Stuttering debut....
|
|
Alex Gray is hailed as one of the new generation of upcoming Scottish crime writers. I hope she gets better because I wasn't very impressed with this. It starts off well enough with a plot which catches the attention but soon its promise withers to a mediocre crime novel. I kept reading because I know the places in Glasgow mentioned, if I hadn't I would have put the book down. I read A Small Weeping as well and found it slightly improved but still mediocre. In both books it was far too easy to guess 'whodunnit'. I am hoping Gray's books will follow the same pattern as Ian Rankin's Rebus books. I found the first few simplistic and unchallenging but as the series grew they became better and better. Here's hoping Gray goes the same way.
|
|
Great debut novel, Glasgow in a different light.
|
|
Well, picked this up thinking it looked interesting, and ended up reading it twice. Alex Gray is a fantastic author, who captures Glasgow fanastically. Disagree with a previous reviewer who said it was full of stereotypes. Instead, I think Ms Gray shows a side of Glasgow that is accurate for the context she wrote it in. Overall, I'd recommend this book, and the following two to any reader! If you come Glasgow particularluy, you're gonna love it!
|
|
"Never Somewhere Else" review
|
|
I actually bought this book because it was written by one of my English teachers from my schooldays so I was interested to see what it was like. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Right from the beginning it is really easy to get into - I read it in just a couple of days as once I'd started I didn't want to put it down! There are a few twists and turns in the plot along the way which helps to sustain interest although the last one is fairly predictable. All in all though it's a really good read and I would definetly recommend it.
|
|
Stereotypes and Cliches Run Rampant
|
Sorry, but this is re-heated fodder. Not one of the characters is original from the over-worked policeman to the overly enthusiastic psychologist.
As for Glasgow, just because what seem like extracts from a Glasgow guide book are inserted at variously random points doesn't mean that the essence of the city is captured. I'm afraid I didn't like the dialogue either. Stilted, self-conscious and not any Glaswegian that I've ever heard.
Finally, as "the usual suspects" were few in number and without complexity it didn't take long to work out "who dun it".
I do hate being so negative and I'm the first to admit it's a lot better than anything I could cobble together, although sometimes with such a formulaic piece it's tempting to try, but I also know we have Scottish authors of real quality who deserve to be read more widely. So avoid this and buy one of them instead.
|
|
|
Glasgow Crime
|
|
I found Alex Gray's debut novel fascinating reading - it has all the elements of a great crime novel for me - stunning city backdrop, plot twists and turns, a psychological element and a clear way of transmitting ideas to paper. I look forward to the next one!
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada