2019 in Review

Some incredible books published in 2019.

Some of my favourite Irish authors were at the height of their talents with Adrian McKinty's THE CHAIN achieving the sort of success his talents have always deserved. Stuart Neville, writing as Haylen Beck, delivered his best yet in LOST YOU, Dervla McTiernan's THE SCHOLAR built on the promise of her first Cormac Reilly thriller and John Connolly proved that a series can continue to get better 7 books in with A BOOK OF BONES, one of the strongest in his Charlie Parker series.

In WANDERERS, Chuck Wendig gave us a modern THE STAND and so much more while Stephen King's own THE INSTITUTE recalled his best. Another long book, Don Winslow's THE BORDER, brought his trilogy to an end with a suitably scathing take on the 21st Century political landscape while Claire North's powerful THE PURSUIT OF WILLIAM ABBEY reflected on the horrors of colonialism which continue to be echoed in the worst today's rightwing rhetoric. Abir Mukherjee gave us the best yet in his series set in the heart of colonial India with DEATH IN THE EAST, the best locked room mystery(ies) of the year. In THE UNDOING OF ARLO KNOTT, Claire North warned of the dangers of trying to rewrite the past in a devastating fantasy.

And, although not published until a few weeks into 2020, Ani Katz's A GOOD MAN is one of the best, and most disturbing, novels I read this year.

Review: A Good Man

A Good Man by Ani Katz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“That’s what I did for a living. I spun stories, made things like death seem clean and manageable - attractive, even.”

A GOOD MAN by Ani Katz is a haunting and disturbing novel. From the beginning of the story, narrated by Thomas Martin, the titular ‘Good Man’, it is clear that something tragic has occurred, horrific enough to warrant examination in the media. Thomas tells the story of his family, trying to make sense of the events.

Despite having grown up in a damaged, perhaps toxic, household, Thomas is a successful advertising executive with a beautiful French wife and exceptionally bright daughter who adore him; at least that is how he tells it. Thomas is a convincing and engaging storyteller but there are moments when we question his reliability. He lets slip that Miriam, his wife, whose trust-fund bought the beautiful home that Thomas selected for them, was not, initially at least, as enthusiastic about leaving the city of New York as he was. Thomas loves the good things in life - opera, food and fine wine - but his occasional comments about ‘a haphazardly constructed cheese plate’ and the eating habits of others seem a little off. He frequently returns to Richard Wagner’s Tannhaüser, and its self-destructive hero with whom he appears to identify almost obsessively. In returning to parts of his tale he sometimes adds additional detail which changes our understanding.

A GOOD MAN is one of those books about which it is difficult to say much without spoiler, suffice to say that I was drawn in and held enthralled until the truth was revealed. Ani Katz is a talented writer and I read A GOOD MAN with the creeping uneasiness with which I read Shirley Jackson. It really is that good.


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Review: Where’s My Guitar?: An Inside Story of British Rock and Roll

Where’s My Guitar?: An Inside Story of British Rock and Roll by Bernie Marsden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bernie Marsden is a guitarist’s guitarist, talented and unassuming, a bluesy player with a distinctive yet adaptable style yet none of the questionable attitude of more recognised ‘rock stars’. WHERE’S MY GUITAR is Bernie’s autobiography, updated to 2019, and details his remarkable career playing alongside ex-Deep Purple stars, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and David Coverdale in Paice Ashton Lord and Whitesnake, Cozy Powell, Jack Bruce, Gary Moore and many others. What the vast majority of these relationships share is the respect in which Bernie is held. Even his falling out with Coverdale, with whom he co-wrote the songs which have largely allowed him to pick and choose his projects, was due to other’s mismanagement and has been mended, DC writing the foreword to this edition. Bernie even managed to win over the notoriously difficult Ginger Baker although it is an experience he didn’t relish repeating.

There are surprising diversions such as his work in the theatre, his role as musical director for the band formed by professional tennis greats such as Pat Cash, John McEnroe and Vitus Gerulaitus, and the related ‘almost’ gig with Cliff Richard, a particularly amusing section. Marsden comes across as a thoroughly likeable man and the book reads like listening to a old friend. But, like one of his Whitesnake numbers says, he ‘loves the blues’ and it is Bernie’s interactions with blues singers, famous and not so famous, which really ‘tell his story’....

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#BlogTour - The Sound of Her Voice by Nathan Blackwell

 Some murder cases you can't forget. No matter how hard you try.

The body of a woman has been found on a pristine New Zealand beach - over a decade after she was murdered.

Detective Matt Buchanan of the Auckland Police is certain it carries all the hallmarks of an unsolved crime he investigated 12 years ago: when Samantha Coates walked out one day and never came home.

Re-opening the case, Buchanan begins to piece the terrible crimes together, setting into motion a chain of events that will force him to the darkest corners of society - and back into his deepest obsession . . .

The Sound of her Voice is a brilliantly authentic police procedural by an elite former detective - shortlisted for the 2018 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel.

“Do not go gentle.”

THE SOUND OF HER VOICE is a New Zealand-set police procedural which tells the story of Auckland Detective, Matt Buchanan, a man haunted by the missing girl he couldn’t find. The discovery of the desecrated remains of another young girl sends Buchanan on a twenty year journey into the darker regions of the soul, where the trauma he experiences investigating the abuse and murders of children causes him to question his worth and envy those for whom ‘it was over.’

The violence is realistic, hard and unsettling, never gratuitous. Buchanan is flawed and makes mistakes but he is driven and suffers mentally the effects of the horrific crimes he investigates. The novel is dark with a disturbing oppressiveness reminiscent of the likes of Seven or True Detective. 

Nathan Blackwell, a former NZ police officer, writes authentically about both the crimes and the devastating effects of PTSD. THE SOUND OF HER VOICE is gripping and discomfiting and is worthy of comparison with the more familiar noir offerings from Europe and America. 

Follow the Blogtour @orionbooks @Nathan_B_Author @Tr4cyF3nt0n @orion_crime @ngaiomarshaward