Recommended Reads Blog
-
Alex North Double Bill
The Whisper Man & The Shadow Friend
Alex North
Time for another double bill!Today it is the turn of Alex North. Full disclosure – despite what the marketing for The Whisper Man may lead you to believe, Alex North is not, strictly-speaking, a new writer. And that was not his debut novel. A touch naughty perhaps, but when you write this well it can be forgiven. North already had a successful career, writing some excellent stand-alones, each with a terrific premise. I’ve known him for a number of years, enjoying those previous works, and he’d be a recommended read regardless. North’s real identity is an open secret within the crime writing community but I’ll respect his privacy and refer to him by his pseudonym.Before I get into the reviews though, let’s just take a moment to appreciate those amazing covers! I splashed out on the hardbacks, which are embossed, and they look absolutely lovely on the bookshelf.
North writes standalone thrillers. A hallmark of these, and his previous works, are a really clever premise, populated by beautifully-realised characters and a deep understanding of the psychology and motivations behind both protagonists and antagonists. Both of these novels could be categorised as psychological suspense, with an element of the supernatural* – real or imagined – but at the heart of each is a damned good mystery.
In The Whisper Man, Tom Kennedy and his young son move to a new area for a fresh start after the death of his wife, Jake’s mother. Fifteen years before they arrived, a serial killer murdered five children. The killer was caught and imprisoned, and became known as The Whisper Man. The new start seems to be working, until Jake starts acting strangely. He says he hears whispering at his window…
Where The Whisper Man is a beautiful exploration of what it’s like to be a father, The Shadow Friend examines what it is to be a son. Twenty-five years after a troubled teenager, Charlie Crabtree, disappeared after committing a shocking, unprovoked murder, his then friend, Paul Adams finally returns home. He’s never forgiven himself for his part in what happened that day, but his mother has a fall and he finally decides to stop running. The old town is full of things he’d rather forget, but by coming back, he’s forced to confront them.
I recommend these books, because not only are they very good, original page-turners, they are extremely well-written and they linger with you long after you close the cover. North has earned enough trust from me that I will buy whatever he writes next, in hardback, sight unseen.
*BTW if the mere mention of the word ‘supernatural’ puts you off – don’t let it. I’ve never been a fan of the so-called supernatural genre. The scientist in me tends to scoff and roll his eyes as soon as anyone mentions ghosts, spirits, and the ‘paranormal’; I spend the month of October skimming through the TV guide looking for something else to watch, and have never read any Stephen King! However, North slips these hints into his stories in an ambiguous way that is more creepy and disturbing than supernatural, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions based on their personal outlook.
-
Where Ravens Roost
Where Ravens Roost
(Detective Kjeld Nygaard, Book 1)
Karin Nordin
Coming February 2021
Available to pre-order from Amazon.One of the great priviliges of being a writer, is that you often get sent early copies of yet-to-be-published books, to see what you think.Karin Nordin’s debut thriller is set in Sweden and I am delighted that it is the first outing for the gloriously troubled Detective Kjeld Nygaard. I really do look forward to seeing where she takes him and his side-kick Esme in years to come.
The story centres around the return home of Kjeld Nygaard to the tiny Swedish mining town of Varsund that he escaped years before. His father, Stenar, leaves a rambling, incoherent message on Nygaard’s phone, claiming he’s witnessed a murder. Having not spoken to his father in many years, Nygaard is sufficiently concerned to take advantage of his temporary suspension (imposed after his last case went catastrophically wrong), to drive up north to investigate.
Arriving, he is confronted by a father suffering from Alzheimer’s, still obsessed with the shed-full of ravens he tends to daily, and no evidence that he didn’t imagine the whole episode. With the relationship between the two estranged men hardly improved by Stenar’s confusion, and frequent angry outbursts, Nygaard wants nothing more than to escape back to his life – such as it is – in Gothenburg.
And then he discovers a human tooth in the raven’s barn…
This is classic Scandi-Noir, the story set against the frigid, icy weather, and endless hours of darkness that make such tales so atmospheric. Nygaard is a well-rounded character with many flaws and a complicated relationship with his family. His father’s deteriorating mental condition is dealt with honestly and at times brutally, and the toll on his loved-ones described with sympathy and compassion. The old man’s obsession with his ravens is integral to the story and adds another disturbing layer; there’s something especially creepy about corvids that you just don’t get with a budgie!
The investigation has more than enough intrigue and twists to make it a satisfying and compelling read, and whilst it is fully resolved, leaves enough should the author choose to return to that setting.
As to the future? Well it is the first in a series, and Nordin has carefully built a cast of characters that will work even if Nygaard doesn’t return to Varsund for a couple of books. Throughout the novel, we are treated to hints at what actually happened to earn Nygaard his suspension, and I will be interested to see to what degree that features in later entries in the series. Aside from that, we are introduced to his partner, Esme and even though this isn’t a traditional police procedural as such – given that he is working an investigation for personal reasons, well-outside his jursidiction – we see hints at how they work together.
Although this is the first in the series, it doesn’t feel like it. It could almost be book three or four, and that’s a very clever decision by Nordin. It leaves her options to look both forwards and backwards. I have no insight into the author’s plans, but I look forward to seeing what comes next and I am excited that I was afforded the chance to join in right at the beginning!
Very highly recommended.
