. Mark Divine is still angry, scared and violent in the
aftermath of the
violent sexual assualt he suffered, Lynn Kellogg, frustrated by
her ambiguous
relationship with Resnick, is looking for freedom elsewhere, and
Carl Vincent,
young, black and gay, is feeling his way within the rigid world
of the police force.
Back on the scene is Jerzy Grabianski, professional burglar and
Resnick's dark
brother, a man of similar background and character, but choosing
a different path in
his life.
Brought to this mix of relationships and personal lives is the
murder of Jane
Peterson, a colleague of Hannah's who has an uneasy relationship
with her dominant,
emotionally bullying husband Alex. Jane is a suspected victim of
the canal killer,
and given Resnick's personal interest in the case, he is brought
onto the newly
formed Serious Crimes squad, headed by a career-driven woman
officer, whose arrival
brings back memories for Jack Skelton, Resnick's superior. On a
second level,
Resnick's new DC, Carl Vincent, is engaged in investigating a
series of art thefts,
bringing him close to Grabianski, a pair of eccentrically
radical nuns and a number
of notables in the field of art theft. As with many of Harvey's
novels, the
detection element is almost secondary, with Harvey devoting much
of his time to
exploring relationships between people under strain, and the
confused personalities
of those who have suffered great trauma in their life. Resnick
is as complex and
enduring as ever, trying to make sense of the changes that are
occuring in his life
whilst trying to act as a decent, concientious officer. As
always, the CID team are
just as engaging, particularly Mark Divine, a rugby-playing,
hard-drinking,
homophobic, racist young man who is coming to terms with the
harsh reality of life
as a victim. 'Still Water' is a slower, more reflective novel
than its grim,
bitterly violent predecessor, 'Easy Meat', but is without doubt
its equal, and a
confirmation of the status of John Harvey as one of Britain's
finest modern
novelists.
'Much Ado In Maggody' - Joan Hess
Rapidly becoming one of my favourite series, this is the third
novel in Joan Hess's
acclaimed comic-mystery series, about the trials and
tribulations of Arly Hanks,
put-upon Chief of Police of Maggody, Arkansas (Pop. 755). In
'Much Ado', the firing
of a long-term bank employee by the playboy son of the branch
president brings out
the women of the town in a brief but dedicated burst of militant
feminism. However,
a murder and the torching of the bank forces Arly to delve
deeper into the murky
goings on of her not-so-beloved home town. Maggody and its
inhabitants are as
colourful a bunch as you might ever wish to meet, ranging from
the huge and inbred
Buchanon clan, to the sin-obsessed Reverend and to the bane of
Arly's life, her
mother Ruby-Bee. Hess has a light yet boisterous style, with an
ear for one liners
and a caustic sense of humour, poking fun at the foibles of
small town life. Arly is
an engaging, if long-suffering heroine, and the ever-widening
cast of supporting
characters is terrific, if caricatured and grotesque at times.
In short, this is one
of the most amusing and diverting series I have ever come
across, and I would not
hesitate in recommending them to anyone needing a little light
relief. Oh, but
they're only US published, by the way. Such is life, but I thank
God for the gift of
Heffers each day....
'Killing The Lawyers' - Reginald Hill
The latest in Reginald Hill's comic crime series concerning the exploits of Joe Sixsmith, unemployed lathe operator
turned PI, 'Killing The Lawyers' finds Joe and his feline sidekick, Whitey, simultaneously embroiled in two separate
cases. His unwitting pursuit of an unfair insurance claim ruling leads Joe to end up having harsh words with a lawyer
from a prestigious local firm of solicitors who unfortunately ends up dead. To make matters worse, a number of his
colleagues follow suit, leading the police, in the shape of DS Chivers, to finger Joe as Number One suspect. Whilst
Joe is attempting to clear his name, he is also retained by the up-and-coming and decidedly tasty Lutonian athelete,
Zak Oto and her sinister bodyguard (with the unlikely name of Starlight Jones) to find out just who is trying to
scare her off winning the inaugural race at the new Luton Pleasuredome.
The main thing going for this series of novels is Joe, the engagingly inept and naive protagonist, whose internal
monologues and conversations with Whitey are extremely appealing and make for enjoyable reading. The idea of taking a
decidedly dull town like Luton (okay, I'm biased after spending eight hours there waiting for a flight to
Scotland...) and discarding all of its features but its name and is inspired, particularly when Hill digresses into
short sections of the 'Lost Traveller's Guide To Luton'... While the plot strands are wrapped up too neatly, Hill
again displays his undoubted talent as a writer to the full, making for an enjoyable entry to this series.
'Payment Deferred' - Joyce Holme
In keeping with a recent Scottish frenzy, this novel is set in
modern Edinburgh, but
rather a different Edinburgh from Rankin's bleak, surreal, cold
world. What promises
(by the cover blurb alone) to be the first in a series, Payment
Deferred is a
light-hearted mystery novel about an Edinburgh solicitor, Tam
Buchanan (no relation
to Maggody) and his unconventional new assistant, Fizz
Fitzpatrick. The plot, which
is rather neatly done and extremely engaging, concerns an old
acquaintance of Tam's,
who is seeking to clear his name over a charge of child abuse,
and seeks Tam's
rather reluctant and Fizz's enthusiastic help. By the far the
most engaging aspect
of this novel is its extremely light tone that also manages to
avoid coyness or
flippancy, and the engaging character of Fizz, though Tam is
also equally
intriguing. Holme has a terrific comic touch, and a talent for
wickedly sharp
observation, which I hope will continue in further books.
'Body Politic' is Johnson's CWA Dagger-winning debut novel, a blend of crime and science fiction, set in Edinburgh in
2020. Following the breakup of the United Kingdom and the subsequent anarchy that engulfed the country, Edinburgh
emerged as an independent city state, founded on Platonic ideals and run by a meritocratic body known as The
Enlightment. Now controlled by a more pragmatic and less accountable body, Edinburgh and her citizens are dedicated to
the amusement of tourists in search of tartan and ersatz whisky in the now year-round Festival, under the watchful eye
of the auxillaries and their masters, the City Guardians who form the ruling Council. Johnson's Edinburgh is explored
through the eyes of one Quintillian Dalrymple, former policeman, now ekeing out an existence as a parks department
worker and occasional private eye, barely tolerated by his former employers. However, with the discovery of a
mutilated corpse, the Guardians suspect that the serial murderer known as the Ear, Nose and Throat Man is once again
active, and recruit an unwilling Dalrymple to help with their investigations. Needless to say, Dalrymple's search
reveals a more sinister scenario than the authorities might wish to have found.
The view of the future described in 'Body Politic' is dystopian, without doubt, and although not the most original of
scenarios, with a corrupt, totalitarian regime under whom television, private cars and unsuitable music is banned, the
setting lends an edge of versimillitude and originality, married to a suitably noir sensibility. However, his
descriptions of Edinburgh remain shadowy, and more could have been made of the rich atmosphere and topography that
makes Edinburgh such a fascinating city. Johnson unfolds the story of the events leading to the current situation
slowly and with great care, so that the reader is drawn slowly into the world of 2020 Edinburgh, and manages a number
of sly digs at contemporary politics and mores, even ensuring that his old school gets its comeuppance. Dalyrmple,
though possessed of one of the most outlandish monikers I've seen in recent years, is a sympathetic protagonist, with
enough flaws and personal history to be believable and interesting, While the plot is dense and offers more intriguing
possibilities than the serial killer novel this first appears to be, my one major concern with this novel is that in
creating his richly imagined alternative history, Johnson has been a little too ambitious in the scope of Dalrymple's
findings, rather than using the citystate as a backdrop for a less grand, but more believable plot. Still, Johnson
richly deserves his award, and I look forward greatly to reading the other books in this sequence.
'Esau' - Philip Kerr
Although not a crime novel as such, the author of 'Esau', Philip
Kerr is justly
known for the excellent Berlin Noir trilogy, the Russian set
crime novel Dead Meat
the near-future crime novel 'A Philosophical Investigation'. On
the strength of
'Esau' and his previous novel 'Gridiron', Kerr has been hailed
as 'the new
Crichton'. Quite why the world needs another Michael Crichton is
beyond me, but you
can see the connection - both 'Esau' and 'Gridiron' could be
roughly described as
'technothrillers', full of hi-tech kit and fluent technobabble.
'Esau' has even been
optioned for a movie from Disney, according to the blurb on the
flyleaf, presumably
agreed before Kerr even finished the novel.
To brutally summarise, 'Esau' follows the exploits of Jack
Furness, mountaineer
extraordinaire, who discovers an intact hominid skull deep in a
cavern beneath a
Himalayan peak. On his return to the US, he shows this to his
hotshot
palaeoanthropologist girlfriend, Stella Swift, who discovers it
to be a
frighteningly recent and very human-like specimen. This is the
catalyst for a
hi-tech expedition, bristling with the latest hardware to set
out for Nepal on a
hunt for the mysterious yeti and the hidden secrets of mankind's
past. Added to this
is a subplot concerning an Indo-Pakistan nuclear conflict and a
search for a missing
US spy satellite.
Broadly speaking, 'Esau' lacks originality, which is
disappointing considering
Kerr's track record. True, the science is well explained and
reasonably accurate,
and Kerr's research is thorough and his attention to detail
scrupulous, if overly
fond of brand names.... Kerr, as ever, keeps the pace and
tension up to the required
standard, but unfortunately, the singularly unoriginal plot-line
and cast of tired
and hackneyed characters just doesn't come up to scratch. The
lead character, Jack
Furness, is suitably tough and chiselled, carrying a Dark Secret
in his past, and
the range of eccentric scientists seem all to familiar.
Likewise, the identity of
the mysterious villain who plagues their expedition is all too
clear, and the moral
that Kerr hammers home, while laudable, is not exactly original
or inspirational.
Last but not least, 'Esau' did raise one unfortunate chuckle
from the truly original
description of the romantic leads pubic hair being like 'an
upturned golden divot'.
Too much time on the golf course, perhaps. Overall, though
'Esau' is competent
enough compared to many bestsellers of this kind, it really
doesn't deliver anything
nearly as Kerr has shown himself to be capable of. Still, one to
watch, I hope.
'Kat Scratch Fever' - Karen Kijewski
This is the sixth in the popular series featuring Sacramento PI
Kat Colorado (traditionally described by reviewers like me as
'feisty'), and is a welcome addition to an enjoyable series. The
suicide of a lawyer just before Christmas puts Kat on the trail
of a blackmailer who is apparently using information gained
about people's pasts to extort money on behalf of a local
children's charity. Kat's investigations into this unusual, if
deadly, crime unearth more victims of the blackmailer, but
frustration leads her to set a trap for the criminal using
herself as bait. Unfortunately, Kat is not the only target of
the villain...
Kijewski is described as writing 'in the tradition of Sue
Grafton and Sara Paretsky', and the Kat Colorado series is
certainly not an original concept, and Kat could be Kinsey
Millhone's perkier younger sister. However, the series so far
has been tremendously enjoyable, and this novel is no exception,
showing a welcome streak of mordant humour. Kat is an engaging,
likeable heroine, the plot is original and well thought-out and
Kat's extended 'family' of Alma, Lindy and Charity add
continuity to the series.'Kat Scratch Fever' is certainly
nothing new and exciting, but is a thoroughly enjoyable read,
and would please anyone who has enjoyed writers like Sue Grafton
and Linda Barnes. Go - Simon Lewis
A bit of a diversion from the norm for me, this one, but I
surprised myself
by liking it far more than I thought I would. 'Go' is a loosely
connected series of
pieces about Lee, Sol and Vix, jet trash wandering around Goa,
Hong Kong and China,
and how their lives intersect. Lewis captures the grubby,
desperate atmosphere of his
locations superbly, from a Deptford nightclub through the dazed,
unfocussed Goan rave
scene to Hong Kong on the cusp of change. Lee, Sol and Vix, who
meet each other in
Goa, Hong Kong and China, are all fleeing past troubles in
Britain, and the story
turns from one to the next, exploring how they have come to be
where they are.
The prose is suitably gritty and the dialogue believable, but
unfortunately, its hard
to care about the main characters, who drift rather aimlessly
through the novel,
supposedly fleeing their pasts but never really getting
anywhere. The plot is loose,
concentrating more on the influence of the past on the present,
although the ending
of the novel attempts to inject a little more tension into the
proceedings, but with
little success. Too frequently, Simon Lewis seems to be intent
on writing 'What I Did
On My Holidays', although he has a great talent for capturing
the alien culture
experienced by Westerners in Asia. 'Go' is an engrossing, if
ultimately unsatisfying,
read, and frequently smacks too highly of style over content,
but none-the-less worth
reading for the reader bored with novels based in the more usual
run of society.
Val McDermid's second 'Profiler' novel finds her in similar
terrritory to the award-winning The Mermaids Singing. Home
Office profiler Dr. Tony Hill has finally achieved his ambition
and is now heading a National Profiling Task Force, although his
colleague and friend, Det. Supt. Carol Jordan has eschewed the
squad in favour of a senior post in the newly created East
Yorkshire Constabulary. Tony's hand-picked team of young
detectives are keen, but inexperienced, and Tony sets them an
exercise as part of their training - find any common links
between a group of missing teenage girls. When Shaz Bowman, an
ambitious, talented but anti-social officer, comes up with a
theory that Jacko Vance, a well-known public figure (think a
mutant hybrid of Gary Lineker and Jimmy Saville) is responsible,
her ideas are dismissed by most of the team as coincidental.
Until, that is, she is brutally slain, and the team, suspended
from their enquiries but using the assistance of Carol Jordan,
race to track down Vance and avenge the death of their
colleague.
'The Wire In The Blood' isn't so much a 'whodunnit' as a
'will-they-get-'em', with the killer revealed early on but the
tension maintained as the killer seemingly outwits them as they
race for evidence. The ending is deliberately ambiguous, perhaps
reflecting the differences between legal and moral justice. As a
sequel to 'The Mermaids Singing', it is perhaps not its equal,
but still excellent. Not much is added to our knowledge of the
character of Tony Hill, revealed in the first novel as a flawed
and vunerable person, and little progresses between Tony and
Carol Jordan. 'The Wire In The Blood' is more of an ensemble
piece, with the trainee profilers growing into their roles
throughout the book, under the guidance of Hill, transformed
from teacher to avenging angel. In Jacko Vance, McDermid has
created a truly terrifying sociopath; less gruesomely inventive
than the killer from the first novel, but his profound psychosis
is thrown into stark relief by his public persona. Once again,
Val McDermid has written a gripping, disturbing novel that
contrast with her other novels. I hope this series continues to
go from strength to strength.
