Then She Was Gone by Luca Veste (Simon & Schuster, p/back)
I love to be intrigued. I love it when I pick up a book and from the very outset I’m wondering just what the hell is going on.
That’s what happened here.
From the opening pages I wanted to know what was happening. It begins with the kidnapping of a baby. Then it turns out that everything is not quite as it seems. Or maybe it is.
But maybe it isn’t.
And I really want to know.
And then the author takes us away from it.
Completely.
Give us another nut to crack, the case of a missing would-be MP.
WHAAAATTT!
(Worry not, gentle reader, it threads its way back in later).
In case you didn’t know it, Luca Veste is from Liverpool and that’s where he sets his novels. I’ve never been to Liverpool, the closest I’ve ever come is watching The Liver Birds on the telly, but one of the strengths of his writing is the way he brings his city to life. He knows his backdrop and he helps us to become familiar with it. I believe that’s important in any novel, to have a setting that lives and breathes along with the characters.
It’s a pacy, enjoyable read – I won’t tell you too much about the plot but it involves a Tory politician making inroads with the Liverpool electorate (no, it’s not fantasy – Veste explains why but he’s not going to endear himself to Conservative HQ ), some sleazy goings-on at university and a few pretty despicable characters.
Like many other books, it’s crying out for telly – and will win him many new fans.
And When I Die by Russel D. McLean (Contraband, p/bak)
Prior to reading this, I’d reached the handbrake moment in two books in succession – that moment when you say, that’s it, this far and no further (generally in the voice of Captain Jean Luc Picard. I won’t say what they are but I was naturally a bit gunshy and so reached for this Glasgow-based thriller with some trepidation.
After all, that man McLean is from (head shakes) the east coast.
I needn’t have worried.
McLean has delivered a lean and pacy read which both delivers a satisfyingly real city backdrop and a page-turning plot.
The story is told from differing viewpoints, which seems to be something of a trend these days. You’ve got an undercover cop and the daughter of a criminal dynasty who wants to keep her distance from the family business. It works. The characters are believable, as are the people they interact with.
The dialogue is smart and realistic. The violence sharp and fast and necessary to the plot.
There is absolutely no fat in the writing at all, which is refreshing these days. It’s like picking up a novel by my favourite – Ed McBain in his heyday, say – and finding that no-nonsense style of writing did not die with him.
As I said, McLean is not from these shores. How dare he do such a good job on my patch.
I may have to take Queste to Dundee.
Or send the boys round to have a word.
