I’m way
behind in my list of scheduled reviews, so I’m writing six shorter ones this
week, one per day --what about a week having seven days, you ask? I’ll tell you
in the next paragraph. (At least I'll aim for one per day, if I skip one day I'll make it up with two on another day). Don’t go thinking these books are not worth longer
reviews though; they are definitely worth it and the money you’ll spend buying
them will be an investment towards many great hours of reading.
On Sunday, I
have rookie Eva Dolan’s Long Way Home (Harvill Secker/Random
House UK), on Monday, Michael J. Malone’s The Guillotine Choice (Contraband), on Tuesday, Eliot Pattison’s Original
Death (Counterpoint Press), on Wednesday, John McFetridge’s Black
Rock (ECW Press), and on the following days, it will be reviews of recently
published French translations: on Thursday, Michael Robotham’s Déroute
(JC Lattès) and finally, on Friday, Michael Connelly’s Le cinquième témoin
(Calmann-Lévy). These two were originally published as The Wreckage (Mulholland)
and The
Fifth Witness (Little, Brown).
In total, we have one Brit, one Scot, two Yanks, an Aussie, and a Canuck.
Sounds like the beginning of a joke, right? Well, if you don’t read them, the joke’s
on you.
As for day
seven of the week, next Saturday, I’ll be posting my review of Michael Koryta’s
Those
Who Wish Me Dead (Little, Brown), along with a short Q&A. I wanted to post it last
week but decided to wait until May 31st, which is closer to the book’s
publication date of June 3rd. Also, at some point during the week, I’ll
review I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes (Atria), a book that is getting a lot of buzz. I’m
only at page 100 at the moment, but so far it is holding up to its high
expectations.
********************************
OK, ladies
first. Eva Dolan’s Long Way Home reads
like a story written by a seasoned author. It is everything that many debut
novels are not: the writing is tight, well-paced, and intelligent; the plot is
original and the characters behave like real human beings. The duo of
investigators, DI Zigic and DI Ferreira, work for the Hate Crimes Unit, something
we haven’t seen much in crime fiction.
The first
victim is a migrant worker who seems to have been beaten unconscious before
being burned alive in a small shed. For Zigic, Ferreira and their entire team, gaining
the trust of the community is the first obstacle to overcome if they want to obtain
information and thus work the case effectively. We’ll follow them through every
step of the investigation, their tasks at work, and also into their personal
lives.
Dolan’s
narration expertly tracks the characters’s perspectives to help us understand them,
their frustrations and motivations, their fears and dilemmas; she also gives
them distinct voices and great dialogue while creating interactions that move
the plot forward. Their inner-thoughts are also often rendered with a great visual
touch, as in this excerpt: There were
many boxes in her head, all tightly locked and shoved away in the dark. Over
time some of them fused and she was spared the memories she didn’t want to
face, but others corroded and leaked, snatches of conversations and strange
faces swimming up unexpectedly, provoked by the smell of a certain tobacco or a
snatch of music on the radio. Others snapped open without warning and slapped
her between the eyes.
The plot,
which can at first seem a little light, becomes gradually more complex as other
events complicate the investigation. The reader quickly finds himself hooked into
it all until the very end. Great for fans of Mark Billingham. I want more stories with Zigic and Ferreira. But
more specifically, I want more books by Eva Dolan.
Rating: 3 1/2 thumbprints
Rating: 3 1/2 thumbprints
Eva Dolan has a blog here, and you can find her sometimes on Facebook or Twitter at @eva_dolan.
JF
May 25th
-30-
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