IT'S A CRIME! (OR A MYSTERY...)

Oops, a man called Damien Rice and his music grabs me...

Please excuse me from posting right now.  I've just discovered the delights of Damien Rice's "O" album.

You can find it here. 

When not enjoying Rice's music, I'm turning the pages of "Pig Island" from Mo Hayder - as fast as I can when reading...  Hayder, again, pushes to the edge of humanity.  More later...  Unless that Chris bloke pops a comment on here, of course.  He's reading it right now, too.  As of this afternoon, I was ahead of his game, but now, alas, I am behind.  Nothing like a mobile text to let me know what page he's on.  He's either lying (unlikely) or speed reading (perhaps he's more talented than me?).  Personally, I prefer to devour the words that I choose to read - a chewing and not a gulping.  Not that I'm suggesting he gulps.  That would be too rude.

"Pig Island", another dedication here, to Chris, who reads faster than me.  A race to the end, Chris?  I have all day at the moment...

"Vanish" by Tess Gerritsen

Detective Jane Rizzoli is back, along with medical examiner Maura Isles and Mr Rizzoli, a.k.a. FBI agent Gabriel Dean!

“Vanish” is a title true to the plot, but, here in the UK, it did made me think of furniture polish for some reason, and then I had the following conversation with a friend, after I finished the book:

I said, “It reminds me of polish.  It’s polish, isn’t it?”

He said, “It’s that stuff that removes all stains, isn’t it?”

Holding the cordless phone on my shoulder, I ventured into the cupboard under the sink, only to see a shocking pink bottle of “Vanish” at the front, “Yes, it is.  I use it.  I thought it rang a bell…”

But “Vanish” of the shocking pink bottled variety does not ring the same bell as the book and the book lasts a lot longer and does not disappear down the plug hole.  Indeed, the book leaves a lasting memory of man’s inhumanity to man – or, if we’re to be pedantic in this case, man’s inhumanity to, and disrespect of, women.

In a nutshell: a batch of Russian illegal immigrants reach the US border, all young and female and hoping for a promised new life of prosperous normality and stability, and good jobs.  But, all too soon, their eyes are opened to the prospect of the reality of their lives behind that evil promise.

Jane Rizzoli is not just pregnant, but a week overdue and on “maternity leave”, and in court testifying against a man who has beaten his partner.  It is in court that her waters finally break and labour might be enough for a woman to deal with, but Rizzoli finds herself at the hospital and one of the subjects of a kidnapping siege, with the labour ongoing…

The woman who created the hostage scene started out as a ”corpse” in Maura Isles’s morgue.  She becomes very much alive, frightened and embittered, and does not trust the authorities to deliver justice.  And then, suddenly, she is dead from bullets, following an inhaled drug to combat the hostage situation.  The hostages are saved, but what is her story?  What meant so much to her that she’d risk the lives of patients in a hospital?  What is the story of the last words she uttered to Jane Rizzoli?  And who has the final say, in all this mayhem?

This book is a page turner, no doubt about that.  There may be a potential plot in your head as you’re reading the book, but the final outcome remains a surprise.

Gerritsen embraces all of life here – the normal and that which sometimes intrudes, for the better or the worse.  It is the worst of it we experience here, where humans become a cargo that is for the use of others.  But Gerritsen does not tell all up front – we get a picture in our minds, something we fear and hate, with no confirmation within the story, as such – and then we experience the finalé of the results of it.

It’s a good plot and something I so enjoyed reading.

Likewise, I loved the passages of insight into new mother, Jane Rizzoli.  I loved the timing and situation of her waters breaking; it was something that spurred the recipient on to embarrassment and much else, in my book. Not so for Gerritsen, but I’ll let her off on that one.  (The recipient was only led to more verbal abuse, in the novel…)  But later, we get more of this, the great detective Riozzoli is now a mother and her feelings of inadequacy make the fore, as does her later feral love for the child she gave birth to.

Rizzoli, Dean and Isles make a thrilling bunch – as always.

You can't do better than this novel - "Vanish".  Forget what it says on the shocking pink label here in the UK; this is a book that deserves recognition and memory, not disappearance.  The memory from that story will, no doubt, come to the fore, as what you read is heart breaking and more.  The "more" is a damn good crime thriller.

Dame Muriel Spark has died...

