She Had It Coming - Carys Jones

 

Brand new thriller from Carys Jones

This book is about what happens when a best friend goes missing, and your daughter was the last person to see her best friend alive. And how the search for truth tells you so much more about the people you think you know best.

Pippa is a popular girl as school, yet her best friend Heather is a tearaway, a rebel who is acting out against her mother who is the work too hard while Pippa's mother Abbie is the ever-faithful, loyal housewife who wants nothing more than the perfect life for her family.

The disappearance and subsequent finding of Heather's body leads to an upheaval of Abbie's homelife and puts an already terrible strain on her marriage to John who is working too hard at the hospital in his role as surgeon.

Jones cleverly weaves a tale of truth and lies, able to correctly give voice to both Abbie as the caring mother and Pippa the erstwhile teen whose life has fallen apart as suspicions spread around the school upon the discovery and knowledge of Heather's passing becomes known.

The influences on this book range from Fiona Barton to the television series Doctor Foster, written by Mike Bartlett - the series that was at times misanthropic and did not like its lead character mostly. Jones however, has crafted in Abbie a forthright and strong woman, partial to the odd tipple but will do anything to save her child.

That is the ultimate message of this book, how far would you go to protect your child and stop the truth coming out. Jones writes the characters of Abbie and Pippa with such care and attention, you do side with their actions as they aim to resolve the problems caused by Heather's disappearance.

A gripping read for this reader, yet not quite as memorable as was hoping, albeit written with a great conviction and assurance.

SHE HAD IT COMING is out from Orion Publishing now on all formats.

My thanks to the author's agent, Emily Glenister, for the review opportunity.

Natalie Marlow Interview - Needless Alley

Natalie Marlow's debut novel NEEDLESS ALLEY is one of the first whetting of one's appetite of 2023, a fresh voice from a bygone age as her story set around a private detective in Birmingham during the 1930s is a engaging and enjoyable historical fiction novel. It is both tantalising to see where the series will go and how her lead character William Garrett will develop over the forthcoming years in partnership with Baskerville Press

Read my review of Needless Alley here, and below is an exclusive interview with the author ahead of the novel's publication on Thursday 19th January 

Interview with Natalie Marlow

 

·        What was the genesis of William Garrett?

This is such a good question. I wrote Needless Alley following Raymond Chandler’s rules in The Simple Art of Murder. For Chandler, the detective must be a ‘complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must me, to use a weathered phrase, a man of honor – by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it.’ This was my starting point. However, William was the culmination of a lifetime of reading classic crime fiction.

 

·        Where do you live? Has this impacted your writing?

I live in the Midlands, near Coventry. I’ve lived here all my life, apart from my time at university. And, yes, the landscape, history and people of the Midlands has impacted my writing to an extent I doubt I could write about anywhere else.

 

·        Where did the idea to incorporate this Peaky Blinders world with a detective come from?

The whole Peaky Blinders thing was just an accident! I’ve only watched the first series, and I decided not to watch any more as I didn’t want it to influence my writing. Queenie, who is the most ‘Peaky’ of all the characters, is very loosely based on a relative. My great grandma was a canal boatwoman and ran the illegal bookmaking in her area of Coventry in the 1920s and 1930s.

 

·       What are your influences upon this book?

My main influences are the books and films of the 1930s and 1940s. I’ve read a lot of Graham Greene. He called his thrillers his ‘entertainments’ and both Brighton Rock and A Gun for Sale are important influences on Needless Alley. I’ve also read a lot of Hammett, Cain, and the female noir writers, particularly Vera Caspary and Dorothy B Hughes. However, my biggest influence is Raymond Chandler. I adore Chandler.

 

·        We started corresponding due to a love of film and pre-WW2 Hollywood stars – what are your favourites?

This is such a tough question, Jamie! I’ll stick with pre 1939 films just to thin the herd. I love The Thin Man series; It Happened One Night; Top Hat and The Gay Divorcee; The Old Dark House; The Lady Vanishes; The Maltese Falcon; Mr Smith Goes to Washington; Bringing up Baby; The 39 Steps; Dames; Gold Diggers of 1933; The Women; Scarface…I could go on!

Favourite pre war film stars? I adore Myrna Loy, Jean Arthur, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell, William Powell, Dick Powell, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and, of course, James Stewart.

