Our third event was The Private Investigators and featured Gordon Ferris, Craig Russell and Russel D McLean. Another interesting event, looking at why these authors chose to write about PIs rather than police. The conversation was lively and the readings excellent. It was just a bit of a shame that it overran, so we had to hoof it down the road for our next event, that was 30 minutes later.
Our final event for the day was Island Crime with Ann Cleeves and Peter May. This was the event that I was looking forward to most and I wasn't disappointed. Both authors spoke about why they chose the Islands as the focus for their stories and how much of their own lives they had detailed in their work.
My paternal grandfather comes from Barvas, the town on Lewis where Peter May's story is based. It was a delight to finally meet the author of the books I love. Plus, he recognised me from my Twitter photo! That made my day!!
Man says he is also enjoying Bloody Scotland and now has a big heap of new authors to enjoy!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Bloody Scotland - II
Our next event was The Big Debate. This featured Ian Rankin, Peter James, Stuart Kelly and Prof. Willy Maley. The subject matter was a highly entertaining and interesting look at why a Crime Fiction book has never been awarded the Man Booker Prize. Plenty of discussion for and against, including why literary fiction that includes crime has won the prize but isn't crime fiction!
I brought a pile of books with me to be signed and am doing well in that regard. Poor Man has bravely offered to carry the stash for me in his bag. Excellent!
So, we are now relaxing again, with more coffee, and waiting for our next session....
I brought a pile of books with me to be signed and am doing well in that regard. Poor Man has bravely offered to carry the stash for me in his bag. Excellent!
So, we are now relaxing again, with more coffee, and waiting for our next session....
Bloody Scotland
How wonderful to be able to escape for the weekend. Two whole days with no classes. Nothing to do except listen to fabulous authors, read, relax and enjoy the unexpected sunshine.
Bloody Scotland is Scotland's first crime fiction writing festival and I trust that it will be the first of many. It is being held in several venues in Stirling and is certainly well attended and buzzing. The full programme of events is pretty interesting and we are spoiled for choice.
This morning Man and I started off with Downloading the Detectives; a discussion between Allan Guthrie and Gordon Ferris concerning the phenomenon of the ebook. The event was attended by a number of other authors and it was interesting to see how they see the future of publishing going. The issue of sock puppets also raised it's head, along with quality control in a medium that makes self publishing much easier.
The audience asked plenty of questions and there was an opportunity for having books signed afterwards.
An altogether excellent start, followed by a wonderful opportunity to relax over coffee for an hour or so......
Bloody Scotland is Scotland's first crime fiction writing festival and I trust that it will be the first of many. It is being held in several venues in Stirling and is certainly well attended and buzzing. The full programme of events is pretty interesting and we are spoiled for choice.
This morning Man and I started off with Downloading the Detectives; a discussion between Allan Guthrie and Gordon Ferris concerning the phenomenon of the ebook. The event was attended by a number of other authors and it was interesting to see how they see the future of publishing going. The issue of sock puppets also raised it's head, along with quality control in a medium that makes self publishing much easier.
The audience asked plenty of questions and there was an opportunity for having books signed afterwards.
An altogether excellent start, followed by a wonderful opportunity to relax over coffee for an hour or so......
Friday, September 7, 2012
The Barber Surgeon's Hairshirt
A review for another book by the very awesome Douglas Lindsay. It features his hilarious character Barney Thompson and is definitely well worth downloading.....
The Barber Surgeon’s Hairshirt by Douglas Lindsay. 2011. Version 2-1-3. Blasted Heath. EPub. ISBN 978-1-908688-14-9.
This is the second in Douglas Lindsay’s series about his unfortunate, yet endearing, barber, Barney Thomson. An earlier version of this book was published by Piatkus in 2000, then by Long Midnight Publishing in 2003, and called THE CUTTING EDGE OF BARNEY THOMSON.
You have to feel sorry for poor old Barney Thomson, talented barber and human magnet for all things dark and gruesome. He has never killed anyone in his life but, wherever he goes, he ends of knee-deep in mangled bodies, with circumstances pointing its accusing fingers at him. All he wants is to cut hair and be left in peace.