'Anno Dracula' - Kim Newman
Not
really a conventional mystery, although a series of murders occupies its heart, 'Anno Dracula' is a terrific blend of
horror, alternative history and a "what if" take on the classic novel 'Dracula'. Newman's premise is that van Helsing
and his companions failed to defeat Dracula (the transition point occurs at the end of Chapter 25), and Dracula has
won
in his attempt to establish an empire of undead in Victoria's Britain. Dracula has 'turned' Queen Victoria, and as
Prince-Consort Vlad Tepes ushers in a new age of medieval brutality. Vampires occupy senior positions in government,
the aristocracy aspire to joining their ranks, and the enemies of the state are impaled before Buckingham Palace by
the
elite Carpathian Guard. Meanwhile, a killer known first as Silver Knife, and later by a more familiar name, brutally
murders a series of vampire prostitutes in London's East End. Since the foremost consulting detective of the age is
imprisoned in the Devils Dyke concentration camp, Charles Beauregard, a "warm" diplomat and spy, is dispatched by the
secretive ruling cabal known only as the Diogenes Club, to investigate these potentially inflammatory killings.
Together with Genevieve, an elder French vampire, and Dr. John Seward, mourning his lost Lucy Westenra, he delicately
negotiates his way through the dangerous alleys of Limehouse, fending off vampires and the rebellious warm alike,
towards the identity of the killer and other revelations.
Newman has produced an exceptionally fine and
remarkably playful novel, skilfully blending the flavour of Stoker's original novel with the atmosphere and
personalities of real and fictional Victorian events and novels. One of the chief delights is spotting the numerous
cameos by real and fictional characters, from the vampire Prime Minister Lord Ruthven (his protege, Sir Francis
Varney,
being otherwise occupied with rebellious native vampires in India), the pitiful figure of Victoria Regina, through
the
good Drs. Jekyll and Moreau, the villanous Colonel Sebastian Moran and Dr. Fu Manchu, right down to an ancient,
hopping
Chinese vampire known only as Mr. Yam... Newman's vision of a nouveau vampire society is excellently imagined and
the
plot sufficiently involving, although Dracula remains far too much of a shadowy figure, and the denouement leaves
something to be desired. Vampire physiology is dealt with in a consistent manner, and thankfully the vampires are
somewhat more vulnerable and ultimately more sympathetic than certain bestselling vampire novelists would have you
believe. 'The Bloody Red Baron' - Kim Newman
Newman returns to the alternative world of
'Anno
Dracula' but it is now 1915, and a Great War rages between the Powers of Europe. Dracula, expelled from the United
Kingdom, has found a new niche in Germany, and commands German warm and undead troops in an offensive against the
Allied Powers. Unfortunately, the extensive use of silver-jacketed machine gun ammunition has lead to a stalemate in
the trenches of Northen France, and the new-born vampires of Europe are dying in great numbers, so Graf von Dracula
masterminds the formation of an undead airforce under Manfred von Richthofen, the Bloody Red Baron. Once again,
Charles
Beauregard, older and still warm, is called upon by the Diogenes Club to discover Dracula's plans. The plot and
alternative history covered here stretchs credibility a little, and Newman doesn't quite capture the atmosphere of
the
trenches as well as he did with Victorian London, but this is still an extremely enjoyable novel, featuring once
again
a host of cameo roles, including Edgar Allen Poe, Winston Churchill and even Colonel Clive Wynn-Candy and Oberst Theo
Kreustchmar-Schuldorf.
'Last Reminder' is another chapter in the life of Heckley CID, and its offbeat DI, Charlie Priest, previously
encountered in 'The Mushroom Man', 'The Picasso Scam' and 'The Judas Sheep'. The morning starts badly for Charlie,
nursing a hangover when called to investigate a rather grisly attack on swans in the local park, but things get even
more complicated when a local financial adviser is found dead, and when it is discovered that he was rather less than
honest with his clients about his investments, and involved in a dodgy diamond scam to boot, Charlie has an enviably
long list of suspects to investigate....
Stuart Pawson's Charlie Priest series is one of my current favourites, and Last Reminder is a good entry in the
ongoing exploits of sensitive, offbeat copper Priest. It has to be said that Pawson is never going to be remembered
as a groundbreaking crime writer capable of the brooding atmosphere and damaged characters of Harvey or Rankin, but I
think Pawson is deserving of recognition and accolade for producing a series of well-written, intelligent, funny and
involving detective novels. Priest is a great character who one warms to quickly, and the supporting cast and streaks
of grim humour are immensely welcome, as is the well-drawn backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales. One critiscm - Charlie is
currently involved with Annabel Wilberforce, the widow of an Anglican bishop, and unfortunately her character seems
rather unreal and decidedly out-of-place. If the author reads this - go on, get Charlie the person he deserves...