There’s something about spring, a time of regeneration.  The daffodils have come and gone in the pot outside and one bit of my garden now has some blue flowers in it – a good deep blue colour for a flower, but an ugly design, in my mind.  (I am one of the least green fingered you will come across.  It only surprises me that the blue floral tributes to spring are not weeds.)  Fluffy white lambs are out gambolling in the fields.  And, not so long after the clocks went forward, we seem to have so many more hours of light in our days.  Finally, as I write this, in Wales, I’m also pleased to observe that those days have had quite a bit of sunshine.  All of this makes me feel a lot better after the long dark winter, even if I can’t name that blue flower and especially as I seem to have mislaid my umbrella, yet again!

We have only a short-term lease on this earth.  To help me reconcile myself to the facts of death, I like to remember that all moves on and the dying make way and space for the younger living, who deserve the same chance as those who had gone before.  (If not a better one, if only we can learn to protect our heritage as opposed to destroy it, with our current wants, needs and ways of living.)  If you’re going to die, there’s not much choice in the matter about the timing, but spring is a good time to do it.  Alas, this spring, as we see the daffs and the lambs, it’s also time to say a final goodbye to Dame Muriel Spark who died on Thursday 13 April and was buried yesterday.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I flicked the channels on the TV and found myself watching a film of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”.  I stuck with it for a few minutes, hoping it was the one I remembered from my teenage years, the one with John Castle as Teddy Lloyd and Geraldine McEwan as Miss Brodie.  It turned out that it wasn’t; it was the one with Robert Stephens and Maggie Smith in the title roles. My possible disappointment disappeared very quickly and I kept watching, enjoying every minute of the remainder of the film.  Having seen the more current version as a teenager and never seeing the film again, nor reading the book, I was enthralled and reminded of what had so intrigued me when I saw that film in my formative years and why it had laid a brand on my memory.

The fictional Brodie, (albeit based on a teacher Spark had experienced), was a woman who used her brain to see the world and investigate it.  She formed strong opinions and followed them.  She also flirted with the dangerous and the wanton in the name of “feminism”.  Alas, Brodie was a woman on a train with a specific destination and not on a motorway with much potential for detour down a slip road – her beliefs and the blinkers that she had around them, proved to be her demise.  As a teenager, I was able to learn that it was good to have views and beliefs, and to pursue them with a whole heart, but to remember that it was also good to keep an open mind and listen to others and their views.  We need as many available facts as possible to make a decision, and, as time moves on, more facts may come to light and change our views.

Spark wrote “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in six weeks according to The Observer, in 1961, and it was published in 1962, the year I was born.  The film showed me lives, and one life in particular, that were different to my own and my origins.  I was born into a risk-averse family.  Brodie never saw any risks, she just pursued life with her beliefs and ideas, come what may.

I’ll never be a Brodie, even if there was a time when I thought I wanted to be.  But I will always appreciate the late Dame Muriel Spark for producing a great story that opened my eyes to the adult world.  Rest in peace, Dame Muriel; you have left a legacy, even to the small ones like me, for which I thank you.  There's a gambolling lamb out there, about to highlight, yet again, what you taught us.   Be free to be fresh in this world and pursue anything and be energised , but always stop to listen.  That's the legacy, I, as a recipient of  Spark's "Brodie" story will always remember.

Crime series on TV in the UK and "The Apprentice", my latest hook...

I have to say that I don't watch much TV these days; it doesn't excite me like it used to, some years ago.  Dalziel and Pascoe is still pretty good though.  The latest outing had a local family death intrigue scenario; a "normal" nasty take on football club shenanigans, (for the less normal and more sensational see "Footballers' Wives", if you dare); a bigger production budget conference trip to Amsterdam where Dalziel found himself a murder suspect and not amongst friends; a venture into the world of a death-causing poison, a not so holistic spa and Pascoe's daughter's visit avec, shock, horror, shoplifting and the ensuing personal problems which underly that; and finally, the last in the series, another local story, "A Death in the Family", about a bank robbery, murder and a possibly over closely-knit group of friends.

 

The first episode was not overly exciting and the second episode came across as a "specialist interest" - footie fans may like it.  The fourth, based at the "spa" was notable for Stephen Tompkinson's accomplished portrayal of...  No spoilers here, if I can help it.  You have to watch!  The man did good, though.  A must see!

Whilst the Amsterdam episode was reasonably good, this short series finally came into its own in the last episode.  The suspense was good; the red herring trails did not lead to Sainsbury's fish counter; and the resolution did keep me guessing.  There were some great scenes in this episode, too: Pascoe hitting the library for some psychological insight; Pascoe telling Dalziel, with great authority, about the nature of certain types of human relationships.

