the resurrection (part one)

 

I was confused earlier this week when Down & Out books updated their Facebook page with an image of festive celebration. My first response was to write and angry comment and ask what the hell they were thinking about, given the bitterness many have felt since the anouncement of their sudden demise a few months ago. I took a deep breath and paused for a while, then wrote a less angry comment, though one of definite disapproval. Later on, when wondering if there had been other replies, I noticed that there was a new post informing us that Down & Out was returning under new management and that exciting times lay ahead. I deleted my initial thoughts and added something more supportive. Down & Out is to be resurrected. 

Hallelujah?

I had so many thoughts that I felt it might be best to share them on the blog rather than let them spin inside my head. So, here goes.

My qualifiers here are that I have a terrible memory, which means exact detail and sequence may not be exact. I'm also pretty lazy, which means checking up on dates and sequences of events is something I'm not going to do. What I lay out below will not be perfect, but the spirit will be accurate. 

As an opening, I was offered the chance of having a couple of my books published with All Due Respect (who, I think at that time were already under the D&O umbrella). Chris Rhatigan was at the ADR helm and he was a real shining star of integrity, talent and enthusiasm. He took on my novella Smoke (which had previously been published by the wonderful Blasted Heath who closed their doors in an exemplary way, looking after authors with respect, kindness and a hint of regret - hats off to Allan Guthrie and Kyle MacRae for that) and my novel In Loco Parentis. The quality of interaction with Chris was high, his editing superb and the covers were top notch (the one for In Loco Parentis by JT Lindroos is still my personal favourite). The books came out and they sold in trickles, as is typical with noir fiction on the whole, and I was very happy.

Some time later, I completed the first book of the Rat Pack series, Let It Snow. It was a deliberate attempt to create something with a wider appeal, being a little more mainstream and rooted in my passion for Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series. I sent it to D&O and was thrilled to have the book accepted (I wasn't sure it had been read, given the quick turnaround, but I had a good reputation and I was already on their books, so it was no major surprise). Even better, or so I thought, there was the offer for the first three books in the series (I'd mentioned the plan in my approach) and I grabbed it with both hands. 

When I passed on the news to a respected and very experienced writer friend, he was less enthusiastic than I'd expected. He was especially doubtful about the three-book deal and suggested I change that right away. I explained that, because I had signed the contracts, I felt honour-bound to stick to my word. he tried to talk me out of it, explaining that it really was no big deal for me to change my mind, but I felt I couldn't change my decision even if I realised I was most likely wrong. 

Let It Snow's beginnings were a bit shaky. The editing process was more complicated than I was used to. The cover was rather generic. Everything took a little more time that I expected and felt a little clunky, but the book eventually came out and there was a reasonable landing. It found a small audience, but not one as wide as I felt it deserved. They did get me an interview, in fairness, which was as far as promotion seemed to go.

Undaunted, I moved on to writing My Funny Valentine. This was stronger than Book 1, was much tighter and delved deeper into the characters and developed their lives really well. This time, I had some issues with the cover. The first suggestions were terrible. So were the next. I was surprised at the difference between the genius of JT and the new ideas. Eventually, I made a few suggestions and when a half-decent cover came out I accepted it. What worried me most was that there was no sense of this being a series. There was no attempt to suggest any continuity in the books and that didn't make sense. 

After each release, I heard back from some trusted readers that there were numerous mistakes in the text (partly my fault, I'm sure) that I'd expected to have been ironed out in the editing process. Lists of errors were long, some translations from the UK to the US were baffling. It was disappointing, but I was grateful for the help of my friends and manuscripts were updated. 

Along the way, there were several updates (six-monthly?) on sales and payments were made as expected. And sales were improving. That was, in the main, because I was lucky enough to get a non-US Bookbub for Let It Snow. I explained to the publisher that I had this arranged and that I needed the price drop to be on time (which it was). I paid for it myself and tried to rally some energy and support from D&O - perhaps they'd work on interviews and blogposts as well as social media support and maybe even take out a few cheaper ads of their own. They suggested nothing. It became clear to me at that point that promotions and sales weren't their forte; in fact, I'd go further and suggest that they had no interest in promotion or sales as far as I could see, which was weird (I thought that was what publishers were meant to focus upon once books were taken on). 

I began watching the sales rankings on other Down & Out releases. They were always woeful. I kept seeing enthusiastic posts about writers who had signed contracts with them and my heart sank every time. Maybe I should have expressed my concerns publicly at that point as a warning to others, but getting a publisher feels like such a big deal that I didn't want to burst bubbles. I also felt some kind of loyalty to the family. Looking back, I wish I'd handled things differently. 

By the time Aint That A Kick In The Head came out, I had all but given up on sales and promotion. Rather than feel like a hub of activity and energy, D&O felt more like collectors of crime titles than anything else. I looked upon them as a graveyard for crime writers (and many amazing writers at that). 

It was about this time that communication pretty much dried up. 

Gone were the regular sales updates and payments, even though I could see that my titles were still occasionally selling. In the end, I became so frustrated that I contacted them and asked for updates. Lance gave me a fairly quick reply (in fairness, he always responded to my questions and was always supportive and polite). I also got some payment at that point, which was about a year ago as far as I can remember, and I was grateful for that. 

And then came the sudden news of their demise. An email to all us authors informing us that D&O was shutting its doors.

My first reaction was one of relief, I kid you not. I had often thought about asking to get the rights back anyway. I'd seen others I respect doing so. I didn't feel any books there got the support they deserved. I was resigned to the Rat Pack novels just sinking into the mulch and disappearing forever. 

And then I reread the email. There would be no payments offered to authors for any sales already made. 

