Fire and Brimstone - Colin Bateman

I have read, and really enjoyed, many of this author's previous novels over the years, I love his writing and storytelling style. I think most if not all of them I read before I started book blogging/reviewing so I can only say that I enjoyed them so much and recommended them here there and everywhere by word of mouth. The first ones I read were Cycle of Violence and Divorcing Jack. You might have seen or heard of the film version of the latter novel too, featuring David Thewlis. As well as the novels featuring Dan Starkey, of which this (Fire and Brimstone) is one, I've  read and enjoyed some of the novels in the 'Mystery Man', bookshop-based series as well as others by this author.

Anyway, getting on to Fire and Brimstone properly, this is another entertaining and bumpy ride along with Dan Starkey. Dark, at times bleak and sad, at times very funny and witty indeed, sometimes violent, occasionally possibly near the knuckle to some (topics include drug wars, religion, and abortion), but the story is always very very readable and the author always keeps you wanting to turn the pages. 

This time around, Dan, now a private investigator, takes on the job of tracking a missing person, the daughter of a billionaire. Alison Wolff was last seen at a party, where terrible tragedy occurred. Has she been kidnapped, is she still alive? It's up to Dan to find out, and inevitably as per usual he gets up to his neck in it all, finding fresh and deeper trouble at each turn, this time getting mixed up in religious cults and drug gangs. Amazingly, for those who have been with them throughout the series of novels, Trish is still around despite everything. 

I love the dark humour, the writing style, the intrigue and twists in the story,  the close calls and near misses, the sharp, witty dialogue, and I'm always curious to find out what Dan Starkey will get involved with next. Do give one of his books a try if you've never read one before, ideally I'd recommend starting with an earlier novel, if for example you wanted to follow Dan's path from the start, though it's not a prerequisite for reading this one, but I think it does add to the enjoyment if you know the background. I think this is an author whose books you can get addicted to, and I'm always pleased to see a new one appear.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this novel via bookbridgr for an honest review. 

Author links - twitter @ColinBateman | website

Published by Headline

Cold Hearts - Gunnar Staalesen

'On the exterior, everything looked nice and proper, but who had any idea what corruption was hidden - not only behind these walls but any such walls anywhere in the world?'

Cold Hearts is an excellent crime read featuring Norwegian private investigator Varg Veum looking into the case of a missing woman in Bergen, and uncovering crimes as well as a dark history of sadness and a web of lies as his search develops. 

I liked the opening chapter which gave a little background to Veum's life. Then we are taken back six months to a case involving a missing woman. Her friend Hege comes to him to ask him to help find her. Margrethe was a prostitute and, after turning away from a car one night, she was evidently very frightened. The woman who went in the car in her place returned injured. Margrethe's whereabouts are now unknown, and then shortly afterwards it is discovered that her brother Karl, who was in prison, is also missing. 

The book has a great lead character in Veum, a former social worker who puts this background to good use here when it comes to understanding and handling dysfunctional families, and individuals who haven't had a great start in life and/or those whose lives have taken a bad path. He uses his experience to dig deep and unravel the murky secrets of the past and discover how they have influenced the present. I enjoyed his interactions with the police and others as he pursued the truth. 

This is a well-plotted page-turner of a crime story with a firm sense of place. I really enjoyed the first-person narration by Veum; I liked getting to know his ways of thinking and his methods; when it comes to the investigation, he 'was impatient to get started. I knew from bitter experience that time was a thief. When you arrived where you wanted to go it was often too late.'

There's a dark tone to the tale, there is brutality, and there is a real feeling of sadness about the lives that some people endure and the bleaker aspects of society. Veum ponders '...what was it that caused lives to veer off in different directions? Was it possible to predict, or was it simply woven into your destiny from a very young age? Such fragile boundaries,...'

I am sometimes a little hesitant to read a novel that's part of a series when I haven't read the previous books. I found that despite not having read any other books in this series, I didn't have any problems enjoying this one or understanding anything. 

I thought the translation by Don Bartlett was really well done and read well. I love the blue/turquoise tones of the cover, and the image fits the story. I really enjoyed reading this one, for me it was a really good introduction into what seems to be a strong detective series; I will definitely be looking out for more of this series now.

Thank you to the publisher for kindly sending me a copy of this novel for an honest review.

Published by Arcadia Books
Translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett

The Twelfth Department - William Ryan

‘It’s said you get the job done, no matter what the risks or the obstacles.’