This time, though, Barney is in serious trouble. There is a national manhunt out for him after he was caught disposing of suspicious-looking cut up body parts – his mother’s handiwork, it must be said. Instead of explaining the truth, Barney ups and runs and, with Glasgow’s finest police officers hot on his heels, he goes to ground in a monastery. Cut off from the world you would think he would be safe. And for a few weeks he is. But it doesn’t take long for the old curse to strike again and, as the monks start to die around him, it looks as if poor old Barney is in the frame again.
The attractions of this series featuring Barney Thomson are several. First, he is an endearing character and his painfully unfortunate skill of being in the wrong place at the wrong time is highly entertaining. Second, Lindsay has this uncanny knack of describing people’s behavior and customs that, again, is hilarious but also embarrassingly accurate. For example, the way that all the people who help the police with their enquiries load them up with cake and coffee in a bid to be hospitable and tell them they need “fattening up”. The general public’s ridiculous obsession with celebrity and glossy magazines plays a fairly prominent role too, as does the way public opinion about Barney is swayed by the gutter press that has him tried, blamed for things not even related to this case and then exonerated before he has even been caught.
If you like your noir crime fiction with a twist and are entertained by laughing at the more inane side of British society, then you will love this book and, indeed, all of the books featuring Barney Thomson. Long may he be free to continue to cut hair!
Very Highly recommended.
The Barber Surgeon’s Hairshirt by Douglas Lindsay. 2011. Version 2-1-3. Blasted Heath. EPub. ISBN 978-1-908688-14-9.
This is the second in Douglas Lindsay’s series about his unfortunate, yet endearing, barber, Barney Thomson. An earlier version of this book was published by Piatkus in 2000, then by Long Midnight Publishing in 2003, and called THE CUTTING EDGE OF BARNEY THOMSON.
You have to feel sorry for poor old Barney Thomson, talented barber and human magnet for all things dark and gruesome. He has never killed anyone in his life but, wherever he goes, he ends of knee-deep in mangled bodies, with circumstances pointing its accusing fingers at him. All he wants is to cut hair and be left in peace.
This time, though, Barney is in serious trouble. There is a national manhunt out for him after he was caught disposing of suspicious-looking cut up body parts – his mother’s handiwork, it must be said. Instead of explaining the truth, Barney ups and runs and, with Glasgow’s finest police officers hot on his heels, he goes to ground in a monastery. Cut off from the world you would think he would be safe. And for a few weeks he is. But it doesn’t take long for the old curse to strike again and, as the monks start to die around him, it looks as if poor old Barney is in the frame again.
The attractions of this series featuring Barney Thomson are several. First, he is an endearing character and his painfully unfortunate skill of being in the wrong place at the wrong time is highly entertaining. Second, Lindsay has this uncanny knack of describing people’s behavior and customs that, again, is hilarious but also embarrassingly accurate. For example, the way that all the people who help the police with their enquiries load them up with cake and coffee in a bid to be hospitable and tell them they need “fattening up”. The general public’s ridiculous obsession with celebrity and glossy magazines plays a fairly prominent role too, as does the way public opinion about Barney is swayed by the gutter press that has him tried, blamed for things not even related to this case and then exonerated before he has even been caught.
If you like your noir crime fiction with a twist and are entertained by laughing at the more inane side of British society, then you will love this book and, indeed, all of the books featuring Barney Thomson. Long may he be free to continue to cut hair!
Very Highly recommended.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
The End of Days by Douglas Lindsay
This review was written several months ago and is only now reaching the light of day. Douglas Lindsay is an excellent author and shown himself capable of producing both hilarious and seriously noir fiction. He's ace. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did....
The End of Days. A novella by Douglas Lindsay. 2011. Blasted Heath (ePub). ISBN 978-1-908688-12-5.
A hilarious novella in Douglas Lindsay’s series about Barney Thomson, the much sought-after Scottish barber with magical talents in the hair department. It is set in December 2009 and there is big trouble down in Westminster. Ratings are slipping and the expenses scandal is set to blow out of control, so our Barney is called upon to save the day, by giving the flagging Prime Minister a killer haircut. This he does and, much to the PMs delight, his ratings start to climb once more. As seems to be the norm for poor old Barney, wherever he goes a trail of murder and mayhem seems to follow. Pretty soon, MPs are being slaughtered in worryingly large numbers and blood is gushing and squirting right, left and centre. Somewhat bemused, Barney, who has never been accused of anything in his life, is now dragged in for questioning and this is when things really start to get interesting.
