MURDER ON TYNESIDE - Book review

 

Murder on Tyneside is the first in the Agnes Lockwood mystery series by Eileen Thornton; published in 2016. The fourth has recently been released.

Agnes Lockwood, 55, recently widowed from husband Jim almost a year ago, decided to visit the north east and the place of her birth. Her adult life had been hectic and well-travelled and this was the first opportunity she had to visit. While staying at a modern new hotel on the Tyne Quayside, she overheard a couple arguing about some missing jewellery. She thinks nothing of it – until the theft is reported.

A detective chief inspector arrives to head the investigation: Alan Johnson. It transpires that he recognises her from their shared childhood, when she’d gone under the surname Harrison. This instant rapport grows as the investigation ensues; there is another jewellery theft at the hotel. And then, on returning from an evening meal at a nearby restaurant, Agnes and Alan encounter a dead body in the gutter!

The enquiries have transformed into a murder investigation now. And as Agnes was a witness to the body’s discovery, she inveigles her way into the case, despite Alan’s misgivings. ‘But since meeting Agnes, his mind hadn’t been focused on the job. He was enjoying their friendship – perhaps he was enjoying it a little more than he should.’ (p71). Alan’s sergeant , Andrews, is against Agnes’s involvement, and yet he grudgingly admits that her contributions regarding theories about the case are valid, and indeed valued.

As with the majority of amateur sleuth stories, getting the amateur seriously involved in the investigation is quite unrealistic. Yet for decades it has been a common feature of books, TV and movies; so, suspend disbelief and enjoy the tale. Agnes has a habit of not letting Alan get a word in; she argues, ‘I know you aren’t supposed to discuss a crime, case, investigation or whatever it is you want to call it with a member of the public. But I’m not any old member of the public. I was there with you when the body was found!’ (p59).

The problem is that the more that Agnes interferes, the more danger she appears to be in…

Agnes is a fine creation: plucky, crafty, stubborn, inquisitive and meddling while being endearing. I suspect that Alan and Agnes will become an unofficial team for subsequent outings. An interesting cosy mystery with more than a few potential suspects.

Agnes Lockwood has already accrued a devoted readership in the hundreds. The other three books in the series so far are: Death on Tyneside, Vengeance on Tyneside, and A Mystery on Tyneside.

Editorial comment:

Writers are told not to use character names beginning with the same letter; it might confuse the reader. It rarely does, though it depends on the names chosen. Here, we have Agnes, Alan, Alice, Andrews, April, Anderson and Achmed.  One way round this is to build a character list; I always do this – but even I slip up some of the time. In The Magnificent Mendozas I had three characters with names beginning with ‘J’ – granted, they were all Mexican, but that’s no excuse…

THE BULLET THAT MISSED - Book review

Richard Osman’s third Thursday Murder Club mystery lives up to the promise of the previous two books. Although each novel can be read as a self-contained mystery, much is lost if you haven’t read the earlier books.

Yet again we we’re back with the gang from Coopers Chase – Ex-MI6 agent Elizabeth Best, Joyce, Ron, Ibrahim, and Bogdan. Aided and abetted as usual by detectives Chris and Donna. The cold case they’re interested in is the murder of investigative TV journalist Bethany Waites who was pushed off a cliff in her car; her body was never found.

To help with their enquiries, they enlist TV personality Mike Waghorn who worked with Bethany at the time and was probably in love with her. ‘Mike finds it hard to cry, because he started having Botox treatments before they’d really got the hang of them, and his tear ducts are blocked.’ (p77)

However Elizabeth has other concerns. It appears someone is threatening to kill her friend Joyce unless Elizabeth kills Victor Illyich, previously known as the Viking. He used to be her foe behind the Iron Curtain but eventually they seemed to accommodate a kind of détente, possibly along physical lines. Victor was a successful KGB interrogator, surprisingly averse to violence. ‘Victor does have a persuasive tone… He makes everything feel like was your idea in the first place.’ (p271)

This time around we do get a hint of Elizabeth’s background – she had a violent father. This is a particularly poignant scene, especially as she reflects on her good fortune to be married and loved by her husband Stephen, who is gradually succumbing to dementia. ‘And she will cry the lifetime of tears she has denied herself.’ (p240) Beautifully evoked. In other scenes Stephen's situation is handled sensitively and understated depth.

An additional complication is Connie Johnson, presently in prison (as a result of book two’s investigations). She knows a fellow inmate who was accused of Bethany’s murder. Another associate of Bethany’s is Fiona Clemence (did she do away with Bethany to get her job and then went on to great success?):’That auburn hair, so famous from the shampoo adverts, the full smile, so famous from the toothpaste adverts, and the cheekbones honed by genetics and Harley Street.’ (p261)

As before, the interaction between the characters provides the amusement and the story’s impetus. Despite introducing new characters, Osman manages to imbue each with their own voice.