'The Last Cut' - Michael Pearce
Its always refreshing to see a historical novel set in something else than the usual, all-purpose 'coarse medieval',
and particularly refreshing to find a series of historicals with the wit, intelligence and originality of Michael
Pearce's Mamur Zapt series, of which 'The Last Cut' is the latest installment. 'Mamur Zapt' is the title
traditionally given to the head of the Khedive's secret police in Cairo, and the incumbent and protagonist of the
series is Captain Gareth Owen, serving in turn-of-the-century colonial Egypt as part of the large contingent of . As
Mamur Zapt, Owen is in charge of investigating political and potentially inflammatory crimes in the ethnically and
theologically diverse Cairean culture - the latest of these to cross his path is the series of crimes surrounding
Cairo's water supply. Not only has someone, widely rumoured to be the infamous and possibly mythological Lizardman,
blown up one of the canal regulators, but the body of a young woman has been found in front of a dam. The
significance of this becomes clear - the dam is annually breached, in a ceremony steeped in ancient fertility rites
Muslims vs. Jews about the last 'cut' - watercarriers economy. With a cast that includes Nikos the retentive clerk,
Georgiades the sly Greek with a regrettably large extended family, Mahmoud the shrewd, Nationalist lawyer,
miscellaneous inept or downright insane British officials, a supporting cast of Scottish engineers, and Zeinab, his
always unpredictable girlfriend, Owen steers his haphazard path through the fraught, seemingly irrational world of
Egyptian politics. Needless to say, Pearce handles the unbelievably complex plot with aplomb, displaying his
customarily dry sense of humour to the full. The dialogue is first-rate, particularly when it comes to the native
Egyptian population, and scenes are skilfully intercut to produce a truly satisfying novel. Long may it continue. 'The Face of a Stranger' - Anne Perry
Anne Perry is justly well known for her two historical crime
series, both set in
Victorian London, the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, and the
Inspector Monk
series, of which 'The Face of a Stranger' is the first. On first
inspection, the
Monk series seems to be working on a well-used gimmick - the
protagonist, the
grim-faced, dour Inspector Monk has been in an accident and lost
his memory
completely. In the hands of a lesser writer, this premise would
struggle to hold a
novel together, but Perry takes it and creates a nightmare of a
man lost and alone.
Struggling against rivalry within the force and trying to
discover who he really is,
the identity of those close to him and how he treated people
before the accident. In
addition, Monk is assigned to the murder of Joscelin Gray, a
high-profile crime that
could cause great problems for the Metropolitan Police, and for
Monk in particular
as he discovers that he is more involved in the case than he
wants. 'The Face of a
Stranger' is an excellent novel, working exceptionally well as a
period piece,
capturing the cold, dirty atmosphere of Victorian London, and
especially the
stratified society that Monk has to maneuver around. As a
detective novel, it works
well, unfolding its story at just the right pace to draw the
reader along, though
truth be told, the plot is not the most original ever. It will
be interesting to
read the succeeding books in this series, to follow the story of
Monk, one of the
most involving protagonists I have come across.
'Let It Bleed' - Ian Rankin
Rankin is rapidly becoming the rising star of modern British
crime fiction, and this
prime example of his writing confirms that. Rankin's protagonist
is Inspector John
Rebus of Edinburgh CID, a cynical, hard-bitten copper with
little patience for
fools. Although this description might be described as cliched,
Rebus is anything
but a cliche - he is a real, believable anti-hero, just as real
as Rankin's cold,
frightning Edinburgh. Opening with an unusually highly paced car
chase ending in the
death of two young men on the Forth Bridge (and some incredibly
black humour),
followed by the exhibitionist suicide of an old lag, Rebus is
sucked into the
confusing world of the Scottish body politic, drawing the
attention of some very
powerful men indeed. Neatly exploring an interesting dilemma of
economics and
morality, Let It Bleed is one of Rankin's finest to date, with
Rebus a flawed but
fascinating protagonist, and a sharply drawn picture of modern
Scotland behind it
all. I do wish he was a little nicer about Aberdonians
though....
'A Good Hanging and Other Stories' - Iain Rankin
A welcome reprint of a collection of twelve short stories,
originally published in
1992, featuring Lothian and Borders' DI John Rebus, which go far
to support Rankin's
position amongst the elite of modern British crime writers. The
short story format
allows Rankin to demonstrate that his talent doesn't just extend
to complex,
atmospheric novels like Black and Blue that explore the
complicated, flawed character
of John Rebus, but that he also has a great talent for devious,
complex puzzles. 'A
Good Hanging' contains several excellent short stories in the
classic mould, like
'Playback', a classic exposition of the supposedly unbreakable
alibi, and 'Monstrous
Trumpet', where Rebus's deductive skills in solving the
mysterious theft of a
slightly dodgy sculpture receive assistance from an
unfortunately named French
policeman.
There are also several more conventional stories of detection in
Rebus's bleak
Edinburgh - particularly good are the title story, set during
Rebus's least favourite
time of year, the Festival, and 'Being Frank', where a tramp's
conspiracy theories
lead Rebus along a rather different tangent. The character of
John Rebus is explored
in pieces like 'Sunday', a reflective piece on the off-duty
policeman, and 'Auld Lang
Syne', where a face from the past at Hogmanay confronts Rebus
with a dilemma.