WTF?

They had to be kidding, right? I can't have been understanding them correctly. 

And yet, it was exactly what they meant. 

I didn't feel bad for myself because if they owed me anything, it was probably in the low tens of dollars and that only because I'd chased it up a year before. But the others out there? Some were royally screwed. 

Beau Johnson was the most vocal about the shoddy treatment. He was led to believe that there was a future for more of his books with them and went on heavily promoting his work while the plug was being pulled. In short, it appears that D&O happily allowed Beau to continue making money for them (inlcuding a big order of books made for an event) when they had no intention of honouring payments. Which is appalling. 

There will be others left heavily out of pocket, too. The whole thing is a disgrace. It tarnishes Eric Campbell's reputation. Makes you wonder what he was thinking. I know a lot of folk have said he's a terrific guy. I've never met him, but after this, I'd suggest that he really isn't. There may be extenuating circumstances (mental health, financial etc), so I don't want to go in too heavily just in case, but it feels like theft and fraud to me. It's certainly not the way to go about business and is definitely an insult to friends and colleagues alike.

I suspect things just failed so badly that the only thing to do was to shut the doors. It failed so badly because it had no sense of direction or purpose other than as a collector and, possibly, a badge of honour and status that really was worthless. 

And then there was the inevitable chaos that followed the demise.

From my point of view, Lance did everything. As he wasn't in control, he was (it seemed to me) stuck in the middle. There were mentions of rights being returned, yet it wasn't automatic (there were many authors, so perhaps the delays were inevitable). Eventually, and upon request, the rights of all five of my books came back. I asked for covers (the Rat Pack ones weren't really of interest, but I felt it would be good to have original copies anyway, preferably without the logo) which never appeared. I asked several times (scratched records) for the return of best-copy manuscripts and eventually got them (I never asked for best-copies upon completion of editing earlier on, so this was really important in terms of saving me huge effort when looking for a new direction). I didn't bother asking for money. 

And there was also the period (possibly still ongoing) where books were available for sale even though rights were returned. The distributor may have been slow here, but it's still very unsatisfactory.

On the positive side, JT Lindroos (occasional cover designer for D&O) was steady and professional. He dug out a copy of the ILP cover he designed to send to me and took it further, removing the logo and adjusting the cover to accommodate that change. He also got onto Facebook and offered the covers to any authors if he had them. Just a nice, thoughtful and human thing to do. I also had some kind words of support from some old Facebook friends and all of them were gratefully received. 

The whole thing has been a shambles, so when I saw that festive update, I practically choked on my bile. 

It turns out that there is to be a resurrection of Down & Out. I'm unclear as to what this means for authors who choose to stick around. I emailed the address offered by the new boss/es and had a very prompt response from Joe, which was reassuring. 

I can't know how things have moved from one owner to another. I suspect Joe (and others?) has taken this one without any money changing hands and that it's a genuine attempt to salvage something from the ashes. I really hope this is the case. As far as I can tell, payments due from the previous owners are still not going to be made; in the circumstances, I don't feel Joe should automatically shoulder this and believe this is still on Eric's plate. 

I'll be happy to support a future incarnation of D&O, but not with my books. For authors considering sending submissions, I'd urge the utmost caution. Be patient. Watch for a while Wait and see how this pans out. 

I hope there will be positive outcomes as things change. I'm crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath.

     

One Man's Opinion: THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT by ED McBAIN

 

Well, here's a rare thing. In fact, it's a first for me. An Ed McBain novel that I haven't enjoyed. I say I haven't enjoyed it, but I didn't really give it a chance. Twenty pages in and I'm throwing it onto the place where the Did Not Finish pile would be if there were any other books there. 

I can't explain what it is that stopped me from carrying on. The introduction has Matthew Hope defending a man suspected of murdering his gay brother in the aftermath of a party. 

Attitudes are somewhat outdated, and I can often live with that, but I'm not sure I like Matthew Hope and didn't feel I could be bothered to get to know him. 

Not for me then, unless you pile in and convince me that it's worth making the effort.

One Man's Opinion: LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL by RONAN HESSION

 

It's a long while since I did Tai Chi and read the Dao Of Pooh. I was reminded of this when I opened Leonard And Hungry Paul in that it was clear I was in for a change of pace, being used to reading and writing pulse-raising stories in the main. 

Leonard And Hungry Paul is a charming book that continues to gently glow from the first page to the last. 

The pair might well be described as misfits, but the friendship is stronger than most, meaning Leonard has been all but adopted into Hungry Paul's family. They are creatures of habit, enjoying board games and moments of togetherness within a life of routine and security. 

But things change (oddly Things Change is a film that sticks in my memory and is also brought to mind by this novel). Hungry Paul's sister is getting married, Leonard's mum has recently died and he has finally met someone who might consider starting a relationship with him. The ripples of the alterations to life are gentle, yet contain power. The nature of what is to come is uncertain, yet Hungry Paul is unperturbed. He's a Winnie the Pooh type character, centred and wise, carrying within the ability to impact upon the world and those around him with minimal effort, desire or even intention.

The stories within flow like a bubbling stream. Though it has the required tension to create a narrative drive, the pleasure of the read lies elsewhere: in the thoughtful observations, the light touches, warming humour, solid relationships and laugh-out-loud moments. 

Spending time with Leonard, Hungry Paul and the cast of surrounding characters is a real treat. It's a book to be savoured, to share and to keep on the shelves never to be sent on to the charity shop.

I believe it will soon be released as a TV series and I, for one, can't wait to see it. 