If there is a criticism, perhaps it is that nobody seems unduly nasty, even the alleged murderers! Cosy is as cosy does, I guess.

Minor irritations.

The editor should have vetoed some things. Whenever anyone is introduced, we have: ‘I’m Connie Johnson,’ says Connie. When ‘she says’ would suffice or in fact nothing at all.

When there are only two people in the scene, Osman persists in telling us who says what: most of the time it is not necessary. He has given the characters distinctive voices. For example on p166 we have ‘says Connie’ five times when there is only her and Ibrahim in the scene. ‘She says’ would suffice and is more invisible; most of the time it’s obvious she is talking anyway. This occurs a great deal – it’s not as if he was being paid by the word, is it?

THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE - Book review

Richard Osman’s second cosy crime novel (2021) is as enjoyable as his first.

The members of the Coopers Chase Thursday Murder Club are meeting again. But it seems that Elizabeth is somewhat distracted. She’s had a letter, an invitation from a man who was in her past and should have stayed there. Despite herself, she is intrigued and meets him…

And so begins a new mystery, with the prime issue being a horde of diamonds stolen from the mafia. Also involved is MI5.

We meet again Joyce, as amusing as ever as she pens her diary, psychiatrist Ibrahim, who suffers a crisis, and old trade unionist Ron. They’re keen to help – or is it hinder? – Elizabeth. Bogdan is also called upon to provide muscle and any heavy lifting.

The life of DCI Chris Hudson has taken a dramatic upturn. He’s romancing an attractive woman and it could turn out to be serious – much to the surprise of his colleague PC Donna De Freitas. These two are trying to find evidence to be used against the local drug dealer Connie Johnson.

The story is bookended neatly with a new sympathetic character, Sylvia Finch.

From the outset and all the way through Osman’s style and humour enhance the telling and characterisation. It isn’t laugh-out-loud but there’s a smile raised on virtually every page. And, as with the first novel, Osman exhibits his affection for these old folk and humanity in general.

There’s a twist or two, terrible but not graphic murders, and even some suspense. Several threads are cleverly and neatly combined satisfactorily.

The title is apt, and can be construed literally or, sadly, medically when relating to a particular devastating illness.

The Thursday Murder Club - Book review

 

Richard Osman’s debut novel (published 2020) is a delight. Most of the action takes place in a peaceful retirement village Coopers Chase in the heart of the Kentish Weald of present-day England. As we know, many developers don’t go in for apostrophes, so this one is no exception. The land, which once belonged to a convent, was purchased from the Catholic Church; the convent is now Willows, a nursing home for the village. Nearby is the graveyard, crammed with interred nuns.

A variety of clubs have been formed by the residents. Among them is the Thursday Murder Club set up by Elizabeth and Penny: here they discuss cold cases. Penny had been an inspector in the Kent Police and acquired the old files before retiring. ‘After a certain age, you can pretty much do whatever takes your fancy. No one tells you off, except for your doctors and your children’ (p18). [This was written before Covid-19 lunacy, of course. Now it seems police are quite content to handcuff septuagenarians for the slightest of reasons.] Other Murder Club members are Ibrahim, a psychiatrist who hails from Egypt; Ron, a trades union official who ‘never believes a single word anyone ever tells him’ (p19); and Joyce, the newcomer, an ex-nurse who has taken Penny’s place since the latter was now in Willows.

However, a brutal murder occurs – a bludgeoning – that warrants this quartet’s involvement. Much to the initial chagrin of DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna De Freitas, they begin to uncover salient clues… Before long there is a second murder, and a baffling cold case becomes a bone of contention also.

The character of each club member is distinct, and all have something useful to add to the case. Elizabeth is the natural leader; she was something important in secret intelligence during the Cold War and has many useful contacts, reminding me a little of  Mrs Pargeter.

There are plenty of red herrings and some clever misdirection, none of it seeming contrived.  The over-riding feeling on reading this is one of quiet pleasure. There are moments of poignancy, as you’d perhaps expect in this kind of environment, but also humour and even farce.  One of the quotations the publishers used is ‘Robert Galbraith meets Tom Sharpe,’ which is absurd. The humour is gentle, witty and kindly meant. If I had to reference comparable writers, I’d opt for Henry Cecil, Richard Gordon and Simon Brett (the Mrs Pargeter novels), though Mr Osman’s style and wit are definitely his own.