Overall, what can I say? If you've read Rankin's other novels,
you'll certainly
devour these with relish, and if not, you'll probably enjoy them
just as much. It's
also nice to note that Rebus can get on with a days work without
worrying about Big
Ger Cafferty for once... 'Dead Souls' - Ian Rankin
Tenth book in Rankin's highly acclaimed Rebus series, and things aren't getting any better for poor old John Rebus.
The booze still isn't under control, nor the guilt over the serious injuries suffeered by his daughter Sammy in The
Hanging Garden, and guilt over the death of his old friend and colleague, Jack Morton (see 'Black and Blue'). Ghosts
haunt him at every turn, and even his closest firends notice that 'something's gone bad' within him. His involvement
in a child abuse case at a local children's home is too much for him, and after catching sight of a convicted
paedophile at a local zoo, instigates a press leak and the matter concludes in a violent vigilante action by locals.
Added to this, an old schoolmate from Fife, Brian Mee, and his wife, Janice, an old flame of Rebus, want him to help
locate their runaway teenage son, last seen in the company of a mysterious blonde, but the presence of Janice and
Brian brings back too many memories of childhood betrayals and lost friendships than Rebus can handle. If this were
not enough, a burnt-out tabloid hack comes to Edinburgh to capitalise on the return to Scotland of Cary Oakes, a
charming, amoral psychopath convicted of several murder in the US though suspected of far more crimes than could be
proved, particularly by a retired Edinburgh copper who suspects that Oakes may have been responsible for the brutal
murder of his niece. Rebus is assigned to harry Oakes out of Edinburgh, but Oakes finds Rebus's flawed and vunerable
persona too tempting to pass up using as a pawn in his intricate mind games.
Rankin skilfully handles events and the heady cocktail of plot elements, but disappointingly, the ending is cliched
and far too rapidly concluded and neatly to be truly satisfying. This might be a result of the choice of plot
elements - Rankin seems to have outreached himself by trying to cram far too much into one book. Still, Rankin's
talent is immense, and the atmosphere of the book is rich and brooding, although the chilling feelings engendered by
the ghostly presence of Jack Morton earlier in the book fade rather too quickly. Rankin's remarkable use of Edinburgh
landmarks is still as striking as ever, particularly the juxtaposition of a rundown council estate with the site for
the new Parliament building, and the intense, claustrophobic atmosphere of the mist-draped Salisbury Crags where a
colleague of Rebus takes his own life, and Rebus and Oakes confront one another. Rebus is still as confused, and
contradictory a character as ever, simultaneously inciting compassion, sympathy and disgust at once. Particularly
touching is Rebus's grudging compassion for Darren Rough, a convicted paedophile who he takes pity on after local
vigilantes have forced him out of their estate. Rankin hasn't yet attained the heights he scaled in the monumental
Black and Blue, but Dead Souls still shows he is a remarkable writer, and is a book that should not be passed over
lightly. 'That Angel Look' - Mike Ripley
It looks like business as usual for the improbably named Fitzroy
Maclean Angel, hero
of Ripley's long running series
of which 'That Angel Look' is very probably the last. Drinking
Mexican beer, driving
his (new) old Fairway cab, passing
comment on the ever-changing fads and obsessions of London life
whilst on the
lookout for a little quick, easy and
undeclared cash. Wrong. Angel is in very deep trouble indeed,
finding that driving
for three young fashion designers
brings him into unwelcome proximity to gang warfare in East
London, sweatshops,
neo-Nazis on the Internet and a dead
fashion photographer.
The story is told partially in flashback, a departure from
Ripley's usually
straightforward style, as Angel undergoes an extremely bizarre
interrogation by two
of the oddest policemen ever to grace the pages of a detective
novel, who know far
more about Angel than Angel thinks they should know. It emerges
that Angel, after a
chance meeting in a pub recalling a slightly seedier Judgement
of Paris, has been
working as a driver, dogsbody and occasional PR for three young
women who run TAL, a
new fashion design outfit. A nice little earner, and Angel's
idea of heaven, until
an
acquaintance turns up very, very dead in a particularly gruesome
way and the police
want to ask him the odd question about it. From there, the plot
careens madly back
and forth, as Angel tries to find out exactly who would want to
kill the victim,
what
TAL's connection with a Brick Lane sweatshop is, just who the
mysterious German in
the attic is, why his new girlfriend is assiduously avoiding him
and why the hell
his
cab, Armstrong II, has just got a parking ticket.
Building to a spectacular climax in a flower market, That Angel
Look hardly leaves
you time to catch breath, and is certainly Ripley's most
memorable novel to date.
The
trademark Ripley humour is there, with a clutch of superb
one-liners and farcical
though highly imaginable situations, and the usual cast of
long-running characters
make their presence known. Ripley's observations are acute as
ever, and Angel's
asides of the current fashions, trends and idiocies of modern
life are both funny
and
extremely accurate. Overall, a fine novel from a fine writer,
but have we heard the
last from Angel? Ripley swears blind that it is, and the ending
of That Angel Look
seems to be a little tricky for our boy to get out of, but you
never can tell with
Angel.