It is sometimes the small stuff, the close and claustrophobic world that creates the best suspense.  As far as I'm concerned this series closed on a fizz, bang!  Great acting, great plot and really good suspense!

One last thing though, please ditch the three quarter length navy outdoor jacket on Pascoe.  When he wears it, he looks like he's worming his way into Dalziel's physique, possibly with some additional prosthetic stuffing.

Another thing I've been watching and I'd have to admit, I'm hooked on, is "The Apprentice" on BBC2.  This is the programme where Sir Alan Sugar (SAS) is looking for an "apprentice" for his Amstrad empire, along the lines of a "twelve week interview".  You can apply online at the BBC, should you feel so inspired, and yes, there will be another series and another vacancy...

Sharon was fired last night.  We have to remember that what we on screen is 24 - 48 hrs plus of activity on a task condensed into an episode of 1 hour.  As such, for entertainment purposes, the boring bits are edited out, (yes thanks), and the rest is targeted...  The best and most sensational bits are kept in; perhaps with an agenda?  Whatever.  Sharon was not at home here.  Never was and never would be.  But good on her for the smile on her face when she was fired and when she appeared on "The Apprentice - You're Fired" programme on BBC3.  The "whinger" can smile - that's good.  I've always been suspicious of editing, even before this programme.  "Top Shop" commended Sharon's selling skills according to the programme, but what did we see of that?  Nothing.  We did see Syed having a ball in the changing rooms with a female customer who needed help with a corset type top and where he clearly "couldn't believe his luck".  Macho, alpha male editing?  I think so.

Back to the basics.  Of those in the hot seat for firing this week, Syed was let off because he managed to sell to the traders.  Tuan remains an unknown entity to SAS, but he's a good support within his team, albeit perhaps hiding for now, as might be his strategy.  And on to next week, what will come of it? 

I ask you this - would you do business with someone who is so apparently keen on "spinning one"/exaggerating (unconvincingly, at that, and there's a recorded history with the BBC, should you so wish) to get a deal?  Does SAS want this within his business?  I think not.  He may like sales, but it was said tonight, he had a choice between a  "planner", a "lier" and a "whinger".  The "whinger" went.  What would you choose over a "lier" and a "planner" while still hoping to retain your business integrity?

Who gets fired next week is up to which team wins.  Syed may continue his lucky team streak.  But last night SAS's comments indicated that he's seen the true wattage of Syed and what's behind it.  With Tuan, the connection to electricity is uncertain, but, behind the scenes, he pulls the stops necessary.

Can Tuan rise to the real issue of being at the forefront of all activity and finally take the lead?  Can Syed lose his arrogance to obviously learn from a very successful businessman?  Can Ruth still cut the mustard and lose that defiant facial expression?  Can Michelle prove herself before the end of the series?  Can Paul do the biz and make us love him?  Can Ansell finally pull out all the stops and achieve the best results?

I am finding this series compelling viewing.  An attraction to working for Amstrad?  Not likely.  SAS's demands are sometimes understandable and sometimes not, to me.

For next week, if Syed is on the losing team, I reckon he'll get the boot.  Results, yes.  But the price of that, no.  And I reckon that Tuan is playing a decent, silent, strategic game.  My "Monopoly" money's on him for the final round, along with Ruth.  But then, I could, of course, be wrong.  And I'm quaking in my boots, I am...

Good series.  Love it.  It almost makes up for the lack of enough decent crime drama on the BBC...

Realistic Holistic Living for Imperfectly Natural Women

A little diversion from crime fiction - to follow with another nibble of Wales, and specifically, the Welsh economy this time, if I may...

Congratulations to independent Welsh publisher Crown House and author Janey Lee Grace! 

Crown House hit the headlines when Grace’s book Imperfectly Natural Woman: Getting Life Right the Natural Way shot to number one in the Amazon.co.uk chart for the week ending 1 April 2006, only to be subsequently pushed into the number two spot by Michael Connelly’s “The Lincoln Lawyer”.

Author Grace, says on the Crown House website “…I do want to be as healthy, happy and eco-friendly as possible. In this book, I’ll share with you my best-kept secrets for holistic living in a realistic way.”

Grace can currently be heard on BBC Radio 2 hosting her own early Saturday morning show and as a regular co-host on Steve Wright’s afternoon show.  She started her career as a backing singer for George Michael, Kim Wilde and Boy George, and then had a top ten hit with cola boy and “7 Ways to Love“, in 1992.  She’s also recorded two albums.  Radio and TV presenting followed, along with commercial voiceover work.