-
My Sister The Serial Killer
My Sister The Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite
This was a wonderfully refreshing read. Feted by reviewers and readers alike as ‘a literary sensation’, this really stands out, and is another that I have gifted as a Christmas present (shhh…).Told in the first person, it relates the story of Korede, a nurse whose wayward sister has a rather awkward habit of killing her boyfriends ‘in self defence’. Self-centred, a bit useless and frankly sociopathic, Ayoola’s first thought after each of these mishaps is to call her older sibling to come and clean up her mess. Literally.
The book is fast-paced, gloriously daft, and tremendous fun. I found myself laughing out loud, both at the witty prose and the sheer audaciousness of the characters. It also provides a glimpse into modern, upperclass Nigerian society, which is as obsessed with social class as any episode of Downton Abbey.
The chapters are short, which helps maintain the book’s rapid pace. Braithwaite is a poet, and you can see that influence in her careful attention to word choice. She also peppers the dialogue with Yaruba phrases, skillfully balancing the addition of a language perhaps unfamiliar to many of her readers to add flavour, without making it inaccessible. It is a great example of what the author Leye Adenle refers to as ‘Sunshine Noir’.
As a bonus, there is also a short interview with the writer at the end of the paperback (I’m afraid I can’t comment on whether it is in the electronic version). I don’t know what Braithwaite’s future plans are, but I fully recommend this book and will be keen to see what she produces next!
-
Craig Robertson Double Bill
The Photographer & Watch Him Die
Craig Robertson
The Photographer
Buy from Amazon.
Buy a physical copy from Bookshop.org and support independent book sellers.
Watch Him Die
Buy from Amazon.
Buy a physical copy from Bookshop.org and support independent book sellers.Today you are treated to a double-bill!
I’ve known Craig Robertson for a number of years and he is a generous and lovely man. A stalwart of the Scottish crimewriting scene, The Mirror says that “Robertson is doing for Glasgow what Rankin did for Edinburgh”. High praise indeed.
But as always, these two books are listed here as they are damn good reads (which I have bought people for Christmas… shhh), not because Craig is a mate.These are the two latest releases in Robertson’s Glasgow-based DI Rachel Narey series. I like Robertson’s writing as he always brings an original twist. As a writer of police procedurals myself, I know how hard it is to make a book stand out, and both of these distinguish themselves in a crowded field.In The Photographer, a dawn raid by the police leads to the discovery of a chilling collection of photographs hidden under floorboards. The story has a nice balance of surprising twists with a growing sense of impending dread, with readers never sure what will come next.
As always, the book has a strong supporting cast – both series regulars and new characters for this book, and each is written as an individual with their own strengths and foibles, with readers easily becoming invested in their fates.The next in the series Watch Him Die is another high-concept idea. The book opens in Los Angeles, with the apparently non-suspicious death of a man in his own home. However, closer inspection of the residence soon reveals something disturbing…
Back in Glasgow, Robertson’s series regular, Rachel Nary is embroilled in a missing person case – she believes she knows who is responsible, and furthermore believes that he has killed her.
These two seemingly unrelated cases, thousands of miles apart, become linked when the detectives in California discover a live internet feed broadcasting the slow and painful death of another victim…
I love this book. The marrying together of these two disparate cases is both chilling and plausible, and the blending of the familiar world of DI Nary with the radically different culture of US law enforcement is handled skilfully.
In ‘race against time’ books, it can be difficult to engender a true sense of danger for the victims. We want our heroes to succeed, and we know that the writer is also rooting for them. Here, Robertson genuinely has you wondering ‘will they or won’t they’? From the outset, there is no foregone conclusion, and it really is a ‘page-turner’.I heartily recommend both of these books, and others by Craig Robertson. He deserves the respect that he receives from reviewers, readers and his peers. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever he releases next.
-
The Last Resort
The Last Resort
Susi Holliday
I raced through The Last Resort in just three sittings, it was that good!
I’ve known Susi for a few years, and we both had short stories in the CWA Mystery Tour Anthology, but this is the first time I’ve read a full-length novel of hers.
It seems that I’ve been missing out! I will be sure to read her other books, including those penned under SJI Holliday. As always though, the book is a recommended read because I really enjoyed it, not because I know the author.The book is a great blending of a modern, hi-tech thriller with some futuristic technology, and a traditional ‘strangers trapped on an island together’ mystery.
The basic premise is that seven people agree to travel to a ‘luxury resort’. They’ve all been summonsed individually, and aside from one couple, are unknown to one another. The way that the whole thing has been organised is sketchy from the outset, but as is common with these stories, the protagonists all have their own reasons for accepting the invite. You, the reader, are already shouting “run away, you fools, it’s a trap”… I love that sort of set-up.It gives nothing away to tell you that each of the guests have their own hidden pasts, and the pleasure is trying to guess what secret each person harbours that they would rather nobody else knew. As the book progresses, things start to go horribly wrong…
The book is told in short chapters, and although it is 3rd person narration, each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the seven characters. This allows the reader a privileged glimpse into the mind of that chapter’s subject, even as they strive to maintain their own facade. It’s a technique that works really well, avoiding the need for extensive exposition from an omniscient narrator.
Interspersed between the chapters is a shocking event that happened long ago in the summer of 2000. Which character is hiding this secret and how will it feed into the modern day narrative?
As I said at the start, I raced through this in three sittings, and it was only heavy eyes that stopped me from reading ‘just one more chapter’ in bed. Definitely a page-turner, and definitely a recommended read.
