Well, it all started with this novel: Just When We Are Safest which I read in the earlier half of the 1990s. It was the start of Gadney's Alan Rosslyn series and I was hooked. Gadney created quite an original in Alan Rosslyn - the man worked for Customs & Excise, as it then was. And who'd have imagined that the work there could be quite so exciting? (More on than later.)
The novel had this interesting character, great pace and plot, made good use of its London setting and was quite a thriller. When my ex-boss from Canada was on a business trip in London I made sure he went home with a copy, I was so enthused. I really enjoyed the novel and found it quite outstanding at the time. Amazon Marketplace (AM) has copies from just 1p right now, if you feel the urge to try it. Then we moved on to the second in the series...
John Lawton, author of the wonderful Troy series is appearing at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival this year (20 July).
The next in the series, "Second Violin" is due to be published in the UK on 9 August, but I suspect that the novel may be available at the festival, given the timing.
I have a friend I've previously invited to write some book reviews for this site. Alas, he has declined my kind offer, (more than once), saying that he could not possibly write them as well as I do. Such a lovely compliment, but total rubbish. If only he could get the words that come out of his mouth into text format, many would benefit from his insights, as I'd be more than happy to post them here. We don't have exactly the same taste but I do respect his opinions. So why am I saying all this alongside Jonathan Buckley's "So He Takes the Dog"?
Well, my friend phoned me this week and said this novel is probably the best crime fiction novel he's read in the last two or three years.
There comes a point in one's crime fiction reading life when a fast-paced thriller is sought out. I'd been meaning to read my copy of Relentless way before now, but I inadvertently lost it. Lo and behold, I stumbled across it recently and set about reading it. I needed a "fast" fix.
A crime fiction reading friend had read it over one or two days. I told him when I started it. He said: "And I bet you've almost finished by now then". This was true. I had about 80 pages to finish the novel and plans on how to arrange the rest of my life around reading it, where possible.
He already knew what I now know: this is not a novel to put down and pick up again on a slow Sunday. It demands to be read in one sitting, such is its pace. It fulfils its title; it is indeed relentless reading.
UK-based reader of crime fiction for many years.
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