 

·        What are you currently reading?

I’m writing right now, so I find it difficult to read. However, I’m listening to a lot of Golden Age detective fiction on Audible. I like the British Library Crime Classics.

 

·        What are you currently bingeing on TV?

I’ve just finished watching Slow Horses on Apple and loved it. Have you seen The English on BBC IPlayer? I love big sweeping narratives and this one was a doozy. Highly recommended.

 

·        What advice would you have for would be authors who think it is too late to write?

I honestly thing maturity is an advantage. I don’t think I would’ve had the patience, or time, in my twenties to write Needless Alley. My advice to any writer is to sit down and write a few hundred words a day. Don’t get het up about other people’s word counts or processes. Write your way but just write.

 

·        How good is your relationship with Baskerville?

Baskerville have been wonderful. They’ve really guided me through the process of being a debut and have been very supportive of my writing. I’ve been overwhelmed by their support.

 

·        What are your hopes for Needless Alley?

Honestly, I’d love for someone to read Needless Alley and love it the way I love my favourite books. We’ll see!

Needless Alley is out on 19th January from Baskerville (Hachette) in all formats

You can follow Natalie on Twitter @NatalieMarlow2

Needless Alley

 

The debut novel by Birmingham based author, Natalie Marlow, out in January from John Murray Press/Baskerville

Arriving on a wave of fanfare on this side of Christmas 2022, this reader had the pleasure of reading Needless Alley devouring this debut novel by Natalie Marlow. It is the highly promising beginning of a probable long-running series featuring Birmingham gumshoe William Garrett in 1933. 

Garrett we meet as an individual, a private detective, who sets up honey traps by photographing adulterous wives in illicit affairs, therefore forcing divorces from the wealthy male elite of the city who want out of their now loveless marriages.

Garrett, has a good way of life, he gets help from his friend and out-of-work actor Ronnie Edgerton in these traps, his world is turned upside down when he encounters Clara Morton - who upon first meet with her is the next wife a husband wants divorcing from.

Set in that tricky period between world wars when the world was still coming to terms from the heavy scars of the Great War(1914-18), while the pounding foot of impending fascism is heard across continental Europe and shaking itself from the doldrums of a global recession/depression. Marlow has created a world which is ripe for cultivating narrative fodder, Morton's unloving husband is intrinsically tied to Oswald Mosley and his blackshirt brigade, who came so very close to power and popularity in the mid-1930s of Britain.

Now this may strike you as familiar if you had watched the latter series of that other Birmingham cultural touchstone, Peaky Blinders, and Mosley is used creatively in the narrative as a person of great relevance and importance in pre-World War 2 British history, a sobering reminder as to how close our nation was to following in the footsteps of Nazi Germany but for the rationale minds to prevail thankfully.

Marlow writes with a flair and panache that is refreshing and enticing, she has created a character in Garrett she is clearly fond of and like most detectives he has to overcome the odd fistfight and moral dilemma, sometimes in the same instance.

This book features one of the cleverest 'did not see that coming' moments I can remember, and yet rather than stop the narrative in its tracks it does the opposite and prompts the reader to plough on and digest the remainder of the book.

Delicately balancing between homage and originality and definitely leaving the door open for more stories to come from the Brum, Needless Alley is a welcome addition to the British Detective Noir genre and Mrs. Marlow promises to be a voice we will pleasingly hear more of in the coming years.

Needless Alley is out from Baskerville on 19th January.

TORI AND LOKITA

NEW DARDENNES FILM OUT DECEMBER 2ND

The Dardenne Brothers return with another moral drama that rages against social injustice this time looking upon the hardships endured by two African immigrants as they navigate safe passage while in exile on the streets of modern Europe.

Shot with a hand-held medium to close-up style reminiscient of other works, it destabilises the viewer by putting them very much in the point of view of the adolescents with the peril they find themselves, the watch is not pleasant but when commenting on something as uncomfortable as human trafficking it should not be.

For long periods, the pair are apart from each other as the struggle becomes very real for them both as they have to pay smugglers, work for cannabis growers all off the grid seemingly without their papers. We bare witness to this due to the filming nature and the isolation felt by them is real throughout - the influence of De Sica's Bicycle Thieves remains.

The toil the two young unprofessional actors have to endure is there for all to see, yet the pair Pablo Schils (Tori) and Joely Mbundu (Lokita) conduct themselves admirably throughout, the decision to cast unknowns (a regular occurence in the Dardennes oeuvre) is again a masterstroke as the lack of baggage for the audience with the youthful pair leads to empathy coming to the forefront.

The message of friendship and solidarity between the two is paramount and told so evocatively that the notion of self-sacrifice by one to the other is not a surprise, considering how exploited as individuals they become. The suspense felt is palpable at times. The climatic chase expertly done yet that flourish of action amidst the cruelty beforehand smacks less than those felt by the characters at times. 

This is an angry film about the plight so many people have to endure moving from conflict to conflict as in life though, it is not so much the destination but the journey itself that is the story. Deeply powerful and yet understated in its execution, Tori and Lokita is a watch to endure yet remember.

Tori and Lokita is out from Picturehouse Entertainment on Friday 2nd December

Canada at the 1986 World Cup

Canada, the polite neighbours to the north of the United States of America, are appearing at the 2022 Qatar World Cup for only the second time in their long history of association football.

Their first and only appearance to date was in 1986 when the tournament took place down Mexico way. A tournament feted for Diego Maradona. Gordon Strachan trying to jump pitchside advertising. Gary Lineker's hat-trick. Ray Wilkins red card. Josimar ruining Pat Jennings' birthday.

Yet Canada added some CONCACAF syrup to proceedings, being drawn as bottom seed with then European Champions France led by Michel Platini, the always dangerous Soviet Union and another Eastern bloc power of Hungary.

As history shows, Canada did not muster any points or goals in there three group stage matches, yet they were not humiliated. In their opening game, they held France to a one-nil scoreline, only conceding in the 78th minute to a Jean-Pierre Papin goal.

Following a period of intense training in Colorado for the squad at altitude to prepare the squad for the intensity of daytime heat of Mexico, the squad full of MLS personnel in the majority. The unity of a minnow squad can never be underestimated, while devoid of any marquee name such as say a South American squad which may feature a major European league star - the squad held their head up high after that opening encounter.

Four days later, they faced off against Hungary and in retrospect this was the tie that go away. Hungary had lost their opening game to the Soviets 6-0, so Canada following their resilient 1-0 defeat to the French were made favourites. Unfortunately, the Magyars scored after two minutes and the determination was lacking throughout before a second Hungarian goal ended the tie.

The final match versus the Soviet Union followed a familiar storyline for the Canadians, stout in defence but lacking penetration up front meant the eventual Soviet goals came in the second half from Oleg Blohkin and Olexsandr Zakarov.

Canada's campaign ended on 9th June, eight days after it began. Played three. Lost three. No goals scored. Five conceded. No points.

They have not got close to a World Cup in the intervening 36 years until the past year when a qualifying record containing only two defeats meant they joined confederation counterparts and familiar foes - United States and Mexico in qualifying for the winter World Cup.

Qualification was cemented on March 27th with a 4-0 home victory over Jamaica with goals from Cyle Larin (Canada's all time top scorer with 25 goals), Tajon Buchanan, Junior Hoillet (a name familiar to English fans and playing with Reading currently) and an own goal.

Unlike 1986's twenty two men - this time there are names familiar to World Soccer fans. None more so than Alphonso Davies who is a regular for Bayern Munich at the age of 22, married with the wealth of experience by captain Atiba Hutchinson (aged 39) and will hit a century of caps for his country if he starts all three group games (currently on 97).

Fifteen of the 26 named for Qatar ply their trade in the European domestic leagues. Larin and Buchanan both play for Club Brugge who made the knockout stage of the Champions League post-World Cup in 2023, after previous successful spells with Beskitas and New England Revolution respectively.

Canada are ranked 41st in the world, which is not the worst ranking of those competing and they have not been handed as tough a group as their compatriots were dealt in 1986. They have been drawn in Group F against Belgium, Croatia and Morocco. Now while two of those teams may prompt fear due to their heritage and consistency of recent years - both Belgium and Croatia are reaching the end of the cycle for this particular group of golden players; this promises to be the last World Cup for such luminaries as Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Luka Modric. Morocco as with all African nations, provide a bit of the unknown and unexpected yet that is the last of the three group games for both sides. 

Canada open versus the Belgians on 23rd November before facing World Cup runners-up from 2018, Croatia four days later. The quick turnaround of games due to the truncated nature of this World Cup may provide the opportunity for a surprise across the eight groups. Group F matches with Group E which contains powerhouses Spain, Germany, Costa Rica and Japan. That is difficult for all of Group F sides but who knows when it comes to the World Cup.

Canada are on a rich vein of form, the greatest in their history. Will they score a goal for the first time? Or obtain that historic first point? The co-hosts of the next World Cup in 2026 (along with the USA and Mexico) are guaranteed another appearance, but lets hope the old adage of third time's a charm does not ring true for the Maple Leafs.

Clean Cut Kid - HISS

 

Fourth album from Liverpool quartet CLEAN CUT KID out 11th November via Alcopop! Records

Lo-fi and electronic collide in the self-produced new album by the quietly making noise foursome from Liverpoool. Produced in their custom-built analogue home studio, HISS has been crafted lovingly by this group of musos and songwriters. 

Production started in late 2020 when the world ground to a halt, frontman Mike Halls notes how 'the pain of being separated from pretty much everything I love had begun to turn into music in my head'.

Halls took the opportunity to recontextualise the situation as a gift to prepare yourself for permanent separation from parents and this led to creating demos which was essentially unedited of how he was feeling. 

This vitality has melted into the long-playing album and there are twists and turns as different genres weave into the album from folk and first-person storytelling to stories about grief and a love story masquerading as a tale of depression in the same vein as Springsteen's 'Dancing in the Dark'.

'Little Black Space' one of the singles off the album is that love song, a piece of sonic meditation that is both euphoric but embracing of the person within this relationship. 

There is a steady stream of confidence rolling throughout this album, from the calm beginning of opener 'Our Wasted Hours' walk-on music for a band arriving to follow up 'She Take A Pill' a jammy bouncy single to the aforementioned 'Little Black Space' - that is a great opening trifecta. 

   

After that is my only gripe on the album, which is the sequencing. 'Cathy' feels like a slowdown and then the perky 'Louis, Be Brave' does not arrive until track 8. Then the album does end on a high with 'Into The Tall Grass' a metaphor for spirituality and vulnerability and then the finale which is 'Golden Ribbon' an eulogy of sorts for the passing of staying in.

The influences within the album range from Alt-J to Gomez and The Coral to The Zutons. I have mentioned a few Liverpudlian acts there, and that is deliberate due to the rich heritage that city has had in the music culture of the late twentieth century, not least from a certain other foursome who conquered the world.

The album is a journey from calm beginnings to the funereal finality of the album closer. This is an album of majesty, swagger and universality - where there is something for everyone. A gateway of openness and sentiment, HISS is a triumph for song writing and production, sticking to your beliefs and knowing that success will come your way

HISS is out from Alcopop! Records on 11th November.

Clean Cut Kid are Mike Halls (vocals/guitar), Evelyn Halls (vocals/keys), Ross Higginson (drums) and Gareth Bullock (bass).

Honey Harper & The Infinite Sky - Honey Harper

 

New album from alt-country act Honey Harper out now via ATO Records

Honey Harper return with a follow-up to their 2020 breakthrough Starmaker, with a deliberate change in direction with keyboardist Alana Pagnutti taking on a greater songwriting role alongside frontman William Fussell, adding a new dimension to their lyrical output.

The 12-track album feels like a cross-country travelogue through the history of country music, influences of blues, folks and pop with references ranging from Frank Ocean to the Bee Gees and with Pagnutti's input the legendary Loretta Lynn is not faraway.

This is country music but with a kaleidoscopic and spectral in its splendour, from album opener steel guitar dripping 'Reflections' to 'One Thing' with its harmonic melodies resounding out across the John Ford vistas. Top track is 'Boots Mine Gold' a disco tinged line-dancing stomper which comes with a Terminator style video.

Strong hints of Drive-By Truckers ring out in my ears, the vocal delivery of Fussell is a winner throughout. He is ably supported by a stellar band that comprises The Infinite Sky - bassist Mick Mayer, pianist John Carroll Kirby, Alex Fischel (keyboards), Jackson MacIntosh (guitar) and steel player Connor Gallaher.

From highs such as 'Hard to Make A Living' to the mysterious 'Crystal Heart' there is something for everyone on this album from those who cannot tell their opera from their opry.

Honey Harper is out now on ATO Records.