Her website also tells us that Grace “…lives in Hertfordshire, is married to composer Simon, and is a mother of 4 children under 8. Along with her expertise in holistic and green living she is passionate about natural pregnancy and birth, attachment parenting and home education.   Janey is patron of the ABM association of breastfeeding mothers and is a supporter of the National Childbirth Trust and several other charities.”

Grace talks about her book here.

Crown House Publishing is based in Bancyfelin, Carmarthen and specialises in books based on the following topics: mind, body, spirit; business training and development; education; psychotherapy; personal growth; health and wellbeing.

Best wishes to all for continued good sales!

Vying with Connelly’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” for the number one spot?  It’s got to be good.  And given that 70% of crime fiction readers are female, I’d guess the market may not be too dissimilar…  Keep reading and buying folks!  Your inner core is worth it!

The UK "Quick Reads" Initiative

The Quick Reads initiative brings sets of “exciting, short, fast-paced books by leading best-selling authors” to the UK market.  The first set of 12 was published on World Book Day, (2^nd March) and the second set of 10 will be published in May for Adult Learners Week.

The books are £2.99, but in the link provided you can find a further link to a book token for £1 off the cover price.

The March authors and books included:

Patrick Augustus – “Don’t Make Me Laugh”.

Maeve Binchy – “Star Sullivan”.

John Bird, the man behind “The Big Issue” with “How to Change Your Life in 7 Steps”.

Richard Branson, with the somewhat non-virginal title of “Screw It, Let’s Do It”.

Rowan Coleman – “Woman Walks into a Bar”.

Mick Dennis and the Premier League – “The Team”.

Tom Holt – “Someone Like Me”.

Conn Iggulden – “Blackwater”.

Matthew Reilly – “Hell Island”.

Ruth Rendell – “The Thief”.

Joanna Trollope – “The Book Boy”.

Minette Walters – “Chickenfeed”.

The May authors and books include:

Hunter Davies – “I Love Football”.

John Francome – “Winner Takes All”.

Tom Holland – “The Poison in the Blood”.

Damien Lewis – “Desert Claw”.

Val McDermid – “Cleanskin”.

Andy McNab – “The Grey Man”.

Courttia Newland – “The Dying Wish”.

Mike Phillips – “The Name You Once Gave Me”.

Gareth Roberts – “I am a Dalek” (Doctor Who).

“Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe.”

Katherine John, (a Welsh author, who also writes as Catrin Collier) – “The Corpse’s Tale”.

Lynne Barrett-Lee – “Secrets”.

I’ve bought a few in the March batch, but so far I’ve only read “Chickenfeed” from Minette Walters.

“Chickenfeed” is based on the true story of the “chicken farm murder” that took place in  East Sussex in 1924.   Norman Thorne was found guilty of the murder of Elsie Cameron, but there were doubts about his guilt at the time.  Still swearing his innocence, Norman Thorne was hanged on 22 April 1925.

In “Chickenfeed” I enjoyed a “quick read” that was particularly atmospheric in its storytelling, if a little repetitive on times.  I felt it was true to the period in terms of economic, cultural and social pressures, as well as the nature of speech.  Walters explores what she thinks may have lain behind the reported facts of the case – the tensions between two people in an uneasy relationship and objectives that simply did not meet.  This particular “quick read” was a good read and was certainly something I’d recommend for a train or coach journey.  Easy to read, easy to carry, entertaining and suspenseful – what more could you want?

More detail on the quick reads of the March releases can be found here.

More to read and spread the word...

Jane Adams, her latest book "Killing a Stranger"...

The latest book from Jane Adams, "Killing a Stranger" was published in the UK by Severn House just over a week ago.

A new way to discover/see authors...

I've added a link to findmeanauthor.com.  This is a new site for promoting authors.  I think the interest for readers comes from hovering above the pictures and reading the text - a quote from the author.  If you then click on the author picture you enter the author's site, where you can find out more about their books.

So instead of perhaps judging a book by its cover and then finding some info on the author, plus a picture, try it the other way around with this site.  Author picture, to something they have to say, to their websites and then on to their books...  It's a voyage of discovery from a different angle!

