9th April 2009

On the show today were Malcolm Martland and a new guest to the bookshow Lydia Birch.
Lydia reviewed Stephanie Meyer's Twilight. Lydia likes reading historical novels, as well as Bill Bryson but has found a fascination with the Twilight series 'which feature vampires, werewolves, teenage love and all the complications of relationships brilliantly told with action and romance equally balanced'. They are actually aimed at the teenage market but like Harry Potter, The Book Thief, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, they are as well read by adults.
Lydia has also read and enjoyed 'Buffy Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel'.
Malcolm reviewed Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride. This is a hard hitting book along the lines of 'Rebus'and based in Scotland. Stuart MacBride was likened to Ian Rankin, Graham Hurley and Peter James. Ian Rankin is one of Malcolms favourite authors.
Malcolm also reviewed White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, which was described by one reviewer as an 'unadorned portrait of India seen from the bottom of the heap'.
It won the Booker prize and Michael Portillo, the head judge commented:
"..White Tiger prevailed because the judges felt that it shocked and entertained in equal measure.....won overall because of its originality.......it presented a different aspect of India and had enormous literary merit".

Both Stephanie Meyer and Aravind Adiga were in the top ten of 'Amazon' general bestsellers, with Twilight series being 2nd/3rd/4th & 5th! Good choice guys! But what about number 1 in this list...'Grow Your Own Drugs:Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Treats' by James Wong..! I had to laugh when I saw that title I could imagine all the junkies rushing out to buy it.........think he had the 'wong' title

Stuart MacBride - Blind Eye

Review by Malcolm F. Martland on show 28 January 2010
Blind Eye is the latest in a series of detective novels by Stuart MacBride. The principal character is Detective Sgt Logan McRae also known as Lazarus or Laz to his pals, because of his miraculous recovery from a savage knife attack in a previous novel.

The MO appears to be that a disaffected Aberdonian has taken a crusade upon himself to punish the Polish workers who have come to take all their jobs and women. He does this by gouging out their eyes and burning the sockets with lighter fuel. But soon he targets some of the local gangsters as well.

With some similarities to the girl who played with fire much of the story is about importing prostitutes but in this case mainly from Poland. After some pretty gruesome episodes involving local thugs, claw hammers and paedophiles Logan detains a deranged suspect who admits to everything.

But then they get a call from Polish police similar atrocities have been happening there to. So Logan heads off to Poland only to find that most of the victims are long dead and his Polish guide Victoria almost gives up on the case. However Logan researches the history of the mutilations and finds one man, a militant from the Solidarity era and known as The Watchmaker because of his expertise with bombs – he was blinded in just the same way as the Aberdeen victims – but it appears that it is because of his conflicts with the KGB and local gangster network.

Logan manages to get blown up in the investigation by a booby trap set by The Watchmaker but he survives and returns to Aberdeen where mental assessments on his suspect show that he is completely bonkers. The mental patient is released, and properly rearrested for poking somebody’s eye out in a bar!

Meanwhile more victims appear, both of the blinding and claw hammer attacks. There is a confusion of rival gangs, and Eastern Bloc pimps running a prostitution racket in Polish girls. But it is the Eastern bloc pimps that still retain the old spy who put people’s eyes out in retribution. Logan sets out to solve the case in a gory denouement.

The whole novel sounds awful but the writing is very humorous, quite similar to Ian Rankin but a lot gorier. There are some wonderful one-liners too, dark police humour. Love it or hate it - I loved it!
Review by Malcolm F. Martland 28 January 2010

Luke Delaney – Cold Killing

review by showhost sept 2015

This is a debut novel by a British crime writer.  The main character is DI Sean Corrigan who reminded me a little of Tony Hill in the ‘Wire in the Blood’ series by Val Mc Dermid.

The similarity was because both had suffered abusive childhoods but both had used it to solve crimes and try to get inside the criminals head.  

However, Sean Corrigan is married and has two small children.  His wife, a doctor knows about his past and how he struggles to keep the demons at bay.

He’s not a psychic or clairvoyant but a cop with south Londons Murder Investigation Unit.  But his abusive childhood allows him to understand the ‘darkness’ in others who may have had an abusive past or may have just been ‘born bad’.

This killer is very clever, he understands how forensic evidence works, he understands how to leave nothing at the scene of his crimes. 

He understands that criminals are caught because the MO of each victim is the same, he makes sure his murder victims are different and the cause of death varies.

The story begins with the first killing and the thoughts of the perp, so we think we know who it is from the start.  It is a gripping, tense, thriller as the perp outwits the police as they chase him through London, a game of cat and mouse begins as another body turns up, the killer goading and mocking the police.  There is violence, graphic at times, but it’s in keeping with the perps character.

The blurb said ‘London-set debut crime novel with a psychological edge, by an ex-Met detective.( Delaney is not his real name)  Perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Peter James and Stuart MacBride’.  Yes it is similar to Peter James, good story with twists and turns.  I will certainly read another of his. 

30th April 2009

Guests this week are:
Babs Simpson reviewing 'The Piano Teacher' by Lynn Wood and 'Faith' by Lesley Pearse
Malcolm Martland reviewing 'Blingsighted' by Karin Slaughter and 'Hanging Garden' by Ian Rankin.
Similar authors to:
Karin Slaughter are: Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Tess Geritsen.
Ian Rankin is: Stuart MacBride
Lyn York are: Anita Shreve, joanne Harris.
There were four books with the title of 'The Piano Teacher'. The fictional town of Swan Knob was inspired by Pilot Mountain in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains where the author spent her adolescent years.
Lesley Pearse had a traumatic early life and three marriages, some of which have inspired her novels.
Malcolm finished with a quick mention of 'We're british innit' by Iain Aitch and his amusing observasions of English quirkiness. And 'The Bad Dogs Diary: A Year in the Life of Blake' by Martin Howard 'does his best to avoid the frequently threatened neutering and spends a lot of his time either scooting across the carpet or chasing local tail. It really is a dog's life, and Blake has kindly taken the time to keep a diary of a year in his own life - providing a hilarious, unputdownable glimpse into the mind and world of your average mutt'.