‘ When Rilke, a dissolute auctioneer, comes upon a hidden collection of violent and highly disturbing photographs, he feels compelled to discover more about the deceased owner who coveted them. Soon he finds himself sucked into an underworld of crime, depravity and secret desire, fighting for his life.’
After I read The Second Cut and made the acquaintance of Rilke, the auctioneer, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Cutting Room which is the first in, what I hope, is a continuing series. I say continuing series but something that utterly astounded me is that this book was first published in 1999. It’s republication sees it as crisp and vibrant as if it was written yesterday.
Rilke is a fabulous character. Delightfully flawed! He is real and human. He makes right and wrong decisions like we all do. Although some of his actions may be questionable ultimately his motives seem fuelled by a desire for the truth. And he doesn’t give up!
I was interested to see if a similar mood of gangsters and crimes from a B-movie past occurred in this first book. I was perfectly satisfied. It’s an enthralling balance that sees a sustained narrative in a contemporary timeframe offering the ambience of a bygone age.
It’s uncompromising writing: explicit, frank, visceral - describing the underbelly of a seedy and morally questionable side of society. At times it’s bleak with twists and turns exploring dark and rank places. Unlike many books of this genre which can be almost solely plot driven this is character driven by Rilke, his obssessions, his predilections, his determination are what drives the story forwards. That’s not to say that the other characters aren’t interesting and believable. I enjoyed the author’s ability to understand the nuances between the generations and balance both the idealisms and the cynicisms But ultimately it’s compelling reading. And that’s what you want from a crime/thriller story isn’t it? And if you want more there’s always the LGBT+ angle and a palpable picture of the seedier side of Glasgow.
My thanks to Olivia-Savannah Roach at Canongate Books for a gifted copy.
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