"The Greenway" by Jane Adams

“Friends, Romans, countrymen…” will often try to sell you a book, or rather, I mean, persuade you to try an author they like that you’ve not heard of.  In this case the former and latter on that list fit the bill – he’s English and exiled to Scotland and well read in crime fiction, but not Roman, oh no!  Anyway, I succumbed to my learned friend’s persuasion and the book in question is “The Greenway”, the début novel from Jane Adams. 

I had to buy the book second hand as it’s been out since 1995.  But I was assured it was the best place to start in reading the novels of Jane Adams.  And a lovely hard copy it was too!

First things first – the cover proclaimed “A haunting début” from none other than Minette Walters.  That is as good as you get, when it comes to my taste in psychologically and earthly based novels.  Secondly, the novel edged onto page 204, something unheard of these days; but I didn’t feel cut short, not at all, I was looking forward to a shorter read at the time.  Thirdly, this was one novel in a little gamut of three that I read in quick succession that were all based in or near East Anglia, just before I headed out for a short break in Suffolk.  (Luckily, I was based mere paces from the sea and not in land, so the dark atmosphere of the three books did not prompt nightmares.)

So, “The Greenway”, what’s it all about?  In a nutshell:

Cassie Maltham returns to Norfolk for a holiday along with her husband and two friends, and with an underlying objective.  Twenty years ago, and very close to the location, she had been a victim of a crime.  Cassie had out playing with her twelve year old cousin Suzie, taking a short cut through The Greenway, but Suzie disappeared that day, never to be found.  A cloud of uncertainty and suspicion has circled around Cassie since that day, as she couldn’t remember anything to help the investigation. And now, on the holiday to finally face the demons of her past, and with the help of her husband, another child goes missing and in the same place.

A retired detective, John Tynan remembers the original case and offers his help to the detective on the current case, Mike Croft.  The only link to the two cases is Cassie Maltham, but is she capable of allowing her memories to break out?

As a shorter novel, this is a linear plot where suspense is the order of the day.  What lies within the closed recesses of Cassie’s mind?  And will it come to the fore in time?  Will it even be useful to the current investigation? 

I found “The Greenway” to be atmospheric and as “haunting” as the blurb from Minette Walters.  It’s also a page turner.  Short and sharp, it kept me guessing until the end.  That’s so good a comment from me, as so many books don’t manage the “keep guessing” element anymore.

And now I want to read more from this author; “The Bird” being next on the list.

Jane Adams later ventured into a series with a blind ex-copper and that’s something that catches my eye right now.  And what I intend to move onto next, after “The Bird”.

Jane Adams may not have a big publicised presence in the crime fiction world but she does have a portfolio of novels that’s worth looking at.  She also has another novel coming out soon, or just delivered to the publisher, as I understand.  I’ll let you know, when I get the reliable information.

Jane Adams – go try it, buying second hand, as I did.  And keep a look out for the newbies in her portfolio, but I’ll let you know anyway. She definitely needs more publicity.

As for the exiled friend/reviewer – he did “good”, yet again.  I just wish he liked my recommendations as much as I like his!

(Currently reading “A Grave Talent” by Laurie R King, again, on HIS recommendation.  Not that I’m complaining; I just want to get back to reading it, you understand… So bye for now…)

Penguin Most Wanted...

I had an email some time ago about the new crime fiction dedicated site from Penguin.

Penguin Most Wanted Crime is an interesting site, updated regularly for articles on and by the publisher's authors and books published.  They also have regular competitions.

This month, the UK author round-up includes Andrew Taylor talks about "life as a full-time writer" and his new book "A Stain on the Silence" - a departure for him, as this is not an historical novel, but one with a contemporary setting.

Michael Ridpath talks about "the pleasures and pain of research" and his new novel "See No Evil", set in South Africa.

Clare Clark, author of "The Great Stink", (great title!), talks about the "moment her novel became a crime novel"and gives "thanks to the ingenious designs of Joseph Bazalgette" who "would transform London’s drainage system into one of the engineering wonders of the world".  And get rid of the "great stink"!

John Rickards, author of "The Touch of Ghosts" and "Winter's End" discusses "Shades of Noir".

Previously on LA Law, no I mean on "Penguin's Most Wanted" - it has to be a sign of my age - David Lawrence, he of the "Stella Mooney" series did a two-parter on writing crime fiction; Ruth Rendell answered reader questions; Nick Stone, author of "Mr Clarinet" talked about "the publishing process through the eyes of a writer".

And there's more!  It's well worth a look, as is signing up for the newsletter so you don't miss anything.