A highly entertaining, quick and easy, read. THE END OF DAYS tickled me so much that I snorted loudly on the bus several times before I remembered where I was. It is full of amusing, yet painfully accurate, observations of the British people, our Government and our national relationship with the USA. It points at the way “celebrity”, reality TV and physical appearance are now more important than politics for the vast majority – politicians included - and is so effectively well written that you just can’t help but laugh at the stupidity of us all.
Very Highly Recommended.
The End of Days. A novella by Douglas Lindsay. 2011. Blasted Heath (ePub). ISBN 978-1-908688-12-5.
A hilarious novella in Douglas Lindsay’s series about Barney Thomson, the much sought-after Scottish barber with magical talents in the hair department. It is set in December 2009 and there is big trouble down in Westminster. Ratings are slipping and the expenses scandal is set to blow out of control, so our Barney is called upon to save the day, by giving the flagging Prime Minister a killer haircut. This he does and, much to the PMs delight, his ratings start to climb once more. As seems to be the norm for poor old Barney, wherever he goes a trail of murder and mayhem seems to follow. Pretty soon, MPs are being slaughtered in worryingly large numbers and blood is gushing and squirting right, left and centre. Somewhat bemused, Barney, who has never been accused of anything in his life, is now dragged in for questioning and this is when things really start to get interesting.
A highly entertaining, quick and easy, read. THE END OF DAYS tickled me so much that I snorted loudly on the bus several times before I remembered where I was. It is full of amusing, yet painfully accurate, observations of the British people, our Government and our national relationship with the USA. It points at the way “celebrity”, reality TV and physical appearance are now more important than politics for the vast majority – politicians included - and is so effectively well written that you just can’t help but laugh at the stupidity of us all.
Very Highly Recommended.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
DEAD MONEY by Ray Banks
Ray Banks is one of those authors that you really should look out for. I have already reviewed CALIFORNIA, also by him, for Eurocrime. DEAD MONEY is yet another awesomely nasty book......
Dead Money by Ray Banks. 2011. Blasted Heath. Epub £1.99. 180 pages ISBN 978-1-908688-04-0.
This epub is the second version of DEAD MONEY in circulation. The first was published by PointBlank Press, in the USA in 2004, under the name THE BIG BLIND.
Ray Banks is one of those excellent authors who aren’t afraid of writing a book that doesn’t necessarily have a soft and sappy ending. Such was the case with CALIFORNIA, my first experience of a book by him, and I was really looking forward to enjoying this particularly tasty-looking morsel. I wasn’t disappointed. He is fast becoming one of my firm favourites.
Hard-hitting and short but, thankfully, not at all sweet, DEAD MONEY smacks you in the gob right at the start and drags you along rather roughly, leaving you feeling somewhat bedraggled and fragile afterwards. It has the perfect amount of ‘ick factor’ and was the perfect accompaniment to my afternoon bus ride between classes in less than lovely areas of Edinburgh.
Alan Slater has a bit of a problem but refuses to let it get him down. His marriage is in tatters and his dog doesn’t like him but he has his best mate, Beale, and his job as a double-glazing salesman, so everything’s OK. Except his friend likes to gamble and has a bit of an attitude when he loses. Which tends to happen a lot, so Alan gets to look after his friend and keep him out of trouble – which also keeps him away from his wife. Things start to take a downward slide when he hits and kills a dog with his car one wet and rainy night. He dumps the dog, upsets his wife and then a poker game that goes badly wrong results in a request from Beale that he really shouldn’t say yes to. And it isn’t too long after this that his troubles really begin……
An awesome story with an awesome ending. Don’t let the short length of the stories by Ray Banks put you off trying them. If you like things black and nasty then you are going to love him!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Wee Rockets by Gerard Brennan
Here is a review of my latest Kindle read. This one is a real cracker....
Wee Rockets by Gerard Brennan. Dec 2011. Blasted Heath. Epub £1.99. 268 pages (estimated).
