The Assassin - Tom Fletcher

 

Sequel to The Ambassador by Tom Fletcher, out March 28th from Canelo

Tom Fletcher had a great success with his debut novel The Ambassador which told the tale of Ed Barnes, ambassador in Paris, France who survives an assassination attempt at his diplomatic household. The sequel shows Ed taking up a new position in Nairobi, Kenya.

The book starts breakneck and deals with two duelling narratives that eventually co-exist. Barnes must deal with a hostage situation at a major shopping mall in the city centre, where a Somali terrorist group take over and unfortunately his daughter, Stephanie, is amongst the captive group.

Having foiled those terrorists, Barnes returns to London to talk with the female Prime Minister Hermoine, who will attend a climate conference all amidst the wave of political assassinations taking place around the globe by the pseudonymous assassin who may or may not know Barnes.

The kills of the assassin are perhaps the best parts of the book - a real joy for the writer to throw caution to the wind eliciting different deaths for not very nice people in grand surroundings. 

It is the general narrative with the balance of family dynamics and climate change political wrangling that forces the book to sometimes slow down when the pace of terrorist attacks and surprise kills is where the excitement is.

Typical of books this reader has read lately, where the foundation and building blocks of the book in the first half are critical to the cut and thrust of the second half when tension is ramped up and pays off.

Credit to Fletcher who as a former foreign policy advisor has the legitimacy of knowledge to convey and commit to the story and in Barnes he has a genuine hero who wants to do the right thing despite the political climate around him.

The Assassin is out on 28th March from Canelo 

My thanks to them for the review copy via NetGalley.

The Coffin in the Wall

 

New novel by MJ Lee set in Cheshire

MJ Lee is a prestigious and prolific writer of crime thrillers. For the last five years he has written eight books featuring the everyman coroner officier DI Ridpath which saw him overcoming crimes in the Greater Manchester district as he navigated cancer diagnoses, loss and a growing teenage daughter.

In an interesting switch, Lee has started a new narrative series, this time set in and around the small city of Chester and following the tales of DI Emma Christie who must investigate a gruesome crime amidst the picturesque surrounding of the Roman city. 

This is a great move by Lee, I always admire those writers who are so married to their characters - a la Lee Child or Patricia Cornwell - yet they are never able to show other strings to their bow. Here, he is writing about a new city, a new lead character and of the opposite sex which comes with its own potential hiccups. 

However, the character of Christie is quite reminiscent of Ridpath - an everywoman quality resonates from her, she is determined to succeed despite the problems of caring for her ailing father/former cop who is beset with dementia. Those scenes featuring his dwindling memory are particularly heart-breaking. 

The case itself did remind me of Ridpath cases yet that is not a criticism, that familiarity was welcoming as the book is so well researched in terms of police procedure, Lee has done the legwork and it pays off convincingly as the narrative moves at such a clip it is richly rewarding.

The scenes within the force where they discuss the case is ripe for duelling dialogues as this hotchpotch of different ages, cultures and backgrounds come to the fore along with the class and hierarchy of the police force. With Christie you have a woman who has to overcome her gender and accusations of nepotism to reach her position on merit.

For fans of Mark Billingham along with those who like something new as well as the continued Marion Todd series set in St. Andrews, this is a crime read ripe for digesting and will garner wide attention when the word of mouth begins.

The Coffin in the Wall is self-published and available on Amazon and other platforms

The Red Hollow - Natalie Marlow

Second novel of Birmingham Noir by Natalie Marlow 

out 28th March from Baskerville

Natalie Marlow's highly anticipated sophomore novel set in the fracitious 1930s Birmingham backstreets made more relevant to people by the astronomical success of Peaky Blinders, Marlow has crafted a fascinating protagonist in William Garrett, a private detective who resides out of Needless Alley (title of the first book). Garrett has daily dalliances with the ne'er-do-well's of Birmingham's backstreets and he must maintain his head above the parapet as he always deals with problems.

While the first book became a gripping whodunnit, in this second novel Garrett and his now wife become entangled in what can be described as a what-dunnit. They are called to the titular stately manor on the outskirts of Warwickshire countryside to oversee a mysterious sequence of deaths in this house that now operates as a male-only sanatorium, overseen by Dr. Moon whose patients are leaving premises.

On the wettest day of the year, local flooding makes it hard for Garrett and Queenie to arrive at the site, and the tale of the mysterious mermaid who may or may not be responsible for the murder that has occurred. Disturbances that appeared to be pranks are now being claimed upon the ghost of the Red Hollow, a girl who seeks revenge upon the men who killed her. 

The placing of the narrative in a bottle format or self-contained environment is a clever tweak and acts as a homage to the works of Agatha Christie especially The Mousetrap. This is in stark contrast to the debut novel where Garrett was discovering different landscapes, traversing those places that do not exist anymore with Marlow/Garrett acting as our guide. 

In this novel, the limitations of the narrative by restricting it in one setting does a disservice to Garrett's potential as a character, one who needs to discover due to his job title and by restricting him to one location is a shame.

This reader hopes that Marlow returns Garrett to the cobble streets of the second city - the different districts encourage different cultures and language. In this setting, you have Garrett always being the smartest person in the room where you always felt he would overcome the problem he faces eventually in this instance. 

That is only a small note of criticism, credit where it is due, the professional relationship Garrett has with Phyll Hall, a fresh detective, is a winning one. They are a platonic pair who finish each other's sentences and the pain he feels when trouble arrives at Phyll's feet is clearly felt and well handled along with the precarious nature of the situation Garrett/Phyll have gotten themselves into.