This is the third adventure in the now established series of historical crime novels from William Ryan set in 1930s Stalinist Russia, and featuring the brilliant lead character Captain Alexei Korolev of the Moscow Militia. I've really enjoyed this series thus far, each book has offered intriguing storylines set during a fascinating time and place in history with just enough period detail, and this third novel is no exception. 

This time, it's 1937 and Korolev's investigations into the murder of a top scientist lead him to become more involved than ever with the NKVD, the feared State Security service, becoming caught between two different departments who are at odds with each other. When another scientist is killed, and Korolev starts to discover what they were working on, things start to get rather complicated and dangerous to say the least.

Amongst all this, Korolev also finally has a visit from his son Yuri, who he sees very little of. He had planned some time off to spend with him, however, both the time off work and the happiness of this reunion are shortlived, and soon there is great anxiety for Korolev as young Yuri goes missing, making this investigation very personal.

There are so many conflicts for Korolev; wanting to do the right thing, yet not step out of line, making sure to be seen to be adhering to the will of his superiors, but solve the crime thoroughly and as effectively as he'd like to – he ‘always gets his man, come hell or high water’ – plus he has to find his missing son whilst not neglecting his investigations - so difficult and thus giving plenty of depth to his character and to the tale. As Korolev himself exclaims, in a great little exchange with Dubinkin, describing his difficult situation, ‘It feels like I’m a football being kicked around a field.’

I've said before that Korolev is an engaging, affable and moral lead character and I'll stick by that opinion here. He's imbued with humour and a sense of decency, and is liked by others, and he’s able to form working relationships with people from all levels of the society he exists in. I particularly liked the interaction between Korolev and Count Kolya, Chief of the Moscow Thieves, in this installment.

I love the author's writing style. There's a definitive, distinctive voice there telling the story; not intrusive, but certainly in control, and with a nice touch of dry humour at times. It feels as though the author has grasped the atmosphere of the times and conveyed it in his story so that as we are reading, the past is evoked for us and we get a real sense of the fear, secrecy and paranoia coursing through this society. 

There's enough here for a reader new to the series to pick up the background and enjoy it. Nevertheless I'd recommend reading the first two novels ideally (links to my reviews below) to get the most enjoyment out of it. 

I am firmly hooked on this series now and already wondering what is next in store for Korolev.

My reviews of The Holy Thief  and The Bloody Meadow.

Published by Mantle, an imprint of Pan Macmillan

Find the author on twitter @WilliamRyan_ and visit his website here to find out more - it's a really interesting companion to the books.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for kindly sending me a copy of this novel to read and review. 

Stolen - Rebecca Muddiman

‘How had this become her life? It wasn’t even a life. She felt like a ghost.’

Abby Henshaw is on her way to visit a friend after a doctor’s appointment with her eight-month-old baby daughter, Beth. The journey she makes will change her life forever. Suffering a horrendous assault and abandoned at the roadside in a remote spot in the country, Abby faces not only the after effects of the brutal attack, but also comes to a terrifying realisation about Beth – she is gone, stolen. DI Michael Gardner investigates the case and as he looks into Abby’s life and those closest to her, he starts to uncover huge secrets amongst them, and he also finds himself forming a bond with Abby and unable to let the case go even when any leads seem to have gone cold.

Rebecca Muddiman successfully portrays how Abby’s life is utterly destroyed by Beth’s disappearance, and how she is tormented by the secrets she kept and the decisions she made. She is reduced to scouring public places in the vain hope of ever seeing Beth again, and when there is new hope she depicts the struggle Abby has to convince those around her to believe her and not let this lead slip away.

This powerful debut is a compelling, page-turner of a crime novel from a talented new author. The story slowly builds in tension, I was a bit keen for it move slightly quicker at times in the middle, but when the revelations come towards the end, I felt they were powerful and shocking. The chapters are very short and keep the story ticking along at a good pace. The plot is always central to this novel – the reader questions what the outcome will be throughout – but the novel is also very much character driven, as we get a strong insight into Abby’s drastically altered life and into DI Gardner’s rather empty life and his mindset as he continues to doggedly pursue this case for Abby, despite it having been shelved and seemingly without any hopes of resolution, whilst under pressure to solve his other cases. 

I was really keen to discover the ending to this story and learn if what I had suspected was true; there are clues for us but the whole truth when it comes is more shocking than I had thought. I look forward to reading more from this author. 

