DP54Cover - Deadly Pleasures

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Deadly Pleasures
REVIEWS REVIEWS fr from fr om
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Jeff Popple Reviews
SHATTER by Michael Robotham (Sphere,
£9.99). Rating: A One of the best of the new guard of
British crime writing is Sydney writer Michael Robotham,
whose London-based police novels have displayed a depth
and intelligence over and above the average crime novel.
SHATTER is his fourth novel and features the
return of the clinical psychologist Joseph O’Loughlin as the
main protagonist. Summoned by the police to help with
a potential suicide, O’Loughlin arrives at the Clifton
Suspension Bridge in time to witness a naked woman in red
high-heeled shoes whisper “You don’t understand”, before
jumping to her death. Like the police, O’Loughlin is
quick to dismiss it as a tragic suicide until the woman’s
teenage daughter convinces him otherwise, and he finds
himself engaged in a deadly duel with a deranged killer.
During his short career Robotham has been very
good at exceeding expectations and with SHATTER he
does it once again with a great story that constantly
surprises and always entertains. The description on the
back of the book suggest that SHATTER is going to a
heavy psychological drama, but Robotham quickly dispells
such notions and within a few pages ratchets up the
suspense and the pace, and sets his story racing down
some unexpected paths.
As with his earlier novels, the plot is intriguing and
the characterisations are complex and convincing. This is
especially the case with the central character, O’Loughlin,
who is still battling the mental and physical effects of
Parkinson’s disease. Despite being an outstanding psychologist,
which Robotham establishes early in the book
through an entertaining lecture that the Doctor delivers to
a new class of psychology students, O’Loughlin is seemingly
oblivious to his own insecurities and failings which are
worsen by the effects of “Mr Parkinson”. The dual threats
to O’Loughlin of disease and killer add to the suspense and
keep the tension high throughout.
The minor characterisations, especially Detective
Inspector Veronica Kray, are also well done and SHAT-
TER is a first rate crime novel that is sure to enhance
Robotham’s growing reputation.
[This novel was recently shortlisted for the Ian
Fleming Steel Dagger Award by the CWA]
RITUAL by Mo Hayder (Bantam, £14.95).
Rating: B+ RITUAL is Mo Hayder’s fifth novel and
marks the return of the haunted police detective Jack
Caffery from her chilling debut BIRDMAN and its equally
disquieting sequel THE TREATMENT.
Newly seconded to the Major Crime Investigation
Unit in Bristol, Caffery finds himself caught up in another
gruesome case when a police diver, Flea Marley, discovers
two dismembered hands in Bristol Harbour. Most disturbing
is the fact that the hands were recently amputated and
that the victim was still alive when they were removed.
Aided by Flea, who has her own demons, Caffery’s
investigation leads him into the dark recesses of Bristol’s
underworld, where junkies will do anything for a fix and evil
predators feed on the weak.
Hayder’s novels always have a touch of the
horrific and RITUAL is no different. From the opening
pages it is clear that this is going to be a dark tale with
touches of the supernatural at the edges. Hayder skilfully
mixes elements of ancient witchcraft with more modern
evils and keeps the reader guessing as to where the story
is heading. The pacing drags at times, with too much
reflection and talk, but the denouement is exciting and the
story is not easily forgotten.
COLD IN HAND by John Harvey (William
Heinemann, £12.99). Rating: A- John Harvey is an old
hand of the British crime scene who is now rightly receiving
the attention that he so richly deserves. COLD IN HAND
is the eleventh novel in his series about the ageing, jazz
loving Inspector Charlie Resnick, and once again features
his trademark real life characterisations and vivid descriptions
of Nottingham.
The romance of Valentine’s Day is shattered
when a dispute between two rival teenage gangs escalates
into violence and a female police detective becomes
caught in the middle. DI Lynn Kellogg was merely trying
to stop the fight, but when she recovers consciousness she
finds that one girl is dead and that she is blamed by the girl’s
father for the killing. Kellogg is Resnick’s partner and
colleague and although nearing retirement he is hauled
back to the front line to deal with the fallout, but finds that
his objectivity is dangerously compromised.
This is an intelligent crime thriller that also contains
a great mid-story shock that will stun readers and
keep them avidly turning the pages until the end. Another
classy novel from the always reliable Harvey.
GALLOWS LANE by Brian McGilloway
(Macmillan, £14.99). Rating: A- Brian McGilloway
made an impressive debut with BORDERLANDS (soon
to be out in the U.S. by St. Martin’s Minotaur) which was
short-listed for last year’s Crime Writers Association New
Blood Dagger. GALLOWS LANE is just as good and
once again features Inspector Benedict Devlin of the Irish
Borderlands. The normally peaceful town of Lifford is
rocked by a series of gruesome murders, including the
crucifixion of a born-again ex-con. As Devlin investigates
he finds links between some of the murders and an old
crime across the border in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile
it seems as though a serial rapist and killer is on the loose
drugging young girls in nightclubs and abducting them.
GALLOWS LANE is an easy flowing and very
engaging police mystery. A good balance is struck
between the details of the police investigation and the