The Cutting Room - Louise Welsh

‘ 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.

A Body By The Lighthouse -Helen Cox - Blog Blast

Double trouble! Kitt Hartley has a twin sister. And is she as astute and as book obsessed as Kitt? Sorry. I won’t say. You’re going to have to read the book to find out! 

This is the sixth Kitt Hartley Yorkshire mystery but this time it doesn’t take place in Yorkshire. It takes place on board a cruise ship. Why? Because an old friend of Kitt’s has been murdered and his body found washed up by a lighthouse. What does a cruise have to do with that, I hear you ask. Well the victim had been working on the cruise ship when he met his untimely demise. Murder? Cruises? Is this really cosy crime? What defines cosy crime from “uncosy“ crime? Well I think it’s where the private investigator suggests that her team bring larger handbags to accommodate their walkie-talkie radios! A problem that Miss Marple never had to contend with!

Followers of the series will find Kitt and her gang all there, in fine form, even though poor Grace gets seasick, and  Halloran doesn’t play such a large a part in this story. A lot of focus is on Kitt’s sister, Rebecca, which is an interesting character development. But the story contains a lot of the hallmarks of this series. The banter that balances beautifully with the tensions associated with the crime itself. Fans of the series will lap it up in their hordes. 

The cruise ship itself is populated with a variety of diverse characters which give a richness to the plot. In a way the action on a cruise ship almost makes it a locked room story but the story contains many twists and turns, red herrings and false leads. I guess,  as well as being cosy crime it’s escapist crime because it doesn’t kid itself it’s grounded in reality. It’s entertaining and it’s fun and the reader is encouraged to try and unravel the mystery alongside what sometimes seems to me to be a ‘secret seven’ for grown-ups!  I know there are only four of them but they pick up a few stragglers on the way so maybe it’s not as far-fetched! (Secret Seven? Okay, I’m old. Alright? It was a series by Enid Blyton many, many, many years ago. I loved them as a kid).

Some might feel it’s contrived but it works. The ends are all nicely tied up. And what could be cosier than that satisfying feeling where you can put the book down knowing that all is well. Until the next book that is…….

My thanks to Katya Ellis and Quercus Books for a gifted copy and a spot upon the blog blast.

Flamingo - Rachel Elliott

 I love Rachel Elliott’s books. I love the way her stories are populated by characters who don’t quite seem to neatly fit into the mainstream. People who are different without intending to be, people who are damaged in some way and find themselves on the periphery of life. Yet Ms. Elliott weaves tales that allow them to be fulfilled and accepted. And although their journeys aren’t easy or straightforward, ultimately, the novels are uplifting.

Flamingo continues that tradition but it also shows a writer developing in skill and style. It seemed to me that the prose of Flamingo is pared down, succinct and pithy, shorter sentences with a punch and a depth of emotion wherever they are needed.

‘And now he has lost the capacity to speak.
Tenderness is all that remains.’

‘’You’re emotionally stunted, Eve says.
That’s not very nice, Sherry says.’

I remember with Rachel Elliott’s previous two books finding loads of quotable maxims. I’ll confine myself to just the one here as it seems to relate to my previous observations about her prose style.

‘All sentences are a kind of music. They can be sung and heard in boundless ways.’

So what’s the book about? It’s about two families and three flamingos. It’s about love in its myriad forms. It’s a story of how things endure no matter how seemingly low a person can fall. It’s set in the past and it’s set in the present and it offers hope for a future. It’s about the impact one person can have on another. It’s about acceptance. Eve is a single mother raising her son Daniel. They move to  Abigail Gardens, next door, for a while, to Sherry and Leslie who are raising their two daughters, (and three flamingos. In the garden. Not real flamingos.The flamingos are symbolic. Take what you know of them and apply that to life). We see the lives of these people unfolding in their different, disparate ways and how they all engage and interact with each other.

With canny perception Ms Elliot has created these characters and homed in on their fundamental needs. They weave in and out of life trying to fulfil and be fulfilled regardless of the challenges involved. And you can come away from a reading a story such as this not feeling quite so bad about yourself as you did before you began the book.

And I guarantee that you will never listen to Foreigners “I Want to Know What Love Is’ in quite the same way again.

My thankless to NB Magazine for a gifted proof.

The Colony - Audrey Magee

I found this to be quite unusual book on several different levels. Thematically it’s about conflict and colonialism and the titular colony is a metaphor for wider conflicts. There is an almost timeless quality to the story when Lloyd, one of the main protagonists , first sets foot on the island but it becomes clear that it is set during the times when the Troubles in Northern Ireland were at their most violent. There is reference to the death of Lord Mountbatten which makes the timescale clearer. 

The conflicts nestle within each other like matryoshka dolls; the islanders and the visitors, the visitors themselves, between the islanders themselves, between the generations, and between nations and languages.

If that sounds as if it might be a trifle heavy, fear not, for the author’s wit and expansive prose elevate the story.