'Shinju' - Laura Joh Rowlands
An interesting variant on the traditional historical detective novel,
Shinju is a police
procedural, set in 17th century Japan. The protagonist, Sano Ichiro, is a member of a rather down-at-heel samurai
caste
family, whose father calls in a long-standing debt of honour so that his son may become a yoriko (police
commissioner)
based in Edo (Tokyo). After discovering the hard way that his job involves rather more bureaucracy than thief-taking,
he begins a routine investigation of a double suicide, or shinju, which leaves loose ends that he is not satisfied
with, and so he sets out to determine just why the daughter of a powerful family has been dragged out of the river
with
a penniless artist. However, Sano's investigations soon lead to the conclusion that the explanation of a double love
suicide between two people of different classes is just a convenient story to cover up something far more sinister.
However, he runs into barriers imposed by social restraint and etiquette, and far more importantly, the intransigence
of his superior, the magistrate, and his fellow yoriko, and his diligent pursuit of the truth against all odds leads
him to a sinister conspiracy aimed at the heart of society.
'Shinju' deals with the strong themes of duty to
the system warring with the personal desire of the individual to achieve goal that they see as 'right', which is an
obvious theme for a novel set in such a stratified society as 17th century Japan. However, Sano is perhaps too modern
a character in his preconceptions and outlook on life to fit well enough in, and also a little too much of a
'maverick
cop' to be a truly original character, though he is engaging as a protagonist and generally sympathetic. Although
this is a minor criticism, this problem of twentieth century characters in 'fancy dress' is all too frequent in
historical
novels, and something more is needed to overcome this flaw. Main strength of this book is its setting, which is
atmsopheric and well realised by the author. Plot is also intriguing, though a little obvious and somewhat contrived
in
places. Furthermore, Rowlands over-reaches herself with the ending - novels of this type often work better by
sticking
to the terrifying mundaneness of crimes like murder. However, this is an enjoyable novel and full of promise for
further entries in this series.
'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer' - Patrick Suskind
Ostensibly a mystery novel, this first novel by the German
playwright Suskind is
really one of the most remarkable novels I have read in recent
years. Based in 18th
century France, it tells the story of one Jean-Baptiste
Grenouille, an individual
blessed (or cursed) with an extraordinary sense of smell. This
enables him to escape
the slums where he grew up an orphan, and become apprentice to a
perfumer, for whom
he is able to create the most marvellous perfumes by intuition
alone. He makes his
way in the world, judging places and people by scent alone, and
revels in his power
until he realises that he himself has no smell and hence will
never be accepted, and
sets out to create the ultimate perfume that will bring him love
and acceptance. On
one level, it is the life of a sociopath and monster who kills
for perverse reasons
of his own, and on the other it is the tale of a man who is
unable to function in
normal society because of how others perceive him and in trying
to become accepted,
commits terrible and heinous crimes. 'Perfume' is not an easy
novel to read, and is
frequently extremely disturbing, but Suskind's descriptions of
Grenouille's
perception of the world as an landscape of odours are
exceptional, and the array of
minor characters who populate the world in which he lives. The
denouement is a
little glib, and this is certainly no conventional mystery, but
is fascinating to
read, and doubtless some will enjoy it greatly, whilst others
may find it
repellent. 'The Daughter of Time' - Josephine Tey
'Truth is the daughter of time', as the proverb preceding this
book runs, and the
pursuit of truth drives Inspector Grant throughout this novel,
as it has before.
However, this is no conventional crime novel - Grant is
convalescing after an
injury, and, finding it very dull indeed, resolves to discover
the truth behind the
myths surrounding Richard of York, Shakespearian villain and
historical infanticide,
challenging the perceptions borne by an education in which
Richard was painted as
the blackest of villains. He pursues the truth relentlessly from
his hospital bed,
reading all he can about the politics and events of the era, to
discover a very
different picture to that commonly perceived. Not only is 'The
Daughter of Time' a
fascinating study of a historical period distorted by popular
myth and political
expediency, but also forms a remarkable detective story in the
truest sense of the
word. There are no chases, no shoot-outs, no drawing-room
denouements, but this is
perhaps one of the most gripping and exciting books I have ever
read. Tey proved
herself to be a masterful writer with this, and it stands as a
fitting monument to
her achievements. 'Paint It Black' - Mark Timlin
Infamous bad boy of the modern British crime fiction scene, and
renowned for his
obscenity-laden attacks on cosy mysteries involving old women
and cats, ex-roadie
Timlin is the author of a series of novels featuring
down'n'dodgy South London PI
Nick Sharman (longer review to follow). Timlin's novels are
always wonderfully
evocative of a grimy, violent, dark and at times surreal South
London, and this
novel is one of the darkest to date. For once, Sharman is
content and settled,
living in cosy married life with ex-stripper Dawn, even ending
up reading the
Observer on Sundays. However, the disappearence of his daughter
from her Aberdeen
home draws him back into the dark underside of London, and he
soon embarks on a
bloody, violent one-man war against a cartel of drug dealers,
displaying an
absolutely eye-popping arsenal of weapons. At times this makes
one wonder if it
really fits with the plot or whether Timlin really just likes
guns... Alnot the last
in the series, Paint It Black has that feeling, with Sharman's
descent into his own
personall hell followed with a particularly gut-wrenching twist
at the end, that
left me quite stunned. Although this must rank of one of
Timlin's finest (though I
haven't read his latest, A Street That Rhymed At 3am) it is not
one I would
recommend for a newcomer to Timlin's work, as Sharman carries
too much personal
baggage to be clearly understood. Go back, read one or two of
the earlier ones, get
to know Sharman, but fail to read this at your peril.