This book is still messing with my head and I finished it two days ago. It is a superbly crafted, blacker-than-black, account of a gang of vicious 14-year-old thugs, running wild in the streets of Belfast and will leave a very nasty taste in your mouth by the time you’ve done with it. Perhaps in the light of the aftermath of last year’s riots and the increasing amount of unrest amongst the youth of today, this tale of urban decay is closer to the truth than we would like to admit.
The story starts with the gang, the Wee Rockets, mugging an elderly lady for her purse and leaving her badly injured. Members of the community are incensed by the violent nature of the attack and one man in particular, Stephen McVeigh, decides to take matters into his own hands. He has a pretty good idea of who is responsible and, as he gets closer to the truth, Joe, the gang leader, decides to break ranks and leave the gang to save his skin. He hands the reins over to someone else, who immediately ups the ante and the risks they take to “earn” money for fags and cider increase significantly – as does the price they must pay if things don’t go to plan.
Meanwhile, Joe has other fish to fry. First his mum has a new boyfriend; that strange, ginger, McVeigh, who he is sure is out to get him, and, second, his dad is back in town, looking to make amends and catch up for lost time. Joe’s dad’s motives for befriending him, however, are not as paternal as would first appear and Joe is soon involved in something far more dangerous than his teenage gang and smoking dope…..
What really screams at you from every page of this story is the lack of respect everyone has for everyone else and the horrific way that this has impacted onto the dysfunctional lives and attitudes of the kids in the gang. They show the finger to everyone in authority and, really, when you see the role models that their lives are based on, you can’t really blame them or be shocked at the way they have turned out. Living in the Easter Road area of Edinburgh, I am familiar with groups of drinking teenagers out on the streets in the evenings. I wonder how long it will be before these children turn to violence to have a bit more money and excitement in their lives.
Gerard Brennan is a gifted Northern Irish writer and the author of THE POINT (published by Pulp Press) as well as WEE ROCKETS. You can follow his blog here.. http://crimesceneni.blogspot.co.uk/. I am looking forward to reading more of his work in the future.
Very highly recommended
Wee Rockets by Gerard Brennan. Dec 2011. Blasted Heath. Epub £1.99. 268 pages (estimated).
This book is still messing with my head and I finished it two days ago. It is a superbly crafted, blacker-than-black, account of a gang of vicious 14-year-old thugs, running wild in the streets of Belfast and will leave a very nasty taste in your mouth by the time you’ve done with it. Perhaps in the light of the aftermath of last year’s riots and the increasing amount of unrest amongst the youth of today, this tale of urban decay is closer to the truth than we would like to admit.
The story starts with the gang, the Wee Rockets, mugging an elderly lady for her purse and leaving her badly injured. Members of the community are incensed by the violent nature of the attack and one man in particular, Stephen McVeigh, decides to take matters into his own hands. He has a pretty good idea of who is responsible and, as he gets closer to the truth, Joe, the gang leader, decides to break ranks and leave the gang to save his skin. He hands the reins over to someone else, who immediately ups the ante and the risks they take to “earn” money for fags and cider increase significantly – as does the price they must pay if things don’t go to plan.
Meanwhile, Joe has other fish to fry. First his mum has a new boyfriend; that strange, ginger, McVeigh, who he is sure is out to get him, and, second, his dad is back in town, looking to make amends and catch up for lost time. Joe’s dad’s motives for befriending him, however, are not as paternal as would first appear and Joe is soon involved in something far more dangerous than his teenage gang and smoking dope…..
What really screams at you from every page of this story is the lack of respect everyone has for everyone else and the horrific way that this has impacted onto the dysfunctional lives and attitudes of the kids in the gang. They show the finger to everyone in authority and, really, when you see the role models that their lives are based on, you can’t really blame them or be shocked at the way they have turned out. Living in the Easter Road area of Edinburgh, I am familiar with groups of drinking teenagers out on the streets in the evenings. I wonder how long it will be before these children turn to violence to have a bit more money and excitement in their lives.
Gerard Brennan is a gifted Northern Irish writer and the author of THE POINT (published by Pulp Press) as well as WEE ROCKETS. You can follow his blog here.. http://crimesceneni.blogspot.co.uk/. I am looking forward to reading more of his work in the future.
Very highly recommended
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