     

One Man's Opinion: IN DUBIOUS BATTLE by JOHN STEINBECK

 

In Dubious Battle. What a treat. It's a tale of politics and social commentary, but to my mind it's also a noir cracker. 

In the opening chapter, protagonist Jim Nolan walks away from his life to dedicate himself to the communist party. Right from the off, we know that it's a move that will involve personal sacrifice and hardship, but that barely covers what lies ahead of him. It's also the point when I knew I'd been here before. Perhaps I've read it already. Probably have, which is one of the benefits of having a terrible and fading memory (the second time round can be as refreshing as the first). 

Jim heads off with his mentor, Mac, to the orchards of California. They've got wind that the owners are cutting the price for apples picked and so there's an opportunity to organise protest, after all, if the price for picking apples is accepted, it will be the cotton plantations next.

They arrive in town and head straight for a diner whose owner is sympathetic to their cause. Meals are on the house and soon they'll also be able to use the land of the owner's father to camp out when striking workers will be made homeless once they withdraw their labour.  

It's not easy being Reds. Even though the cause is clearly just and the capitalist bosses are unscrupulous, many of the workers are anti-communist and the pair need to stay in the shadows where possible. They choose the most likely leaders among the migrants and set about organising a democratic structure. 

What comes next is a richly drawn-out story about human nature, conflict, politics and purpose. There's tension and action aplenty. There are the local authorities to battle, the press to suffer, they need to find enough food for the masses, the camp needs a doctor and has to be sanitary, the vigilantes are vicious thugs and the mood of the (mostly) men is as fickle as the wind. 

Steinbeck is clearly a sympathiser to the cause. He's shining a light on something he believes needs attention. All the same, he's astute enough to explore the complexities. Not all of the townsfolk are heartless. Not all of the strikers are beyond reproach. The nature of the mass mentality is unpredictable. Their actions can be frightening and their choices poor. The motives of the party will ignore the needs of the few in order to influence the many and the blinkers required by party members have to be thick. Life is brutal and it's the toughest that will survive; if they don't succeed this time, maybe they'll live on to fight in the next battle.

The novel carries real weight. It feels important and got me thinking, which is always a good thing. 

I finished it yesterday, just after a visit to the excellent Resistance exhibition at the Modern Two Gallery in Edinburgh where the photographs on show capture moments of social and political movements of the past, whether organised by large groups or growing from tiny seeds. At a time when the ugly face of the right is unmasking itself and, for some crazy reason, dominating much of our politics, the images and In Dubious Battle feel important. There should be no place for racist, divisive selfishness in our minds and actions and where it appears, someone needs to stand up and fight back. At some place along the line, that someone will have to be you. You don't need to go as far as Mac and Jim, but you do need to find a way to get your skin in the game.

MOVEMENT OF 24th SEPTEMBER

 

Music by the amazing Barge Calm Delta. Reminds me a little of The Residents. How good is that? Check it out if you don't need your hand held or you don't need all your roads to be straight. 

One Man's Opinion: SAINT OF THE NARROWS STREET by WILLIAM BOYLE

 

I had high expectations of Saint Of The Narrows Street. It has a great author and some fab ingredients. In the end, however, I left it feeling slightly disappointed. 

The opening drips with atmosphere and character, carrying the heavy stamp of Brooklyn. A View From A Bridge came to mind, the claustrophobic apartment that is a family home wonderfully drawn. Inside it, a young mother and her sister mind a child, awaiting the return of the youngster's aggressive and unpredictable father. Said father has a gun and a lover. The kitchen is full of knives. It's never going to end well. 

From the incident framing the opening, the story unfolds with guilt and darkness seeping in and rotting away at the insides of all involved. There's a body to dispose of, there are those keen to find out what happened and there's a child who is disconnected from his foundations. 

Stripping it back to its basics, there's a solid story in there. What held it back for me were the references and stories of the neighbourhood, all surrounding people with interesting names, possibly there to add flavour, but for me detracting from the main drivers. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I gradually lost emotional engagement with those involved, which meant the outcomes had less power than I feel they could/should have been. 

I suspect I'm in the minority on this one as it's been very well received. If you're into lots of life-on-the-streets gangster nostalgia, you'll probably dig it and the opening is worth the entry fee so it might well be worth taking a chance. 

Crime, it is. Crime And Punishment, maybe not.    

 

One Man's Opinion: CAUGHT STEALING

 

I go to the cinema a lot. This year, I've averaged a trip per week. On top of that, I've been to two film festivals, where new blood work with the medium of film producing work that has a very different dynamic than the mainstream. 

Posting here about films isn't something I do. Perhaps that's something I should change. I came close with some of my faves of 2025 (The Companion, The Ballad Of Ellis Island, Sinners) and some of the worst views (The Alto Nights and Marching Powder). Regardless of the direction I take, I came out of Caught Stealing with such a spring in my step that I wanted to give it some space.

It's based on the novel of the same name by Charlie Huston, who was heavily involved in the adaptation. Though I don't want to say too much about the plot, it tells the story of a bartender with a drink problem, Henry 'Hank' Thompson. He's screwed up his life once already, having thrown away a baseball career as a youngster, killing a friend and messing up his knee in a car crash. His life's edgy, but he's hanging in there, helped by his girlfriend and his mates at work. 

When his neighbour, a mohawked English punk rocker, leaves the country to visit his dying father, Hank is kind enough to look after his cat. 

A couple of dodgy geezers show up in search of something important at the punk's flat. Hank can't help them as he has no idea what might be inside and, because he knows nothing, takes a brilliantly violent beating. 

Enter the cops. The lead detective gets involved, letting Hank know that there may be another criminal gang searching for whatever it is that's missing, that both crews are deadly serious and, well, just deadly. 