'The Killing Floor' - Peter Turnbull
Let me just say that this is, without a doubt, the finest
British police procedural
I
have ever read, and the purest form of that genre. Turnbull is
the author of several
preceding books about 'P Division', a CID division based in east
Glasgow, and one of
UK crime fiction's unsung heroes. 'The Killing Floor' details
the investigation into
the discovery by a motorist of a headless, handless female
corpse in the garden of a
deserted house in Pollokshiels, a wealthy area of Glasgow. The
corpse turns out to
be
that of Pam McArthur, a deeply unpleasant individual who, before
disappearing from
her job as a social worker, was making vague comments about a
long-dead scandal.
Needless to say, as the police dig deeper, more and more
startling pieces of
evidence
concerning corruption and an old danger come to the fore, and
more bodies begin to
pile up...
Turnbull's work is excellent for a number of reasons. Firstly,
he is a master of
atmospheric description, bringing up a very real, highly
imaginable Glasgow, a
mixture of a cold, violent city, and a wealthy, prosperous area.
Secondly, he excels
in his treatment of all his characters. A police procedural in
the truest sense of
the word, he follows all the members of P Division as they work
their way slowly and
methodically through the case in hand, whilst at the same time
working through their
own lives and problems. Turnbull pays attention to all the
characters equally - D.S.
Sussock, living in a boarding house and trying to escape his
abusive wife and
unbalanced son, D.I. Donaghue, calmly contemplating his past,
his surroundings, his
marriage, D.C. King, juggling his life as a career copper and
living with his ageing
father. Even incidental characters, such as the young man with
multiple schlerosis
who witnesses a killing, are handled with great sensitivity and
attention to detail.
In all, Turnbull creates a superb novel, with a central case
that works well as a
whodunnit, skilfully blended with terrific characterisation and
atmospheric
description.
'Outsider in Amsterdam' - Janwillem van der Wetering
A welcome paperback reissue, Outsider in Amsterdam is in the first novel in van der Wetering's Amsterdam Cops series
following the frequently bizarre exploits of Detective-Sergeant Grijpstra and Adjutant de Gier of the Amsterdam police
force. Grijpstra and de Gier are summoned to investigate the death by hanging of Piet Verboom, owner of the Hindist
Society commune and cafe-bar. Naturally, the duo soon discover that suicide is not a likely explanation, and their
hunt for Verboom's murderer brings them into contact with the naive commune members and the less innocent inhabitants
of Amsterdam's underworld and then nascent drug culture. They also encounter the extraordinary character of van
Meteren, the outsider of the title, a former policeman from Papua New Guinea, now traffic warden and commune member,
at once suspect and ally in their investigations into the legal and possibly illicit dealings of the late commune
owner, culminating in an energetic finale of showdowns, shoot-outs and a boat chase on the IJssel-lake.
Van der Wetering was at the time a reserve member of the Amsterdam police force and brings his experience of police
matters to bear, particularly in his unmistakable distaste for drug users and dealers, while the influences of his
earlier travels in Asia and South America, make Outsider in Amsterdam a remarkably thoughtful and electic novel. His
portrait of 1970s Amsterdam is skilfully drawn, using the remarkable architecture and topography of the city to great
effect, and presents a quite different image to the odd mixture of culture and sleaze that visitors to the city often
encounter. The gruff, older Grijpstra and the young, hip and intellectual de Gier, although the classic
'chalk-and-cheese' police duo that readers have come to expect, and occasionally dread, are sufficiently sympathetic
and quirky to engage the interest of the reader. This is particularly evident in their conversation where van der
Wetering shows his talent for wry, amusing and remarkably subtle dialogue. Although at this stage van der Wetering had
not quite developed the distinctive mix of surrealism, Zen philosophy and broad comedy that characterise many of his
later Amsterdam Cops novels, but in balance, the plot is considerably more lucid and less deliberately obscure than
some of the later novels. In all, Outsider in Amsterdam is a wonderfully engaging piece and a superb introduction for
anyone who has yet to encounter van der Wetering.
Legal odds and sods: All material copyright
Daniel M. Staines
1997. Reproduction in any form without permission prohibited
except for personal and
academic use.
