The book was Rose Tremain's Trespass, and I nearly didn’t find out that there was a murder in it as I almost gave up on it. Beautifully written misery, with no sympathetic characters at all, even when they are excused because they are so damaged – my usual experience with Rose Tremain. I still think it’s not really a crime book - certainly not a murder mystery - though (can’t read all this turgidity for nothing!), so I’m telling myself it’s really literary fiction (I’m sure her publisher tells her the same thing) and trying to enjoy the lovely writing instead.
Now - in no particular order - for the crime!
What Lies Buried, Margaret Kirk: One of those forgettable titles. This, like the first in the series (which I loved) is written in the present tense, and it took me a little longer to get
over it than with the first book. I didn’t fall for the book straightaway, either, as
I did for the first one. But it was well plotted and compelling: I love the
main character and the ‘sidekick’ Fergie, and Kirk doesn’t rest with giving
them depth but goes on to portray other people with sympathy and realism. But
why present tense? It just doesn’t work for me!
Fiona Leitch, Dead in Venice: Funny book from the start, with a blocked writer
struggling to come up with a new book in her series and receiving an invitation
to Venice. Her portrayals of the difficulties of writing, not to mention how
crime writing makes you look at the world, are worryingly accurate! You need
quite a suspension of disbelief about the whole thing but it’s entertaining,
and Venice is real, and the ending is, well, satisfying in the circumstances –
read it and you’ll see.
Births, Marriages and Death, Will Templeton: An interesting set up, a
registry office, and it's well used. The start is slow and for my own personal
preference I like a book where I try to work out the offender along with the
investigators, rather than see them in action in parallel with the
investigation. But the characters are well-drawn, if often very unpleasant –
though even then the unpleasantness is not unmixed with common humanity. And
the plot is well-constructed, too. Altogether a good read.
Alison
Morton, Inceptio: Interesting premise – an America handed by the Dutch to the
British in the early 19th century then finally given up by the
British in the 1860s, with a consequently Dutch-biassed society, and a country
called Roma Nova where Latin is still spoken. We’re on Karen’s side
immediately, too – victimised for taking reasonable action against a stoned
preppie who was tormenting an old man in Central Park. When a new client she
takes on helps reveal some interesting things about her childhood and
background, her life becomes very complicated and she is thrown into a
fast-paced adventure with the handsome Conrad. Of course I love the idea of an
up-to-the minute nation still conversing in Latin. The pace changes when she
moves right into Roma Nova and starts taking control of her life. There’s a lot
packed into this book, but it’s an enjoyable ride and clearly the first in a
series.
Enlarge cov
Sean
Campbell, and/or Daniel Campbell, Dead on Demand This is a familiar idea, made easier with the
internet: you want someone dead, you swap victims with another person who wants
someone dead. However, this one takes on some extra twists and turns not quite envisaged
by Hitchcock or Agatha Christie. The writing is occasionally a little stilted and
I couldn’t warm to any of the characters who were very flat or inconsistent throughout,
but the plotting is quite clever – it occasionally loses itself, or becomes over-convoluted,
and a couple of lines I found completely incredible. But honestly, the
Americanisms – ‘toll free number’? Deputies? Where are you trying to tell us
this is set? And if it really is the U.K., then when? We haven’t had W.P.C.s
since 1999. And even if we had, they would be wearing stab vests …
ExpiryDate, Alex Walters: These are really very good books, and I was delighted to
find a new release in this series. I’ve been reading a few police procedurals
recently which will not live long in the memory (and are possibly best not
mentioned here) where the characters are just names on the page, and not even
memorable names at that – where it’s hard to remember what first name goes with
what surname, whether the police are male or female, who is friends / lovers /
rivals with whom, whose the body is and whether or not we should even care.
These are different. It’s not as if we’re wallowing in character description
but they are real people, with depths, humour, emotions, stories. When you add
to that good plotting and an interesting case, or intertwining cases, the book
is irresistible.
Robert McNeill, TheInnocent and the Dead: Perhaps not the most gripping of titles, but I liked the
cover, which shows an old place of work of mine. But I was a bit confused – the
story ended halfway through and another one started. This book must contain
some of the wordiest ransom notes in crime fiction history, and again, not
particularly interesting characters. Edinburgh became a – not even a tourist
brochure, more of a leaflet – in the background. In addition, there were I think
three plots in the end which had no connexions – probably a more realistic
depiction of police work, but not the grounds for a particularly gripping
novel - so perhaps the title was apt.
Jasper Fforde, Early Riser: I loved
Fforde’s Thursday Next books, but hadn’t read one for a while. This is rather
different, another cleverly imagined alternative reality (Britain with the kind
of winters most people hibernate through), where collective dreams start to
drive people mad. It’s less funny (though still witty), more tragic, more all
enveloping and challenging. The plot is clever and convoluted and beautifully
imagined. My main question, though, is – what happens the animals?
Deathin the Dordogne, Martin Walker: Enjoyable bit of leisurely French crime, full
of lovely food and enviable lifestyles, but the crime has its root in Vichy
France and all the pain that involves. An interesting rummage around the
tensions of modern France, and an enjoyable read, the first in what looks like
a comfortable series. In Dark Vineyard, the second, there are distinct
hints of Louise Penny – nasty murders in a charming setting.
TheRat Stone Serenade, Denzil Meyrick: Good crack, though the body and violence
count is high. The setting is very traditional, family gathering marooned in
snowstorm, family business causing family tension. I found the plot stretched
credulity a bit far and I spotted the ending coming, but Daley and Scott, and
new boss Symington, are very entertaining. One excellent thing about Denzil Meyrick's books, however, is the titles: they're intriguing, hard to forget, distinctive, and relatively easy to find on GoodReads!
Wellof the Winds, Denzil Meyrick: I’m a bit behind in this series, so followed on
quickly with this one. The meshing of contemporary narrative with 1945 was well
done and intriguing, coupled with present day conspiracies. The relationship
between Daley, Scott and Symington is developing in an interesting way, and there was a good little
twist at the end.
And my own progress? Over halfway through The Incident at Lochgorm (Hippolyta V), and planning to get straight into The Slaughter of Leith Hall (standalone) when it's done. And then, perhaps, Orkneyinga III, then Murray XII? The vaguest of plans!
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