Lloyd is an artist and I found the passages describing his thoughts and feelings quite unique. Somehow the writer has captured how an artist might think and feel in colours, shades and compositions with the most eloquent and poetic prose. She has skilfully captured how an artist sees everything as a potential painting. The story explores his attempts to project himself as an artist of note. Masson is a Franco/Algerian man who wishes to preserve the Irish language. His zeal borders on the obsessional.

The characters are fascinating. The islanders conduct themselves with a simple dignity. Their lives aren’t easy and yet there seems to be little in the way of complaining. It’s a contrast with the two visitors, Lloyd the artist and Masson the linguist, who seem to place somewhat petulant demands on the islanders and each other. 

The female characters have suffered profound losses yet they conduct themselves with a practical integrity. The only young person in the “cast“ was quite endearing as he accepted his heritage to an extent but had notions of escaping it. My heart broke for him at the end of the book.

It’s an absorbing read. There is little in the way of action, it’s a cerebral book that looks at how people think and feel, react and interact. And it’s all written very powerfully. The main body of the story is interspersed with news accounts of some of the atrocities in Northern Ireland. I thought it was a very potent device. It stops the reader from disappearing into a remote world but manages to keep them grounded and not lose sight of the book’s intent.

My thanks to NB magazine for a gifted copy.

The Second Cut - Louise Welsh

 Something I loved about this book was the sense of being enveloped in some kind of black and white B movie, film noir thriller from a past age - except - it is all so very contemporary! Topical issues are covered here; LGBTQ+, migrant workers, and drugs, but all seamlessly contained within a tight plot.

This book is apparently the second in a series featuring antiques auctioneer Rilke, I’m not sure what his christian name is, it might be in the text somewhere, I don’t recall and I can’t think of him as anyone but Rilke, but it matters not, I didn’t feel my enjoyment of this book was ever in jeopardy from not having read the first. (I certainly want to, now!).

Rilke is an engaging character, he comes across as sometime the good guy, sometimes not and he’s not averse to bending the rules to achieve a desired outcome. He’s flawed and real. I thought all of the characterisations were well drawn and believable. People behaved as you would expect them to throughout the book which I always think is the mark of good characterisation.

The plot is complex but cleverly executed with plenty of tension and a few nail biting moments. The first part of the book creates a palpable a mood of Glasgow and does some effective scene setting and character introductions before we progress to the nitty gritty and the plot intensifies. It’s not exactly a slow paced narrative, rather, a balanced and controlled one, There’s humour in amongst some of the more brutal and explicit sequences. It’s not overtly political in terms of that overshadowing what is predominately a mystery story yet the book has something to say about gay issues, policing, the generation divide -  and even the pandemic is referenced.

It’s a substantial book, meaty, and hard to second guess and the conclusion was enigmatic without being unsatisfactory. I hope for more in the series.

My thanks to Olivia-Savannah Roach at Canongate Books for a gifted copy.

Should I Tell You - Jill Mansell

 Sometimes I think books should be offered on repeat prescription. Only a certain kind of book, mind you. And I think that Jill Mansell’s ‘Should I Tell You’ would be perfect. For anybody who is looking for some light-hearted, (for the most part), upliftment a book like this is just what the doctor ordered. Set in the fictional Cornish seaside town of Lanrock, three people, Lachlan, innovative chef, Raffael, talented hairdresser and Amber, creative artist,  whose lives were entwined as foster children, find their adult lives intertwined in different ways. We hear their present day dilemmas and we get the stories of their pasts that bring them to that present. And alongside our protagonist trio there are some captivating characters - from the flamboyant Olga to the hesitant Benjie who have their own stories to complement the main thrust of the narrative. The reader is invited to walk alongside their lives and perhaps, most importantly, their loves. Uplit, chicklit, romantic comedy - call it whatever you like but let it take you out of yourself while you escape from the rigours of our current world. A sparkling narrative from an experienced author -  there’s going to be some very happy Jill Mansell fans.

Thirty Things I Love About Myself - Radhika Sanghani

 So, you’re primarily a fiction reader but someone offers you a self-help book about loving yourself. Asks you to find 30 things you love about yourself? You’d probably turn it down? But what if someone very cleverly created a fiction around that self-help book? That’s what author Radhika Sanghani has done with this witty, amusing, yet heart wrenching novel. There’s some gritty issues being dealt with here but ultimately it’s all about positivity and working through the crap that life throws at us. Nina Mistry spends the night of her 30th birthday in a prison cell! She acquires a self-help book there that is the catalyst for her self improvement. She’s a journalist, passionate about her ethnic and cultural origins and keen to share her views with the world. Doesn’t all work out quite as she thought, though!  Keenly observed with a balance between the amusing and the serious with a well paced narrative populated with diverse characters. Some of these characters will make you laugh and some will make you cry. But ultimately it’s a feel good book about loving yourself, warts and all. It also has a great deal to say about family and friendships. It’s quite a deceptive work for at times you can be fooled into thinking it’s “just another“ chicklit/romcom tale but it has a greater depth in terms of demanding its reader consider some of the contemporary issues facing our world; considerations of racism, body image, social media,  the place of women in the world to name a few. It’s the work of a very astute writer who is going to reach a far wider audience than would’ve been possible with “just“ a self-help book.

My thanks to team bookends for a gifted proof.