Marlow also cleverly melds the influences of Gothic influences of British literature with the back and forth dialogue that effortlessly flies off the page, a book of atmospheric pressure that resonates creating a taut and scary tale. Marlow a self-confessed film fan brings those influences of the Haunting and The Innocents to her advantage in creating the eerie environment.

William Garrett is back and he will return. This is a character you cannot wait to see more of the future.

The Red Hollow is out on 28th March from Baskerville/John Murray Press

Wilfred Buck - WORLD PREMIERE review

 

World Premiere scheduled for 18th March at the CPH:DOX Copenhagen International Documentary

Written and directed by Lisa Jackson, known for her ground-breaking cross-genre work, Wilfred Buck is a hybrid feature documentary that follows the extraordinary life story of the eponymous charismatic and irreverent Cree Elder, who overcame a harrowing history of displacement, racism and addiction by reclaiming ancestral star knowledge and ceremony.

The film serves as a rich mix of nostalgia and heritage as we navigate the indigenous communities across the American north. Cree is seen as a respected gentleman, who espouses a wealth of his knowledge upon those who wish to learn with a smile on his face and his effusive spirit radiating to all who encounter him.

Adapted from his freewheeling memoir I Have Lived Four Lives, a beat poet’s insider view of colonization that took Buck from the land to the streets to the stars, the film blends verité, archive and stylized re-enactments to reveal what it means to heal and reconnect with Indigenous knowledge that is as relevant today as ever.

The technique utilised is a mixture of documentary footage but also the knitting of library footage from the archives of Native Americans through televisual history to tell the stories Cree spoke of in his memoir. He speaks how a large group of people so built upon a foundation of community are now dispersed across the states with sun dances and rituals taking place all over the country.

Cree travels the country and we follow him as he drives the highways, he is an expressive talker but not a loud one. He talks with authority and assuredness combined with a passion and a somewhat yearning for what life could have been; yet this seeing new generations of people growing up gives him a push to improve their lives and learn from his mistakes.

You always find with documentaries or ask yourself a question as to why is this being produced, what lesson can be learnt from this viewing experience. The notion or hypothesis should be that the layman or blank canvas of a viewer can witness a story being told and you come out with a greater understanding of the subject at hand with a balanced argument. Wilfred Buck has had to overcome struggles and obstacles from societal circumstances which affected his own mind and being; yet those circumstances are not the reason he finds himself in despair, he recognises his own failings and being complicit in hitting rock bottom.

Beautiful camerawork around meteorites and rock formation along with space constellations that firmly the establishment and belief that we are all stars and in one with the universe. This melts into the work Buck does giving planetary lectures and inspiration through a greater understanding of our place in the universe.

Wilfred Buck premieres at the CPH:DOX festival on Monday 18th March. 

My thanks to AR Publicity for the review opportunity.

On the Run - Max Luther

 

Second book of Alex Drayce released 14th March by Canelo

Set in Las Vegas, Alex Drayce is a private bodyguard looking after wealthy businessmen under threat of assassination.

He is given the opportunity for quick cash aiding Carlos Garcia with finding his daughter. Yet what is meant to be a simple task spirals out of control.

Soon Alex is on the run with a bloodthirsty gang and the Las Vegas police force after him.

A rip-roaring thriller that does not ease up on pace and narrative. Graphic in detail and with a lot of language but necessary to the plot, not entirely to my liking personally speaking.

Read in a few sittings and easy to delve back into now and then.

Canelo granted me access to this book on NetGalley for my review.

Bridges to Burn - Marion Todd

 

Brand new thriller in continuing series by Scottish author Marion Todd

Todd has crafted a thrilling series of novels based around her hometown residency of St. Andrews, based around the central character of DI Clare Mackay, who with her trusted team of police officers solve the crimes that fall on their tranquil doorsteps month-to-month.

Embracing the ethos of write what you know by placing the action in her hometown, Todd mixes a wealth of local knowledge with meticulous police research and a smidgen of admiration for Midsomer Murders. After eight books surely people should stay away from this town yet we as a reader keep returning for more and more of the same.

This book revolves around quite sensitive content as it starts with the suicide of a young female teenager and then the murder of a former local councilman who may or may not have taken bribes when in the position of local authority to get planning permission approved. 

As always two inextricably linked cases are somehow entwinned and Mackay must navigate the two cases along with a DCI who she does not get along with and a very green Family Liaison Officer who she rubs up the wrong way.

This reader has been with Todd every step of the way and has thoroughly enjoyed the growth of not only Mackay as a character but Todd as an assured plotter of narrative. Her strength is remaining in control of the multiple plates she has spinning, at the start of the book the sensitive nature of the teenage suicide is linked to porn websites which is a bit unsettling but then the councilman's murder helps crank up the tension and narrative thrust. 

Any worries that was being endured where thrust asunder with the breakneck pace of the final quarter of the book being both rip-roaring and thoroughly enjoyable. 

Another pleasing aspect of this book was the matriarchal role Mackay has slowly grown into since her debut in See Them Run in 2019. In five years a lot can happen yet the responsibility you have to those you work with remains and the relationship Mackay has with Chris on the eve of his wedding is such a well-handled notion of friendship and respect.

She also has the confidence to bring up old cases and returning periphery characters such as the journalist from In Plain Sight  (2020) which feels neither nostalgic or ill-judged; this is a writer at the top of her powers.

For fans old and new, this is a book I shall be recommending to crime readers. As I have previously stated Ms. Todd deserves a wider audience for her books. 

BRIDGES TO BURN is out on 7th March from Canelo Crime, whom I thank for the approval on NetGalley for.