Book Review: Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter

The original jacket cover

Inspector Morse is one of those household name characters,  the kind of fictional detective familiar to even those people who have never read a word of the original novels from which he sprung. And to be honest until I picked up Last Bus to Woodstock, the first of the novels and originally published way back in 1975, I was one of those people. I've likely seen every episode of the TV series, as well as much of the spin-offs Lewis and Endeavour, but the original novels had escaped my attention.

What struck me about Last Bus to Woodstock is how different the character of Morse is to the version John Thaw portrayed on our screens - the Morse here is a much seedier character, borderline creepy old man, drives a beaten up old Lancia instead of the sleek Jag and is several years younger than his sidekick, good old Sergeant Lewis. There are some touches of the more familiar Morse -  he loves crosswords for one thing, and adores his classical music. And the plot is as intricate as any presented in the TV versions.

The cover blurb - Beautiful Sylvia Kaye and another young woman had been seen hitching a ride not long before Sylvia's bludgeoned body is found outside a pub in Woodstock, near Oxford. Morse is sure the other hitchhiker can tell him much of what he needs to know. But his confidence is shaken by the cool

inscrutability of the girl he's certain was Sylvia's companion on that ill-fated September evening. Shrewd as Morse is, he's also distracted by the complex scenarios that the murder set in motion among Sylvia's girlfriends and their Oxford playmates. To grasp the painful truth, and act upon it, requires from Morse the last atom of his professional discipline.

A more tasteful cover design

Of course the book was written in the 70's and as such displays a lot of the attitudes of that decade so I don't think it should be jumped on for the sexist nature of many of the characters, Morse included on times, but several of the passages dealing with rape can give the modern reader a jolt. The old joke - Confucius he say, woman with skirt up run faster than man with trousers down - is even spoken by one character at a particularly unsettling passage in which several characters question the fact that rape can actually exist. However during the time the book was written these attitudes were quite common, and one can't condemn Dexter for writing to the times rather than some far more enlightened period in the future.

In fact in many ways this book reads like historical fiction - there is no Internet, no mobile phones, no DNA, women are typists with shapely legs and a major plot point depends on the slowness of the British postal system. That said it is still a superior detective novel and rewards the reader with a well drawn out plot and puzzles a'plenty.

I am told that this book is not typical of the series as a whole and I will be reading more books in the series, in fact I intend to read the entire series before 2018 is out, so it will be interesting to see how the character develops over later books. So as they say - watch this space.

BOOK REVIEW: Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer

This is the first book I've read by the author, and it certainly won't be the last. I heard the author talking about the book on Mark Billingham's excellent podcast, A Stab in the Dark. And the fact that the book was set in an area that I knew really well, prompted me to take a trip up the Amazon and click my way into getting the book on the Kindle.

What followed was several hours of getting sucked into the story - I finished the book over two evenings, the best part of a bottle of Penderyn and a packet or two of Doritoes.

The story is largely told using three concurrent story-lines - one of the narrators is a man in a coma following a crash on the A470 (Believe me that can be a bugger of a road), a self obsessed nurse called Tracy and the main character, Patrick. Though it is Patrick, a young man suffering from Aspergers, who really carries the book through. Personally I know next to nothing about Aspergers Syndrome but the character of Patrick really came alive in the story and I was left feeling that I had a better understanding of the condition.

What is interesting, and no doubt testament to the author's skill, is that Patrick is such an emotionless character, and yet he evokes empathy and a genuine affection from the reader.  He stands apart from everyone else - the only thing akin to love he ever really knew was his relationship with his now dead father, while his exasperated mother seems if not to hate him, then at least to find him intolerable. Her feelings are perfectly understandable in the context of the story, but then her reasons may be far more complex than they seem on the surface.

Patrick is an anatomy student and whilst dissecting a corpse, known as Number 19, he finds something that leads him to believe the man has been murdered. And this is the main thrust of the novel - Rubbernecker is a thriller with very little violence but plenty of scenes that will have the reader squirming. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this book and immediately bought another by the same author (Black Lands) upon turning the final page.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a compelling, intelligent thriller and would liken the author's style to the psychological thrillers Ruth Rendell used to produce alongside her more traditional Wexford thrillers.

Quite brilliant.

Looking Good Dead - Peter James book review.

Looking Good Dead is the second in Peter James' Roy Grace series and after enjoying the first book, Dead Simple I jumped straight into this novel. The plot this time around is high concept - snuff movies. It all kicks off when Tom Bryce finds someone had left a CD on the train and when he later puts it into his own computer he finds himself watching a brutal murder. Shortly afterwards some virus hidden amongst the coding of the snuff movie wipes Tom's hard drive clean but not before warning him against going to the police. However Tom is persuaded by his wife to report the movie and when he does all hell breaks loose - this culminates in Tom and his wife being kidnapped in order to be the lead actors in a forthcoming snuff movie.

The author uses the same TICKING CLOCK device to create tension in this novel as he used so memorably in the previous book in the series. In the earlier novel a character was buried alive in a coffin and the suspense was driven by the fact that he had to be found before he died. And this time around the author  has two characters kidnapped - the clock is ticking for these characters with the reader aware that they are soon to be killed as part of a snuff movie. Will the police find them in time? It's all very effective and marks this book out as a crime thriller rather than a traditional whodunnit. The reader know what is happening all along, but the police of course are clueless and simply blunder around while the story plays itself out.

I enjoyed the previous book, see my review HERE and this second book in the series improves on that book with the central character of Detective Roy Grace now fully formed and becoming something of a tragic man - there's a sadness, a desperation about him.