Published by Moth Publishing and Winner of the Northern Crime Competition 2012

I originally reviewed this book for Newbooks magazine.

You can find the author on twitter @RebeccaMuddiman and visit her blog here.

Alex - Pierre Lemaitre

Alex is a crime thriller by French author Pierre Lemaitre, translated from the French into English by Frank Wynne, and published by Maclehose Press, an imprint of Quercus.

I had heard some exciting buzz about this novel before I read it, and I had also heard it is dark read with some disturbing episodes. Having now read it, I think the buzz is fully justified. It’s a novel that is difficult to review in terms of plot, because so much of the plot comes as a surprise or a shock, an unexpected twist here, an event that makes you reassess everything there. Nothing of this should be revealed to the prospective reader, if they are to fully enjoy this thrilling read. I will merely say that Alex is kidnapped and it seems like she can’t possible escape, but as we are told in the synopsis for the novel, this is actually just the start of things…

I liked the depiction of Camille Verhoeven, the detective leading the investigation, initially into the kidnapping but then further into the situation that develops; he had his own personal reasons for not wanting to pursue a kidnapping case, and yet wanting there to be justice and never giving up in his pursuit of the answers. I felt we got to know him, and the supporting cast working with him, including the contrasting pair Louis and Armand, but for me they never detracted from the main intrigue of the novel, namely Alex and her movements and actions.

I was a little apprehensive about reading this book as I was worried how scary it would be. Yes, there are some gruesome aspects but I’m glad in retrospect that I didn’t let this put me off. This is a clever thriller with a gripping narrative that kept me completely hooked throughout, and a lead character, in Alex, who held my attention and had me intrigued. This novel shocked, surprised and enthralled me; I found myself reassessing what I had read before in light of what I had just learnt. I would love to read more by this writer.

If you like a crime novel with an addictive narrative that keeps you guessing, that makes you question what you know and expect in terms of the crime genre, making you wonder about the limits of right and wrong, and of revenge, and if you can stomach dark themes, violence, abuse and some admittedly very upsetting episodes, then you should definitely give this a try because it has such a strong plot, great suspense, and a clever and surprising outcome. The conclusion made me stop and think and look back at the whole story again. The translation is very well done. Gripping stuff.

Published by Maclehose Press

reviewed as part of the amazon vine program


This novel counts towards my participation in the 2013 Translation Challenge hosted by Curiosity Killed the Bookworm

The Lost - Claire McGowan

This novel is the first in what will be a series featuring forensic psychologist Paula Maguire. Paula has been living in London for over ten years, having left behind her life in Ballyterrin, Northern Ireland, wanting to escape the people and places that remind of her of sad times in the past. However she is unwillingly drawn back by a case involving two missing girls close to the Irish border, tasked with looking at potential links between these girls and the many missing girls from the past whose cases remain unsolved, their disappearances still a mystery.

I loved this novel and found it hard to put down. The pace is quick throughout; it's an exciting, enthralling and tense read with a well-balanced mix of psychological insight, action and investigation. Claire McGowan has depicted a setting tingling with nerves, a town with a dark and secretive atmosphere where everyone seems to be hiding something but nobody is willing to come forward and reveal what they know, making it a difficult job for Paula, seconded Met detective Guy Brooking and the rest of the team, as they try to prise open the tightly closed secrets of this community. 

The characters are engaging and author has done a skillful job weaving together a compelling storyline with links between the present and the past, incorporating aspects of recent history and dealing with politics and religion well; no mean feat. I was gripped, eager to read on and discover the whereabouts of the missing girls, to find out more about why they had gone, and why some who are lost might indeed not want to be found; the theme of the missing is a fascinating and tragic one.

Paula is a great lead character; I was rooting for her throughout as she often has to fight to be taken seriously amongst her new colleagues; she does what she believes is right but this antagonises others at times. Having been away so long, it's a great shock for her to be plunged back in to life in her old hometown, and dealing with those she left behind so suddenly is by no means easy. I found her believable and well rounded, and there is so much more that I'd like to know about her; the sadness that haunts her troubled past, the mystery surrounding her mother's disappearance, the future of the investigation team, her relationship with Aidan. This bodes well for future books in the series; I'm eager to read the next one already.

Published by Headline

Reviewed for We Love This Book

Thanks to We Love This Book and the publisher for providing a proof copy of this novel to read and review.