From here it spirals from one nightmare to another. The action comes thick and fast, the outcomes often being unexpected. There are toe-curling moments and stomach-churning scenes. It's an adrenaline-fueled ride that has a retro feel to it, a noir edge that I'd welcome much more of on our screens. 

I don't remember enjoying the bad guys as much in a film for a very long time. They're dark, vicious and superbly played, with a fantastic capacity for causing pain in original ways. 

Add to this an excellent soundtrack (courtesy of Idles) and you have something very special indeed.

Austin Butler is perfect for the central role. I loved him in The Bikeriders and he's only gone up in my estimation here.

There are some syrupy aspects to the story and you might have to let a couple of issues slide, but you really should get along and give this a try. A+ action, brilliant violence, ace characters, anarchic plot, surprising twists and coherently crazy. What's not to like? 

One Man's Opinion: ONE DAY by DAVID NICHOLLS

 

Following on from recent David Nicholls holiday reads, I finally got around to One Day 

I've seen the movie and watched the excellent TV series on Netflix, so there were no real surprises. Except the heart and soul of the book ran deeper than I was expecting and the pacing, drama and tension that runs alongside the moving moments meant I still raced through the pages in spite of knowing what was about to come. 

Such a simple idea, so very well executed. 

I'm not sure there's much else to say, other than that I adored it. 

Better Read Than Dead

 

It's not easy releasing a new book these days, especially if you're not inclined to push hard on advertising and get involved in sales pushes. I've done that before and it was very satisfying at the time, but it's not something I want to do at this point in life or for this particular title.

I've been grateful for all the sales of the paperback version of Cut And Carried and thanks to those who went out of their way to pick up copies. 

The kindle book has been a different story. The ebook version hasn't taken off at all. It's one of the benefits of self-publishing that you can track your sales live, though it's not so much fun when you're also tracking no sales. 

Which means I can, without conscience, put this one up for free. I'm hoping that this will entice a few of you to give the book a try. As the title of the post suggests, I'd rather the book was read than dead. 

If you're up for a short, fun and energetic crime read, this may be for you. It's a noir farce. A pantomime of crazy action with a few laughs along the way. It's a Preston western. One wedding and four funerals. Twenty-four hours of chaos. 

And if you do dip in your toe, please let me know what you think.  

Thank you. 

 

One Man's Opinion: A DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT

 

Last time I read a Harry Bosch novel, it was picked from the shelves of my holiday accommodation. In fact, back then I read three in quick succession and enjoyed them all. 

A Darkness More Than Night happened to be another holiday read. 

The plot, initially, seems disparate, though over time the strands come together to produce a satisfying conclusion. 

Ex-FBI profiler, McCabe, lives on an island with his wife. He's given up the world of investigation to concentrate upon his family and his fishing boat. Much to the chagrin of his wife, McCabe is lured back into a new case by a local cop who believes she may have a serial killer on her hands. 

In the meantime, Bosch is leading up a major court case that's the talk of the town. He's working to put away a suspect in the killer of a young actress. 

As McCabe digs into the case, he's drawn to call upon Bosch because of a shared history involving a previous case where the suspect is now the victim. 

McCabe delves into the study of the artist Hieronymus Bosch and into the deep darkness of his work. 

When he does his sums, he puts two and two together and makes seven or eight. I'm not sure if his line of thinking has been created to generate tension in the book, but for me all it served to do was to have me shaking my head in disbelief (a you-really-expect-me-to-take-that-seriously? kind of shake).

The book is engaging enough. The characters are strong and the overlapping of times and cases works well. 

It's also a little bloated. The dialogue could be slicker. There's a lot of repetition of words in short spaces of time that a decent editor should have cut. Throw in some navel gazing and a dash of exaggeration of conflict and motivation and it's not a smooth ride.

No doubt great for Bosch fans and for those who soak up crime fiction from the airport shelves, it's ideal for helping to spice up a beach break or a long journey. 

All-in-all, less enjoyable than the Scudder I finished before reading this.  

One Man's Opinion: EVEN THE WICKED by LAWRENCE BLOCK

 

Matt Scudder happens to be one of my favourite investigators. He carries all the flaws necessary to make him interesting, yet he's a creature of habit and has such a range of friends that it's impossible not to like him. And then there are the cases that he chooses to work- they're always worthy of ringside seats. 

When I say 'he choses to work', of course I really mean that Lawrence Block is a master storyteller who knows exactly which buttons to press and when.

I read a lot of Scudders a long time ago, but my haphazard approach to pretty much everything means that I didn't work in order and that there were gaps in the process, which is lucky for me because I get to discover new titles that give me as much of a buzz as the others did. 

Even The Wicked is terrific. 

Will (of the people) responds to some heavy journalism by sending out a letter of intent to murder a criminal who is getting away with things instead of being hit with the force of justice. After the murder is carried out and another letter sent, Will becomes the talk of New York. When it's the time of a hot shot DA to get his warning, Scudder is called in to work the case. 

At the same time, an old man who's dying from AIDS is shot to death in a park. Scudder and the victim have a mutual AA friend and he ends up digging into the story. 

Things fall into place as you might expect. Block dangles carrots along the way. Allows you to sense what's coming just before it does, allowing a reader the satisfaction of being on the right path. 

And, spoiler alert, Scudder comes out on top. But so does pretty much everyone else. 

Should I ever be investigated for a crime, I hope it's Scudder who pins me down. At least that way, I know he'll show me the decency and respect I deserve as he carts me off to wherever it is I belong. 

 

SEA MINOR

 

Sea Minor, a short audio story, first published by The Reader Magazine and narrated by Geoff Bird.

