No, not another “best of” per se, I just thought I’d highlight a few things that stand out in my mind and apply a bit of a twist, for a laugh. So, if I was in a position to give awards, these are the awards I would be more than happy to give; these are authors who entertained me in 2005 to a great degree and the books I mention are definitely worth a read…
The “My Trusty Friend Novel” to a series novel that did not fail to grab my attention:
Blue Rondo by John Lawton
I regret not one second of the time I invested in reading that book. I was not disappointed in any way, indeed, I loved it. It was hugely entertaining and it was great to be back in the company of characters I adore, with a good plot to push things along. Troy, the lead character is a treasure, but his family, colleagues, friends, associates and lovers all add great seasoning to the simmering po t Lawton produces. It was the best since I read the opener to the series, “Black Out”.
The “My Trusty Friend Author” to a non-series novel author who makes a Quality Control Department redundant:
The Devil's Feather by Minette Walters
I finished this book very satisfied, but also still wanting more of the characters, wanting to know what happens to them in the future, especially the very closed Jess Derbyshire. I know that’s not par for the course though; every time Walters takes us on a Grand National course, we have new set of horses at the gates. It’s now January coming to a close, so it’s been about four months. I’m finally over it. But I do look forward with baited breath to the next novel, even if I have new set of characters and a new story to play with.
The “Most Frightening Scenario” to something that comes from the imagination of an author, which makes me fear for our lives:
The Third Person by Steve Mosby
Set at some point in the future, Mosby created a world in the UK where our Police Force was back in public ownership again, following a privatisation, and with an ex-private ownership hi-tech office to match… Now, if that didn’t send enough shivers down my spine, he also set his novel in somewhere that seemed to be the Black Country, west of Telford, with a place called Schio just a short train ride away… I know our towns and cities are twinned with others in Europe, but that too was frightening. And people had guns. Routinely so, it seemed. A world not as I know it. I’d forgo my retirement years to avoid that scenario.
The “Most LOL Moment” to something that had me laughing out loud so much I can remember it months later…
A big introduction coming up, as it’s not a book, but a scene, and it may surprise you. I read only one comic crime novel this year, but this scene caught me by surprise and I really did laugh out loud…
The Lighthouse by P. D. James (A bit of a SPOILER follows…)
There’s something about a police officer, faced with having to arrest a suspect, with the only way into the property being a gap that requires the stripping off of most clothing and the liberal application of Vaseline to the body by a new colleague. Then, when said police officer gets inside, after much squeezing and pushing, and opens the door to colleague and others in attendance, there is a momentary pause. Is said police officer, “decent enough” to make the arrest? Already, even that is too much of spoiler. You have to read it, you really do. I loved it and I laughed out loud.
The PACE (Police And Criminal Evidence Act) to an author who used research to educate and create a plot, as opposed to producing prose that turned into a Civil Service type document:
The Dispossessed by Margaret Murphy
We’ve read about the introduction of vouchers in the media, but here we find out just how asylum seekers and immigrants live in that world. And that’s just one example. I’ve read books before that included prose emblazoned with “Just look how much research I’ve done. You really need to know about this.” Not so with Murphy. Her research feeds into the plot and is value added, if not value essential. Nothing distracts from the story she tells. Nothing tempts skipping or skimming. But still we learn something.
Close runner up: Lifeless by Mark Billingham, which tells us so much about the life of the homeless and the plight of ex-servicemen. “Your country needs you.” Yes, it does for a time, and then we may dump you, not seeming to care two hoots. Like The Dispossessed, Lifeless made me care. It also made me very angry. Too much is hidden in Britain today. Human lives deserve more than to be kicked under a carpet. Those who have fought for us, defended our way of life deserve so much better. Billingham let us know that life for ex-servicemen is not only immensely hard, but also a potential downward spiral with no support mechanism. The next person who has the courage to ask for a coin from you, may have been someone who was previously fighting for your life and liberty and the values you hold so true.
The “Bad and Ellipsis Sex in Crime Fiction” to the author and scene that missed the shortlist for the the big one, IMHO:
The Silent and The Damned by Robert Wilson
He wrote about “pistons”, a cliché to yawn for, if you’re still awake. A paragraph to skip or skim, if ever there was one. This, in a book, a series of works even, that is writing on a par with caviar and truffles, including previously written sex scenes. How on earth did that paragraph make it to the shelves? Falcon is a big attraction to the girlie crew. 70% of crime fiction readers are female, so I understand. I don’t think so many of them are turned on by engineering feats or analogies to similar. But that was one cringe moment in a superb book, which was itself a wonderful follow up to The Blind Man of Seville. And women do love those books. Falcon is the key to all that. He’s a wonderful character. The girlies and I say that, with relish; Falcon is a king among princes and knights in the male protagonist crime fiction world.
[Note: the “ellipsis” reference is to acknowledge that many crime fiction authors are on record as liking to draw a line with an ellipsis over that sorry phase (a.k.a. a sex scene)… Being horribly creative with how to perform a nasty crime about the person is OK, that’s fiction after all; but doing a sex scene when one’s mother may be reading, or readers who think that episode described may be “your own thing” is simply out. Courageous writing in this genre is all about crime and not about communion…]
The “Fighting Back Contemporary Issues” to the author who most highlights and brings to life a contemporary issue within their writing:
The Dispossessed by Margaret Murphy
Before reading this novel, I am not proud to disclose that immigrants and asylum seekers were mere statistics to me. After reading this novel, I have much more sense of the human beings behind the statistics and the lives these persons are forced to lead. A great insight from a great book.
Also of note were Lifeless by Mark Billingham and The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. Billingham hits on the homeless and tells us how it is to live rough in central London, going deep into that community. And yes, it is a community. Billingham was himself surprised to find that out and it comes out in his novel.
In The Lincoln Lawyer we discover what the US criminal justice system is really like. We could do this in a documentary, yes. But in the novel, we hit situations in real time and we are privy to the bartering that goes on. It’s not a happy place. Connelly tells it exactly like it is, with the benefits of previously being an objective journalist behind him. I may be wrong, but I suspect he thinks the US CJS could be improved greatly. It’s so pleasantly presented within the story, but it’s also not possible to avoid the feeling that turns and wranglings, negotiations and the impact of the presence of money within it, make for an ultimate devaluation of human life.
That is what stays in my mind from all I’ve read in 2005.
Lawto was pure enjoyment, P. D. James added to that, but the rest…
Yes, there is one common theme and that is one of contemporary social matters. Many crime fiction authors use them to highlight current issues. I‘ve homed in on Billingham, Connelly and Murphy, but Walters too, wanted us to know the hidden risks of war times and Mosby wanted us to know of the hidden risks of how the future may develop. From the US, Cornwell is concerned about how the TV versions of forensics impact on the way selected jurors see their duty and the outcome of that, in terms of justice.
Nowhere is life as we know it so embraced in fiction and so explored. And that deserves another post all on its own, to come later.
For now, all of us can enjoy reading our crime fiction, enjoying the thrill, but safe in our homes and knowing that the fictional culprit is brought to book, by whatever means. That’s crime fiction.
For some out there, crime is not fiction and that makes me very sad. But the world of crime fiction highlights so much, and focuses the mind; it can only help to focus on a reaction and solution. Good crime fiction authors pursue their research to a strong degree and tell us of the most current events, so that what we read will enlighten.
But that, dear reader, is another story and well worth much focus and research. I intend to revisit that theme in 2006. As for now, for all those authors I have mentioned, let me say this – you did pretty damn good, so enjoy the standards you have achieved and keep up the good work. We readers will always love your books for your stories as well as the issues you choose to highlight. And the issues you choose to highlight will always be received with the empathy they deserve and the result will vary, but there will be a result.
Nothing an author chooses to write about goes unnoticed. And in crime fiction, the odds for that are much higher.
Thank you to all the authors who entertained me and made me think in 2005.
I’ve been focused on reading crime fiction since 1992 and I’ve seen many developments – this is what leads me to think that 2006 will be an even better year. (Crime fiction) things can only get better.
(Acknowledgements to D:Ream for that misquote, even if you remind of the resurgence of [New] Labour. My subsequent disappointment is nothing to do with you!)
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