These Darkening Days by Benjamin Myers
| These Darkening Days by Benjamin Myers | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: There comes a point in this book when you'll question all that you've read: an absolutely brilliant plot, superbly written. Highly recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 336 | Date: September 2017 |
| Publisher: Mayfly Press | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1911356028 | |
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Somewhere in his brain Tony Garner knew that getting hold of the knife was a mistake, but he liked knives and had quite a collection until they were all taken away after the accident which had left him, well, not quite as he ought to be. The problem with this knife was that it was beside the woman who was lying in the ginnell, one leg twisted under her rather strangely and with blood coursing down her face. Tony thought about ringing the police but dismissed the idea quickly. She was still alive - just - so an ambulance might have been a good idea, but Tony had an instinct for when trouble was going to catch him, so he dropped the knife down a drain and disappeared.
For journalist Roddy Mace the story should have been a godsend, but The Sun got to Jo Jenks first. Money speaks loud and 'brave Jo', 'former porn star Jo' took what had happened to her with an astounding bravery and was happy to take the paper's money and to capitalise in any way that she could. Mace is still off the booze and living on a houseboat, but his paper The Valley Echo is failing fast, which isn't unusual anywhere, nevermind in northern towns such as this one. They called the place a drug town with a tourist problem, but there wasn't a lot going for it.
Detective James Brindle hasn't been suspended from Cold Storage, the elite police unit: he's simply resting, going to the gym and cultivating his OCD. He wants to get back to work, but Cold Storage feels that he's still too much of a risk and tells him to get properly better. He feels that he has something to contribute and this time it seems that he has to get back in touch with Roddy Mace, whom he hasn't spoken to in a year, not since...
Well, it's not since the events of Turning Blue, which I read a year ago. Then it took me a while to come to terms with the writing - the lack of quotation marks, the occasional stream-of-consciousness sentences - but this time I didn't even notice as it all seemed so totally natural. The writing is stunning, from the occasional sentence which catches you and brings you up short - The streetlights wear soft halos in the mist - through to the ability to evoke the grittiness of this northern town in a few words. Sometimes I found myself going back and rereading sections, just for the pleasure the words gave. In places it's almost poetic. and it's all brilliant.
The characters come off the page fully clothed. Both Brindle and Mace have problems but Benjamin Myers manages to avoid turning them into clichés. Even when I could see that what they were doing was likely to go badly wrong I was still rooting for them and I've been wondering about how they're getting on since I turned the final page - and that's always the sign of a good book.
But it's the plot you want to know about, isn't it? In the early stages I couldn't see how it was going to work out. As more people became victims I couldn't find anyone to chalk in as the attacker, and believe me, I tried just about everyone, but the solution, when it came, was obvious and completely brilliant. It's a book to read again just for the pleasure of spotting all the clues which you've missed. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
For another crime novel with a stunning finale we can recommend Insidious Intent: (Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, Book 10) by Val McDermid. Don't be worried about it being book ten of the series as it reads well as a standalone.
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You can read more book reviews or buy These Darkening Days by Benjamin Myers at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy These Darkening Days by Benjamin Myers at Amazon.com.
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