CUT AND CARRIED by NIGEL BIRD

It may seem that my rate of writing has slowed over time, and for a while that was the case. Truth is, I've been as hard at it over the last couple of years as I ever have. Well almost.

I've written three novellas in collaboration and they've involved a lot of effort. I think they're as good as anything I've written, partly because my writing partner is so bloody good and I have to raise my game. Those books may well see the light of day in the next year, but they also may not. The timing isn't important to me, but I'm excited about their release whenever that happens to be. 

Meantime, I've been working on a novella of my own. 

Cut and Carried is a noir farce populated by pantomime villains. It was a lot of fun to write and, I'm hoping, will be a lot of fun to read. For those who follow my work, I'd say it's closer to Mr Suit that anything else I've put out. 

It sort of goes like this:

March 11th is a special day.

Frank is leaving prison on compassionate leave to attend his daughter’s wedding.

Sam and Lorraine are getting married to allow Frank to escape, only the registry office have no record of their booking.

Ruud and Betty have stolen Sam and Lorraine’s ceremony to avenge past misdemeanours.

And the last time Alfred handled a gun, he was serving his country. He hasn’t had this much fun in years.

Cut and Carried is a stylish noir farce that will leave readers, and many of the protagonists, in stitches.

It's available as a paperback and in kindle and if you'd like to have a read, then follow this link. If you do, many thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy it. 

One Man's Opinion: THE SEX CLUB by LJ SELLERS

 

A variety of ingredients in this detective novel. Jackson's the police officer working the case of a murdered girl who has been involved in a range of sexual activities. Kera works at the family clinic supporting young women with their sexual health. The mayor, who happens to have a second apartment that may or may not be used for a range of underhand activities. The pipe bomber is an anti-abortionsist lune who speaks to God and hears their answers and who has it in for Kera. And the children, all belonging to a wholesome church group that enjoys pushing boundaries as far as they can manage. 

This one layers up nicely. Told from a range of perspectives and including a number of swerves, it's definitely one that holds the attention.

The Sex Club is a pretty good series starter that I reckon would make an ideal beach read if that's where you're taking your holiday.   

TAKING A LINE FOR A WALK

 

THE MUSIC LIBERATION FRONT SWEDEN meets TAKING A LINE FOR A WALK as narrated by the talented GEOFF BIRD.

One Man's Opinion: THE TURNOUT by MEGAN ABBOTT

It's been a while since I last posted a review. The reason for that is Megan Abbott. 

Reading The Turnout is akin to eating a rich chocolate cake as it's impossible to devour it at pace. The book feels so delicate and so intrusive that I enjoyed it most when I had time to savour only a few pages in a sitting. Each paragraph seems to have been carefully constructed and is packed with nuance or meaning or intense description, with distinct rhythms and careful observations, often packing a small punch to round off. 

There's a sense of increasing claustrophobia as newly built walls close in, the air stifling and the heat becoming unbearable. It's almost the opposite of the boiling frog thing- as the temperature rises it just gets hotter and hotter until it's excruciating.

Dara and Marie run a ballet school along with Dara's husband, Charlie. These guys form the threesome at the centre of the piece. They're building up to the annual performance of The Nutcracker when a fire puts the show in doubt. In steps a local builder who has a way with women, a kind of hypnotic power that is all-controlling and consuming. When Marie falls under his spell, the suffocation begins, a slow strangulation of the trio's lives, exposing their pasts and present all the way to the bone.   

This being Megan Abbott, there's a real sense of the sinister throughout and, because this is often only suggested or hinted at, it's like the pages are full of ghosts. To stretch the rich cake idea, this one is made from the darkest chocolate.   

It's a real achievement and I thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of forcing myself to read on to find out what would happen when part of me wanted to put the story on hold because I couldn't cope with the increasing tension.

If your bag is fast-paced action or page-turning thrills, this may not be for you. If you like a slow-burning novel of intimate depths and delicate phrasing, one that sucks the air from the room as you go, then jump right in. 

One Man's Opinion: THE UNDERSTUDY by DAVID NICHOLLS

 

When you've just read and loved a book, it often makes sense to follow it up by another by the same author, which is why I plumped for The Understudy as my most recent read. Starter For Ten really hooked me and I was happy to to along with it wherever it went. Another Nicholls had to be worth a punt. 

This one, as the title suggests, follows the ups and downs of the understudy (Stephen C McQueen) to one of the hottest properties of screen and stage, Josh Harper. It's a gig for McQueen, but clearly not the one he wants. What would suit him better would be for some disaster to befall Harper so that the break that he so deserves will finally arrive. McQueen will be able to show those who matter to him (ex wife and daughter) that he hasn't been deluded when thinking he will make it as an actor some day. 

The plot thickens when Josh invites Stephen along to a party. Of course, it's all a big misunderstanding and things don't go quite as Stephen hoped. On the plus side, however, he gets to meet Josh's wife and finally manages to feel connected to another human being in a meaningful way. 

Oh the roller coaster ride that follows. The twists and the turns. The comic moments and the hilarious scenes. There's a lot of fun to be had, that's for sure. Only it's not as engaging as Starter For Ten. Some of the situations seem forced. There are elements of predictability. It's not easy to like the central characters (inlcluding Stephen himself). When the thumbscrews were really tightened, it wasn't quite as cut and dried as I would have liked, which left me feeling ambiguous about the possible outcomes. Many of the film and actor references were too easy and instead of gliding through the gears there was more cruching and swerving. There were also too many appearances of the word effeminate for my taste, which wasn't helped by reading the two books back-to-back- it's a great word, but it felt like there was an axe to grind or something and it just bugged me. 

