Discovered a new author over the summer

It is SO nice when you discover an author that you know you will avidly read for years to come.

Karen Campbell

Such an author is Karen Campbell.    She reminds me a little of Denise Mina, but darker.

From Fantastic Fiction -- "
Scottish writer Karen Campbell is a graduate of Glasgow University's prestigious Creative Writing Masters, and author of The Twilight Time.

A former police officer, Karen can legitimately claim to have worked the streets of Glasgow, and her debut novel, described as 'gritty as hell, shot through with black humour', weaves personal insights and experiences to take a look at life behind the uniform - and the choices women make in life.

The two titles of hers I read this summer were:
"The Twilight Time"
and
"After the fire"

The first two novels in a series set in inner city Glasgow which feature a triangle of protagonists.

ANNA CAMERON is a new Sergeant in the Flexi Unit. On her first day in the new job she discovers she'll be working with her ex, Jamie. In at the deep end emotionally, she's also plunged headlong into the violent underworld of Glasgow's notorious Drag - the haunt of working girls, drug dealers and sad, seedy men.
JAMIE WORTH a former lover of Anna - though now married and a father - finds himself still attracted to his new boss.  Even more so when his wife Cath makes home life difficult due to the fact that she is suffering from postpartum depression.
CATH WORTH, Jamie's wife, watches jealously from the sidelines, having given up police work to raise their child. Anna's life could have been hers; hers could have been Anna's. When Cath attempts to get involved in a situation she is no longer equipped or entitled to tackle, the consequences for both women could be far-reaching...

Karen Campbell's novels have received high praise from such authors as Mark Billingham and Kate Atkinson.  Since these are also some of my favourites, this only strengthens her regard in my book.
I think any fan of Denise Mina, Val McDermid, Ruth Rendell or Ian Rankin will appreciate her writing.  Highly recommended.

Whodunit August 29, 2012

The Whodunit group met on August 29 after a two-month break. Eighteen  members showed up to discuss The Ghost by Robert Harris (and to comment on how beautiful the summer had been, despite the welcome rain that was falling outside.) 

The Ghost, a political thriller, tells the story of a man hired to write the autobiography of charismatic former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang, a fictional character with a strong resemblance to the real-life Tony Blair. A former political aide to Lang has made a draft of his leader’s memoirs but apparently drowns by falling from a ferry. The ghostwriter, who narrates the story, is hired to complete the project and re-locates from London to Martha’s Vineyard. There he quickly begins to suspect that his predecessor’s death was no accident and comes across evidence that Lang, who has had to leave politics because of his close association with the US and its unpopular war on terror, has secrets in his past that have implications for international security.    

Before going around the circle to give our individual assessments Pam filled us in on a few facts about The Ghost and its author, Robert Harris, a former political journalist and BBC reporter.  The book was published in the UK as The Ghostwriter and a number of group members felt this was a more appropriate title. The book was made into a movie, also entitled The Ghostwriter, directed by Roman Polanski, screenplay by Polanski and Harris. The ghostwriter in the movie was excellently portrayed by Ewan McGregor. Pam asked us to suggest actors we would like to see portray the Ghost and/ or Adam Lang. Trying to “visualize” the Ghost brought home how little Harris had revealed about his narrator, in fact we didn’t even know his name. We discussed the many “ghosts” in the book.

The average of the scores was 8.06/10, almost identical to June’s book, The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo.  Almost all commented on the quality of the writing and, although a few did not find the story compelling, most liked the use of setting, especially Martha’s Vineyard in winter, which evoked a bleak and sinister feeling, the mix of characters, and the suspenseful writing with its surprise ending.  

Thanks to Marlene who was this month's 'reporter'.

Four lucky Whodunit members won books this month: Judy, Nancy, Marlene, and Brian.

We meet again on Sept. 25 to discuss  Blacklands by Belinda Bauer.

Whodunit June 26, 2012

It was hard to leave the house on this wet and windy evening, but getting together with the Whodunit group was worth it!  Fifteen members braved the night to attend June's meeting.

This month we discussed "The redbreast" by Norwegian novelist Jo Nesbo.  Remarkably, it received a score of 8.03 out of 10 when we went around the circle.  This is slightly behind last month's novel, but a good score all the same.  12 of the 15 members present said they would read more by this author.

The score is all the more outstanding when you realize that almost all of us found the book hard to get into, with a complex and intricate plot which meant that it was a slow read.  It was a book that you couldn't skim through.  There was just 'enough' detail and description that proved that Jo Nesbo is a really top quality writer.  The book was so well translated from the Norwegian that it maintained the underlying humour amidst the often bleak and serious plot. It had a slightly different rhythm than other books we have read.  Most agreed that the second half of the novel was a faster read and more than made up for the slow start.

View the YouTube video interview where the author discusses "The Redbreast".

"The Redbreast" features Detective Harry Hole of the Oslo police. He is an alcoholic but has been pulled back together with the help of his work partner Ellen Gjelten. Harry Hole was a character liked by the group overall.  He had a lot of baggage and flaws, but we seem to like our protagonists that way. :-)  A favourite character for many Whodunit members was Ellen Gjelten.  She seemed the perfect foil to the flawed and needy protagonist Harry Hole.  Readers were very disappointed when she was killed off in the story, but realized at length that her death was a much needed catlayst to ensure that Harry Hole moved on with his life.  The scenes where Harry telephoned her after her death and left messages touched the readers and showed the compassion and empathy of the author.

The plot featured flashbacks to WWII which showed the North American reader a different perspective on the war.  It portrayed the brutality of war which is equally devastating for both sides of the fight.