Among the many potential quotations that give a flavour of a sense of heartfelt kindness that flows throughout, I’ll simply offer two:

‘Many years ago, everybody here would wake early because there was a lot to do and only so many hours in the day. Now they wake early because there is a lot to do and only so many days left.’ (p42)

As Joyce says, ‘In life you have to learn to count the good days. You have to tuck them in your pocket and carry them around with you.’ (p88)

The book is written in the third person present tense from an omniscient point of view, interspersed with first person diary entries by Joyce. And it works exceedingly well.

A sequel is already planned for publication for next autumn.

Highly recommended.

Book review - A Good Day to Buy

The fourth in the cosy mystery series by Sherry Harris, A Good Day to Buy is a welcome change from the gritty, raw goings on related by my earlier read, The Treatment.

This is a first-person narrative, sometimes self-deprecating, told by Sarah Winston who is arranging a garage sale. Sadly, before it can begin she discovers her clients lying on the garage floor; Mr Spencer is dead and his wife is unconscious. Sarah’s estranged brother Luke shows up out of the blue and is immediately considered a suspect. Her ex-husband Chief of Police CJ is angling after them getting together again, which seems ripe since he cheated on her in the first book, apparently.

There’s light humour and no gore. Sarah is a likeable plucky woman and a bit of a busy-body. She may be the ex-wife of the Chief of Police, but she does seem to take liberties in the various investigations. There are a number of red herrings, which you expect in this kind of book. Sarah is certainly familiar with the trappings of smart phones and computers, even if her interest leans towards antiques! The subsidiary characters are well drawn; the deputy sheriff is nicknamed Awesome (don't ask). I felt some of the incidents were contrived, and the predicaments Sarah found herself in were not quite believable. And the explanation for the death of Mr Spencer was a bit of a let-down.

An easy read, an escape into small town America.

 ***

Editorial comment

The paperback I read was an advance uncorrected proof. Even so, most of the errors I spotted shouldn’t have been there. I’ll ignore them, apart from mentioning that the author persisted in writing ‘I’ instead of ‘me’:

            ‘Awesome looked over at Stella and I…’ (p49)

            ‘… why the heck they found James and I so interesting.’ (p162)

            ‘… when he saw Herb and I sitting together.’ (p165)

            ‘… where they’d stashed Luke and I…’ (p289)

            ‘I pictured CJ and I working side by side…’ (p302)

It isn’t rocket science. If you can remove the other subject from the sentence, does it make sense? The usual answer is ‘no’ –

            ‘Awesome looked over at I…’

            ‘… why the heck they found I so interesting.’

            ‘… when he saw I sitting ...’

            ‘… where they’d stashed I…’

            ‘I pictured I working side by side…’

Replace ‘I’ with ‘me’ and they work just fine.

Screenwriters and TV script writers also tend to get this wrong.

FFB - Spin and Die

Although this is the third in the series of Jordan Lacy mysteries written by Stella Whitelaw, it’s the first I’ve read.

There are nine, the latest title being Jazz and Die (2014). It’s a cosy mystery, that is, there’s no graphic violence or strong language and no gory bits. It might not appeal to fans of Kathy Reichs or Patricia Cornwell, but clearly Whitelaw has a big following in libraries. She has had over fifty books and 300 short stories published.

Jordan Lacey is a female PI in the fictitious southern seaside resort of Latching. She used to be a policewoman, though you’d hardly guess it from the elementary errors she makes. Whitelaw is 73 and suffers from asthma, so Lacey suffers too, which is credible; however, she has Lacey being taught how to use a video camera, which is highly unlikely; and a little later she admits to having almost forgotten how to work the camera: an ex-policewoman? Lacey runs a second-hand shop and displays goods in her window before she’s even valued them? Really? She pretends to be a canvasser but has no backup story and wings it. She mentions some fabric, ‘the kind they wore in the Falklands.’ How’d she know that?

Despite these minor quibbles, the character of Lacey is engaging in a self-mocking way. Gutsy and not above breaking the law. She is sort of in love with two men, a jazz trumpeter and DI James, but can’t manage to make up her mind – or theirs.

A simple shadowing job turns ugly when her employer winds up dead on the funfair ride, Hell’s Revenge. Worse, while she is investigating vanishing stock from a department store, unsavoury links are made to the murder... She is particularly good with relationships, whether that’s the elderly gent running the town’s department store or the odd shady but nice crook.

Definitely worth whiling away a couple of hours, and you may get hooked on the ‘and Die’ series; if the earlier print versions are hard to get, there are e-book versions.

The full series is:

Pray and Die (2000)

Wave and Die (2001)
Spin and Die (2002)
Hide and Die (2003)
Jest and Die (2004)
Ring and Die (2005)
Turn and Die (2007)
Fold and Die (2009)
Jazz and Die (2014)