I enjoyed it,I did. But that's as far as it went. I'll go back for more, I know I will, as One Day awaits in the wings. It won't be for a while, though, as I've learned my lesson on that front. 

  

Something To Write Home About: THE MUSIC LIBERATION FRONT SWEDEN

I've always been fond of the story Sleeping With The Fishes, something I penned a good few years ago now. Very kindly, and without prompting, my brother Geoff recorded a version of it and left it out there so anyone could give it a listen (given that he's a top radio producer of quite some repute, that was a lovely gesture). And today I was sent a link to this new twist, put together by The Music Liberation Front Sweden. 

The story now comes with musical accompaniment, thanks to a splendid composition that successfully accentuates the mood of the tale. 

I'd urge you to go and check it out over here and give it a free listen at Bandcamp. I hope you enjoy the story, the narration or the music (any one out of the three means your time won't have been wasted).

Many thanks for trying.  

One Man's Opinion: STARTER FOR TEN by DAVID NICHOLLS

It's a snooker final day, so the University Challenge final has been knocked back from its rightful place until next Monday, which is okay by me as it simply delays the fun. 

I'm not an addict, but I'm a fairly avid watcher. Not that I can answer many of the questions. I tune in to marvel at the capacity of human minds and to enjoy the tension, pleasure and pain that comes with any competetive event that I care about. 

This year, it's easy to place my allegiance. From the off, I've been in the Anyone-But-Warwick camp, mostly on the grounds that Hart and Siddle take the most ungainly buzzer positions and partly because of that Hart's silver crucifix. He's a very clever guy, mind, so hats off really when all's said and done. 

None of which explains my choice of reading for the start of my holiday. Without the usual lineup on my home shelves, I picked out Starter For Ten as it's been catching my eye for a while now. Mostly, I've been avoiding it because of its size. Now, I'm delighted that I finally took the plunge. 

It's a coming of age story in the main, disecting the trials and tribulations of a young teenager moving away to university and attempting to navigate the pitfalls of growing up in a minefield of self-awareness and self-loathing. 

Brian is our main man. His dad is dead, his background is simple, his skin is acne-riddled, his muscles small, complexion pale, hair a mystery, dependence on alcolhol higher than it should be, self-doubt huge, ability to concentrate poor and his love for Alice way out of proportion. 

In a series of short chapters and extreme misadventures, we follow Bri through excruciting experiences, a mess of emotional roller coaster rides that suggest a law of nature that for every up there's a significant down and that for every significant down there's a pile of guilt and misery attached. 

He's aiming to get into the university challenge team, to become a great poet and to win Alice's heart. Not that Alice is a suitable partner. Rebecca might be a better match, or Lucy even. Which is all part of the fun. 

As well as the tangled knot of romance, there are complications with his family life and the world that he's moved away from. At first glance, he appears to have outgrown his old mates, but when Spencer turns up and brings his anger and contempt for the snobbery he encounters, it's not so clear what direction their friendship will take. 

I started this on Friday night and finished it on Sunday. Strangely, I can't recall reading it all that much and I've done plenty of other things besides. I think that's an indication of how much pleasure I got from the book. Lots of laugh out loud moments, some wonderful set pieces of embarassement and madness. the romantic drama and the whole University Challenge thing, it was an absolute delight. 

Nicholls writes with a pleasingly simple style that suggests novels just pour from an author's mind. Pick this one apart, though, and there's a complex structure framing the multi-faceted characters in which each move and step is deftly taken. Great entertainment and stimulation. The perfect way to pass time before the UC final. Lovely stuff. 

 

 

 

One Man's Opinion: SAVAGE SEASON by JOE LANSDALE

 

This one's a really intersting one for me. Going back in time, I read a string of Hap and Leonard books and absolutely loved them. The characters and the levels of connection I felt with them, as well as the tight action, had me riveted to the pages. 

I recently decided that I should check out the first book in the Hap and Leonard series, Savage Season, drawn in just like I was with Mucho Mojo et al with its crazy cartoon cover and twisted font when I saw it on the shelf. 

Hap and Leonard are going about their business and just about keeping their heads above water, when in walks Trudy. Trudy's an ex of Hap's and his huge attraction to her and the memories he holds of their relationship are his own form of Kryptonite. Back when they were an item, they were idealistic youngsters hoping to change the world by any means necessary. 

As it turns out, Trudy's re-appearance is no accident. She's after Hap to find some money for her. It's stolen money and it's likely to be at the bottom of a river somewhere, but if he can locate it, he'll get a cut and that will be the end of it. 

Hap deals Leonard in and the pair set off with a set of diving equipment on a hiding to nothing. 

Which is when they meet the rest of Trudy's team, a bunch of revolutionaries who never grew out of their ideals and didn't manage to come to much of anything between them. Their plan is to retrieve the money to fund an operation that they hope will bring meaning to their empty lives. 

The chemistry of the group is odd and Hap and Leonard's addition sets off a set of reactions that create a whole lot of friction.

The funny thing about Savage Season is that, if I'd actually started with this book, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have moved on to any of the others. For me, it lacks energy for too long. The first half is slow and lacks interest. It picks up as the search for the money finally gets underway and definitely kicks off in an exciting way for an explosive final fifth, but it's not quite enough of a payoff. 

I'm not sure whether the book doens't measure up to the others because I've changed or because the books got better as Mr Lansdale got to know his creations, or whether I'm simply wrong, so I'd be interested to hear what you think. Let me know in the comments. 

One Man's Opinion: TRICKS by ED McBAIN

 

Tricks is has so many threads it's amazing that it never once gets tangled up in itself. 

As usual, the title has multiple meanings. There's the murder of a magician who has been cut up and disposed of about the city, the trick-or-treaters who are robbing stores and there are the tricks of the sex workers who hang round in a bar where two of their colleagues have recently been murdered. There are some elements of sleight of hand to go along with it and many aspects of the characters and plot are not what they seem (Hawes is pulling the wool over the eyes of his cop partner and Parker is somehow making himself popular as he pursues an attractive woman from a previous case). 

Though the dead magician story feels like the main player, it's outdone by the police casualties in the robbery case, which is further trumped by Annie and Eileen who are reunited in the undercover world of prostitution as they try to get their man (this has enough to fill a novel all by itself). 

Tricks is an excellent example of the multiple case procedural. With so many plates spinning at once and so many characters involved, it's amazing that McBain keeps them all in the air with apparent ease. To me, it's a masterclass of the genre, with depth, pacing, intrigue, humour, tension and satisfaction perfectly balanced. A wonderful piece of fiction.

One Man's Opinion: TRUE GRIT by CHARLES PORTIS

 

In case it's of interest, I struggled to find a book cover with Mattie Ross and felt that she deserved top billing, so here's a shot from a movie promotion. 

True Grit might easily have been named True Grip, as it's fair to say I was glued throughout. It's one of those stories where twenty minutes can pass and you suddenly realise that you've been so totally absorbed in the book that whatever has been going on around you has been totally missed. I surprised myself at one point when I looked up to find that I was on a bus rather than eating biscuits by a camp fire (I kid you not). 

Mattie Ross narrates this tale. She's a young teenager seeking revenge for the murder of her father. She manages to punch way above her weight by using her intelligence, education and stubborness to get things to happen. 

While dealing with her father's body, she spends time in a courtroom, boards in a shared room at the back of her lodgings, witnesses a hanging and forces a serious business man into giving her what she is owed. She also encounters two men who are in the business of tracking down criminals and bringing them to trial. There's Rooster Cogburn, a rough-around-the-edges-and-in-the-middle civil war vet turned marshal and LaBoeuf, a meaty and mean Texas Ranger who only has eyes for the bounty prize he's chasing. 

Mattie persuades Cogburn and LaBoeuf to take her along as they hunt down her father's killer, though neither of them is keen and both try to do everything they can to dissuade/lose her. 

Mattie isn't for giving up and she's soon tracking with her adult employees, finding herself in the midst of no end of dangerous and exciting adventures. 

I got so much pleasure from following the journey that the occasional flinch due to out-dated language was overcome and the slighlty stilted dialogue where contractions don't appear anywhere did little but nudge me from my stride. The narration style is perfect and Mattie's character is complex and outspoken. 

Definitely one to read whether you've seen the movies or not. 

One Man's Opinion: POISON by ED McBAIN

 

My latest outing with the 87th Precinct was Poison. It's an excellent tale on the whole, with perhaps one big flaw that I could have lived without. 

Carella and Hal Willis land a case with a poison victim where suicide seems highly unlikely. They're drawn to the last number that he called and eventually get through, finding a really interesting woman was the subject the victim was attempting to contact. Her name is Marilyn and she has a lot of casual partners, each of whom find her absolutely adorable. 

All the detectives have is the names of her lovers and they set about tracking them down . In the meantime, another of the lovers is killed, which creates a whirlpool of intrigue. 

It's great to get a story told where Willis is the lead character and, the way things pan out, it's difficult not to enjoy spending time with him. As he spends time with Marilyn, he gets sucked in by her special qualities in a way that so many have done before. It's not long before he's totally hooked, which is problematic given that she's a significant suspect in the murder cases. The joy for the reader is that it's not clear what her involvement is until the final revelation.

Marilyn is also a fabulous character. As is increasingly clear with the evolution of the series, the sensual and sexual are at the forefront. On the whole, that's pretty cool, though I did feel it created the flaw mentioned earlier. As we find out about her, there's a significant chunk of plot dedicated to her back story. It's interesting and tragic, yet I struggled to stay with the book at that point because I was so engrossed in the detective work and the awkwardness of Willis's position. The subject matter here was difficult and the interruption to my enjoyment was, frankly, irritating. That complaint aside, the rest of the piece is terrific and is wonderfully put together. I have no idea how McBain managed to churn out such beauties without diluting the content or becoming dull- the 87th Precinct novels are an amazing creation and my respect for them simply grows as I get through them. 

A nice aside for Columbo fans, there's a link here to Uneasy Lies The Crown which I'm sure many will appreciate (if that's a spoiler for you, congrats on being such a Columbo fan and I apologise in advance). 

One Man's Opinion: WATCHMAN by IAN RANKIN

This one I should have read years ago. Still, better late than never. 

Watchman tells the tale of Miles Flint, a long-time spy who spends his life watching people for a job and as an excuse to occupy his time so that he needn't go home to his wife. 

Early on, he becomes ensnared in a case involving the shadowing of an individual in a fine London establishment. When the target of the observation slips away and throws Miles a knowing smile, something seems off. And it most definitely is. What follows in an unraveling of the investigation and all it touches.  

It took me a while to get into this. The opening pages stutter a little. There's a lot to get across and it feels slightly laboured. Thankfully, early jitters were soon overcome and I was sucked into the story so far that I couldn't stop reading. 

Flint's world is intriguing. It's set in a time of Irish terrorism and there's a spate of bombings in London that are keeping everyone busy. The structure of his organisation is fascinating and the characters, generally likened to specific species of beetle, are highly individual. It has a nice drive and a lovely sense of humour (P G Wodehouse meets The Thirty Nine Steps?). 