It is important to note that although "The Redbreast" is actually the third entry in the Harry Hole series of novels, it is the first in the series to be translated into the English language.

We learned a little bit about the author.  Although he didn't begin writing until he was in his late thirties, he has sold millions of books that have been translated into over forty languages and won many literary prizes.  He is a member of a rock band in Norway called "Di Derre" which translates to "Them there".  He has worked both as a journalist and as a stockbroker before he began his writing career.  He was also a talented footballer (ie. soccer player).

The lucky Whodunit members of the book giveaways this month were:

1. Jane

2. Lynne

3. Melanie

4. Cathy

There will be no Whodunit meeting during July.  The club will reconvene Tuesday, August 28, 2012.  Have a good summer everyone!

Who reads crime fiction?

According to a recent survey from the Crime Writers’ Association in the United Kingdom, a typical crime reader is a woman, aged sixty-plus, married but with no children living at home  – and they may increasingly prefer to read their crime as an ebook. 

 Do you fall into this category?

The CWA has specially commissioned a Bowker Market Research survey to celebrate Crime Writing Month, which shows crime fiction is booming.

To read more of the article see "Who reads crime?"
By the way.... it's worth following the link just to see the graphic.

Whodunit May 29, 2012

Fifteen Whodunit members came out to Chapters on a chilly spring evening to discuss "The river of darkness" by Rennie Airth.

It was one of the most universally liked novels that we have done in club.  When the members were asked to rate the book out of 10, the average mark was 8.66 - with 12 of the 15 members in attendance saying that they would like to read more novels in the series.  Wow!  High praise indeed!

More of a 'Whydunit" than a whodunit, the murderer's identity was revealed early on in the plot by having the narrative at times switch from the voices of the crime fighters with the criminal himself.  It was a multi-layered novel with well-rounded characterizations.

The male protagonist is John Madden, a Scotland Yard inspector who is also a veteran of WWI.  His personal tragedy of losing his wife and young daughter to influenza coupled with his time in the trenches have damaged his psyche and left him grave and despondent.

Set in a sleepy Surrey village, the crime is a particularly brutal one.  A whole family have been murdered in their home by a bayonet wielding psychopath.   Madden's experience in the military makes him particularly well suited to find the killer who he rightfully guesses is also ex-military.

The local doctor, who has strong views in the new field of forensic psychology, aids his endeavors.  When they discover that another similar crime was committed, they realize that they are looking for a serial killer who must be stopped before more blood is shed.  The character of Dr. Helen Blackwell is very strong.  She is forward thinking, bright, caring and just the person who can heal the damages suffered by John Madden.

With well written red herrings and relentless suspense, this is a novel which invites positive criticism.  The time period and sense of place are well portrayed and the descriptions stay with the reader long after the pages bearing them are turned.

The only negative comments from Whodunit members concerned the peripheral characters.  They found it hard to keep straight who was who, what rank they were etc. when at times the author referred to them by their first name, sometimes by their surname and sometimes by their rank. With three policeman having a surname beginning with 'S', this seemed a valid criticism.

The following two novels in the trilogy are: "The blood-dimmed tide" and "The dead of winter".

Lucky Whodunit Book Club members who won the book giveaways this month were:
1. Betty
2. Heather
3. Marilyn
4. Marlene

In June we will be discussing "The redbreast" by Norwegian novelist Jo Nesbo. 

Whodunit April 24, 2012

It was a foggy, dreary night and 20 souls braved the murk to meet for the monthly Whodunit Book Club. The book discussed this evening was "The Complaints" by Ian Rankin.
The first in a new series featuring Malcolm Fox, of the Complaints and Conduct Dept. of the Edinburgh Police Dept. (The Scottish version of what we call 'Internal Affairs', this department investigates police wrong-doing).

As is our usual practice, we rated the novel out of ten points. The score was 7.075. Members seemed to either like it a lot, or very little, with only one person giving it a mediocre vote of 5 points.

Those who liked it were mostly fans of Ian Rankin's previous novels. They connected with the character of Malcolm Fox and liked the story and character development. Also, the setting played a big part making wintery Edinburgh almost a character unto itself. It was generally agreed that a map of Edinburgh would have been a welcome addition to the book.  The setting is described early on in the novel as being just down the street from Fettes College. Wanting to get an image in my mind I Googled Fettes College images.  I just loved the headmaster's house!

Those who liked it least believed that there was too much description, too much talk of the traffic in Edinburgh, and too many characters which they found confusing.

The premise was that Malcolm Fox, himself a member of the 'Complaints' is being investigated and he is suspended from duty. The story centers around his attempts at trying to find out why this has happened.  Rankin aptly described police corruption and the human foibles which make officers susceptible to it.  The character of Malcolm Fox - his relationships with his co-workers, sister and father is written in such a way that the reader is drawn to his personality.

The sequel to "The Complaints" is available now and is titled "The impossible dead".

It is interesting to note that in an earlier draft of the novel the character of Jamie Breck was written as corrupt, while as we found out the final draft proved the opposite to be true.

For those who like reviews see The Guardian's review of the Complaints.
Also... the NPR review of the Complaints

Congratulations to the lucky winners of this month's free book draw:
1. Heather
2. Jane
3. Brian
4. Brenda

Next month's novel will be "River of Darkness" by Rennie Airth.  It is a historical police procedural mystery set in Surrey, England.  A great read!
Remember, Whodunit members receive a discount off the price of Book Club novels at Chapters Dartmouth!

New Canadian legal thriller

For those of you who enjoy a good legal thriller I have a recommendation. "Stray Bullets" by Robert Rotenberg See my review on my Fictionophile blog.