Paul Gitsham
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    • #1: The Last Straw
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    • #2.5: Blood Is Thicker Than Water (Novella)
    • #3: Silent As The Grave
    • #3.5: A Case Gone Cold (Novella)
    • #Omnibus (Books 1-3 + 2 novellas)
    • #4: The Common Enemy
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    • #5: Forgive Me Father
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    • #7: Out Of Sight
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Recommended Reads

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The Beaten Track

2/5/2022

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The Beaten Track
Louise Mangos

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Today's #RecommendedRead is from Louise Mangos. The Beaten Track is a compulsive tale of obsession, and how your past life can continue to follow you, even as you move forward.
It follows the tale of Sandrine, a young woman returning from a backpacking holiday around the world. The trip was a dream for her, yet it turned dark when she picked up a stalker, who eventually killed himself.
Things go from bad to worse when she is jilted by her holiday lover, before finding out she is pregnant. Eventually, she is forced to return home to Switzerland, penniless, pregnant and heartbroken.
Things finally seem to be going her way when she meets Scott. Handsome, wealthy and willing to take care of her and her baby, he seems like a dream come true. But her nightmare is only starting.

It's an old cliche, but writers are often advised to 'write what they know', and this is a case study in when that advice really works. Mangos travelled extensively when she was younger, and is currently living in Switzerland. This lends the book a descriptive authenticity that really lifts it.
Cleverly, Mangos sets the book in the late 1980s. Not only does this allow her to confidently use her own experiences and memories, it frees her from some of the constraints of telling a story set in today's connected world. With near universal mobile phone coverage in even the remotest parts of the world, and modern forensics available to the smallest of police forces, it would be difficult to keep the suspense if the book were set in the 21st century. In the hands of another author, this might feel contrived, but because Mangos is writing in part about her own, vividly remembered, experiences it works really well, and it feels natural and authentic.
A story such as this is crafted to keep the reader guessing. It's cleverly ambiguous in parts without ever feeling that the writer is being evasive. I made numerous predictions, some of which were right, others which were way off the mark. Because of that, I was eager to reach the end and be rewarded with the complete explanation.

I heartily recommend this book. 
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You Don't Know Me

19/8/2021

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You Don't Know Me
Imran Mahmood

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Today's #RecommendedRead is the fantastic You Don't Know Me, the debut novel by barrister Imran Mahmood. Praised highly when it was first released, this is one of the most original takes on the crime genre that I have read in recent years.


The entire book is a first-person narrative told as the closing speech by a defendant in a murder trial. The protagonist is a young black man from London accused of the murder of another young man, in what the prosecution are portraying as a feud between rival gang members. Against the advice of his barrister, the defendant takes to the stand to address the jury directly. Over the course of several days, he tries to convince those with his future in their hands that what they assume is just another killing is so much more.
A nervous and inexperienced defendant, he struggles at times to describe the world he lives in. A world with its own rules and hierarchies far different from that experienced by the judge, jury and lawyers (and by extension the reader).

Mahmood is a barrister of many years experience and it shows. Unlike other courtroom dramas, there are no interjections by defence or prosecution counsel, the whole story is essentially a monologue, broken only by the natural breaks of the court's timings.

By telling it in this way, Mahmood plays with the perceptions of the reader. My feelings toward this young man constantly switched from disbelief to sympathy, to frustration at his choices and empathy for his circumstances. At times I felt despair for those trapped in this world, at other times I admit to a degree of contempt for the way in which the culture he and his peers are part of ignore wider societal norms.
It's not a comfortable read by any measure, yet it is compelling, and as his tale unfolds I found myself challenging some of my own preconceptions.
"You don't know me" indeed!
A true #RecommendedRead.
Update: I've just heard it has been adapted for TV. This will be one to watch!
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Alex North Double Bill

18/12/2020

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The Whisper Man & The Shadow Friend
Alex North

The Whisper Man
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Buy from Bookshop.org and support independent sellers.
The Shadow Friend
Buy from Amazon.
Buy from Bookshop.org and support independent sellers.
 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.
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    Paul's Recommended Reads.

    Welcome to my reccomendations page.

    Here you will only find reviews of books that I have enjoyed, and think others will also.

    If a story doesn't grab me, it won't feature on here.

    The books featured will be a mixture of new releases, old favourites and books that have sat on the 'Too Be Read' pile for longer than they should have.

    I hope you see something that you enjoy, so please do feel free to comment on here or on social media.

    Disclosure: I regard some of the authors featured here as friends. I promise that I only include a book if I genuinely liked it, not because I know the writer!

    All content copyright Paul Gitsham 2020-22

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  • Welcome!
    • About Paul Gitsham
    • Newsletter
  • DCI Warren Jones
    • #1: The Last Straw
    • #2: No Smoke Without Fire
    • #2.5: Blood Is Thicker Than Water (Novella)
    • #3: Silent As The Grave
    • #3.5: A Case Gone Cold (Novella)
    • #Omnibus (Books 1-3 + 2 novellas)
    • #4: The Common Enemy
    • #4.5: A Deadly Lesson (Novella)
    • #5: Forgive Me Father
    • #5.5: At First Glance (Novella)
    • #6: A Price to Pay
    • #7: Out Of Sight
    • #8: Time To Kill
    • No More 'I love you's'. (Short Story CWA Anthology: Music Of The Night)
  • Other Writing
    • Dark Minds Charity Anthology
    • CWA Anthology: Mystery Tour
    • CWA Anthology: Music Of The Night
  • Blogs
    • Writing Tips
    • Recommended