As the machinations unfold (infidelity, government ministers, journalists, terrorist cells, family complications, cross and double cross, betrayal and back-stabbing, to name those that come to mind) Watchman picks up the pace until it's fairly rattling along. I was loving every minute.

The plot is rather involved and it's a matter of trust that all the loose ends will be explained and tied up by the end. I'd say that the closing chapters are a little like the flesh of the villain as he is exposed- doughy and a on the sticky side. Though everything was ultimately resolved, it felt a bit too contrived and not quite as explosive as the earlier scenes. I guess I just wanted something more. 

All in all, a lot of fun and, bar the opening and close, riveting stuff.  

One Man's Opinion: INTO THE WAR by ITALO CALVINO

 

Before I picked up Italo Calvino's Into The War, I started Graham Greene's Stamboul Train. Much as I enjoyed the evocative sleeper train mood and some excellent scene description, I just couldn't get over the character often refered to as the Jew. I'm normally good at putting things into context and I'm happy to allow authors to play around with the belief systems of their characters, but this just didn't feel right. Perhaps it was shining a light on prejudice. Whatever it was doing, it was too much for me to stomach and I decided not to carry on. There were a few other reasons - slight confusions, unlikely happenings and a sense that it wouldn't be worth the effort even if I had made it to the end. You can tell me I made a mistake in the comments, but I'm happy that I pushed it aside. 

With that as a partial context, fleshed out with the rise of the right wing in recent German elections and the crazy events in the US where the president appears more deranged and dangerous than many of us suspected, a dip into Calvino seemed apt. 

I've read a number of novels by Calvino and loved them, though it was so long ago now that the memories aren't as firm as I might have hoped. This was my first encounter with his short autobiographical work. I had high expectations and wasn't disappointed. 

Mussolini has just declared war and we get three pieces written by a teenage boy with a sense of subversion and a keen eye for detail. There are elements that seem ethereal alongside those that are surreal. There are harsh realities, humourous observations and a sense of the bizarrenes of it all. Smoking, sex and mischief figure heavily, as you might expect, as does the probing into the regimentation of the youth as they are forced into banal roles within the fascist structure. 

Each story is short, though punches way above it's size. It's definitely worth reading and a reminder to us, if we're not there aleady, that Into The War is not a place we want to be. Those that want to stir the pot for their own selfish ends or to flex and increase their power on the world stage, be warned. 

One Man's Opinion: STATION ELEVEN by EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL

 

‘She’d once met an old man up near Kindardine who’d sworn that the murdered follow their killers to the grave, and she was thinking of this as they walked, the idea of dragging souls across the landscape like cans on a string.’

I’ve been watching a lot of ER recently. Last week I experienced for the second time the death of Dr Mark Greene. I was reminded just how powerful the scenes are and how nicely handled it all is. Clever writing and great production.

As Mark does his best to come to terms with his impending death, he is also struggling with his relationship with his daughter. When considering the final piece of advice to pass on before he leaves, he settles on ‘be generous’. It’s a beautiful moment and a profound offering.

That has all been floating around with me for a while and was certainly at the back of my mind while I read the most wonderful novel, Station Eleven. It’s a work about a world-changing pandemic written way before our 2020 experiences that takes us through the build up to the event its consequences.

There’s so much to love and I will not come close to doing it justice in my own reflections.

The opening is breath-taking. On stage is King Lear, played by Arthur Leander, who is about to have a heart attack and die. He’s at the centre of a web of characters through which the story will be told. There’s Jeevan, a would-be paramedic who leaps upon the stage in an attempt to save his life; Kirsten, a young girl who appears in the play and whose mother hopes has a great future in acting; Clark, Arthur’s oldest friend; Miranda, his ex-wife and the creator of the comic of the title; and Tyler his only child.

After failing in his attempt to save Arthur, Jeevan learns of the dangers of the Georgia flu. He’s ahead of the game in this respect and does what most people seem to do in worrying situations – panic buy and seek out those who are most important. The whole episode is utterly compelling, the tension ever-present, the need to know where the story will take them all-consuming.

From there we flash backwards and forwards in unexpected ways. For a while, I was disappointed it didn’t go in the direction I’d hoped, but I soon realised that what I wanted from this book, and perhaps any novel, was being provided for in spades and that I just had to trust Emily St John Mandel with her vision.

I’m not greatly informed when it comes to post-apocalyptic or dystopian fiction. Even so, I’ve tried to write a bit of it and was pleased with my efforts. This, however, does what all good work does and steps out of the genres to encompass everything.

The world of the post-Georgia flu is created in ways that it’s easy to imagine. What’s makes it stand out so strongly is the journey of each of the characters. We get to know their history, but more importantly to me, grow to understand the ways in which they come to terms with their own mortality. A pandemic is good for one thing and that’s forcing people to reflect upon what is important. The characters in this novel leave trails for us to follow as we contemplate our own pasts, presents, futures and demise.

I have a whole list of things I want to focus on now that I’ve finished. It’s the kind of story that will have you asking and answering questions throughout. Much as I’d like to list some of my conclusions, I think that would be foolish. Read the book for yourself and make decisions of your own. The one I feel it is okay to share is the rekindled desire to read great fiction – life really is too short to spend too much time with the chaff.

Station Eleven has a little bit of everything. Profundity. Poetry. Surrealism. Tension. Heartbreak. Joy. Hope. Humour. Violence. Tenderness. You name it, I’m sure it’s in there. Not that these things make it dry. This story is alive. The characters are vivid. Their journeys are immense and I’m glad I sat along with each of them for the ride, no matter how turbulent each was.

Aces all round for this. My favourite read in quite some time.