 I'm certainly going to read more books in this series - Dead good, that was.

CRIME RUNS RIOT AT ASDA

Supermarket giant ASDA have thrown their weight behind the Theakston's Crime Awards. Shock NEWS!!! - Mark Billingham attacks John Harvey, Val Macdermid bottles Chris Simms and Peter Robinson mingles. Award Shortlist On Special Offer In Asda Stores The 14 shortlisted titles hit the shelves in a very special 2 for £7 offer! Holmes and Watson, Morse and Lewis, Daziel and Pascoe - great things often come in pairs. And the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year is thrilled to announce a brand new partnership with Britain's most popular supermarket: Asda. Supermarkets and crime novels are two things destined to get the heart racing. The tackle of trolleys, battle for bread and milk mayhem: it's murder. And now customers can also be gripped and thrilled by some of the best crime novels of the year. As the only literary award voted by the general reading public, the 'people's award' has found the perfect partner in crime with the people's supermarket. Under the bright lights of Asda, the dark currents of crime fiction will rage as the 14 shortlisted crime novels vie for the readers' vote. And Asda will urge shoppers to vote for the 2009 award by selling the shortlist for a criminally low price of £7 for two novels. After the frozen pea aisle, get chilled to the bone by bagging a Mark Billingham with your beer, a Val McDermid with your McVities or a bit of Daziel and Pascoe with the Tabasco. Now in its fifth year, the Theakstons Old Peculier award is open to British and Irish paperbacks published in 2008. Supermarkets can be inspirational to crime authors - and not just because the queues fill them with criminal intent. One of the shortlisted authors is the bestselling (and tall) Lee Child who named his hero Jack Reacher after his wife told him if the novels didn't sell he could get a job reaching things down from supermarket shelves. The shortlist in full: Death Message (Mark Billingham) The Accident Man (Tom Cain) Bad Luck and Trouble (Lee Child) Gone to Ground (John Harvey) Ritual (Mo Hayder) The Garden of Evil (David Hewson) A Cure for all Diseases (Reginald Hill) The Colour of Blood (Declan Hughes) Dead Man's Footsteps (Peter James) Broken Skin (Stuart MacBride) Beneath the Bleeding (Val McDermid) Exit Music (Ian Rankin) Friend of the Devil (Peter Robinson) Savage Moon (Chris Simms). The novels will be promoted in selected stores nationwide from the 7 - 27 July. Steph Bateson, Books Buying Manager for Asda said: 'Asda are thrilled to be working with the Festival to promote the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. Crime is our biggest selling genre and the award represents the best novels within that genre. We are very much looking forward to working with the festival to drive voting and raise national consumer awareness of the Asda book offer.' Simon Theakston Executive Director of T&R Theakston said: 'The award is going from strength to strength and we are delighted to welcome Asda on board, they have fast become a force to be reckoned within book selling, bringing books to an ever wider audience, and I am looking forward to another exciting award.' And the winner is... The winner of the 2009 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, as voted for by the reading public, will be announced at the award ceremony hosted by BBC Radio 4 presenter Mark Lawson on the opening night of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival on 23rd July 2009. Previous winners have included Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Allan Guthrie and also Stef Penney in 2008 for The Tenderness of Wolves (pictured left with Simon Theakston). The winner takes home £3,000 and a handmade Theakstons Old Peculier Cask made by the last cooper in England. YOU can be there in person for the cheers and the tears. Tickets to the award ceremony and opening party are £15 per person and include the price of canapés and a glass of wine or Old Peculier. To book call the Ticket Hotline on 0845 130 8840 or Book Online. Photo Story: The Rivals With such a high quality shortlist, competition for readers' votes is hotting up between the nominees. Festival photographer Sam Atkins captured a number of the contenders canvassing votes at their local Asda stores. David Hewson with his book 'The Garden of Evil' Mo Hayder with her novel 'Ritual' Mark Billingham sends a 'Death Message' but John Harvey's far from 'Gone To Ground' Peter James and 'Dead Man's Footsteps' Val McDermid teaches Chris "Savage [Moon]" Simms the real meaning of 'Beneath The Bleeding' Stuart MacBride with his novel 'Broken Skin' Peter Robinson tries to win round the Book Buying Team at Asda House to vote for his novel 'Friend of the Devil' but it looks like they have already chosen their favourites... Have you? VOTE NOW!

Principal Partners Theakstons Old Peculier Leeds Metropolitan University Premier Partners

Looking to make a late break this July? Treat yourself for an entire weekend's worth of thrills, chills and kills by booking a Festival Weekend Break Package and enjoying all four days of the biggest and best crime writing Festival in the world. Weekend Break Packages include 3 nights accommodation in the beautiful Victorian Spa Town of Harrogate, located at the gateway to the spectacular Yorkshire Dales, and tickets to all Festival events* from the announcement of the Crime Novel of the Year Award and Opening Party on Thursday evening to the last event on Sunday. With prices starting from just £359 per person when sharing double or twin accommodation, why not stay in the UK this summer and experience the cultural delights of the North of England's friendliest and most fun literature festival! To book now or for more information on accommodation options, call: 01423 562303 or email: crime@harrogate-festival.org.uk ____________________________________________________ *Weekend Break tickets include admission to all festival events excepting the dinner event on Saturday 25 July and Creative Thursday places. These must be booked separately. ____________________________________________________ The Harrogate International Festival is not responsible for the content of external websites. email: crime@harrogate-festival.org.uk phone: +(0)1423 562303 web: http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime