N S Ford

Tag: crime fiction

  • Film of the book: ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ (1949)

    Did you know that this Ealing Studios film was based on a book? Published in 1907, Israel Rank by Roy Horniman is not really a funny book, although it does have a cruel humour at times. The film, however, is a black comedy in which Alec Guinness plays eight members of the aristocratic family. The concept of the story is that a man with a distant connection to the family (his name is Israel in the book, Louis Mazzini in the film) murders and marries his way to becoming a Lord. The story we are reading, or hearing, is his memoir written in prison while waiting execution.

    There are some major differences between book and film. The most obvious, from the beginning, is that the protagonist is changed from being half-Jewish, to half-Italian, thereby avoiding some prejudices evidenced in the book, which predated the horrors of the 1930s and 40s. Another major difference is that his main method in the book is poison, while in the film he dispatches his relatives in a variety of ways and in such quick succession that it’s entertaining. He also persuades us that he’s doing the world a favour because his relatives are boring and snobbish. Throughout the story, he has an on-off relationship with Sibella, who regrets marrying the boorish Lionel. We get more insight into these characters in the book. The film has Louis working in a draper’s shop, emphasising his lowly status, before he enters the banking world.

    The ending is rather different. In both the book and film, he gets a reprieve and leaves prison. In the book, he has made careless mistakes when murdering the Lord (the last relative in the way) but one of his lovers, Esther, sacrifices herself by confessing. So he gets away with it and has rather a nice life. In the film, he manages to inherit the manor, but is tried for the murder of Lionel. He is about to meet his fate, when a suicide note by Lionel is discovered (the work of Sibella). Louis leaves the prison and has to decide between Sibella, or his wife. We never know his decision, because he realises that his manuscript, describing the murders, is still in the prison. This suggests he won’t get away with it, which accords with the morality we expect from films in this era. I think the book is more radical in this respect, as we’re used to books now where crime goes unpunished, but it must have been unusual for the time. Still, I didn’t enjoy the book much (I found it on Project Gutenberg) and would rather watch the film.

    Film poster of Kind Hearts and Coronets

  • Review of ‘Flash Evans, Camera News Hawk’ by Frank Bell

    I enjoyed reading the first book of photographer Jimmy ‘Flash’ Evans’ adventures, so I was back for more! These little-known books, written under a pseudonym of the author of some early Nancy Drew books, are quick, action-packed reads with no messing about. Flash goes on a month-long vacation in this story but it’s the opposite of relaxation, as he can never pass an opportunity for great pictures for the local newspaper. After a train crash lands his friend Joe in hospital, Jimmy steps in to shoot footage for news reels. He and the sound technician, Doyle, do not get on at all. They are drawn into a mystery involving a missing spy, a parachute test and a sinister polo player, plus there is a forest fire to escape from. Flash has a lot of luck and you know everything will turn out all right for him. He has no character development but it doesn’t seem to matter. As the book was published in 1940, there are interesting hints of how things were done, with cans of reels carried by plane and a lot of long-distance calls made. It’s a good read and a pity there were no more in the series. I obtained this copy from Project Gutenberg.

    Book illustration of Flash Evans taking photos at a car race.

  • Review of ‘Close to Death’ by Anthony Horowitz

    The latest in the Hawthorne series was unfortunately a disappointing read for me. It was clever, but what I enjoy most about this series – the author being a character, with an intriguing mix of fact and fiction – was mostly absent this time. The author is obliged to write another book about Hawthorne, but instead of working on a current case, he writes about an old one which has already been investigated, set in a community of wealthy neighbours in Richmond. This leads to mostly third-person narration as he imagines how the events unfolded, based upon what Hawthorne has told him and some extra digging. I appreciate the ingenuity of the novel, which was more apparent the further I read, but I found it quite tiresome. I have to admit that I’m not really a murder mystery fan, so if you are then I’m sure you’ll like the book. What I read this series for is the narrative style, which was a bit lacking in this instalment. Sadly I’m not going to continue reading this series.

    Thank you to the publisher Cornerstone for the advance copy via NetGalley. Publication date 11th April.

    Book cover shows a dart upright with its shadow resembling a pen.

  • Review of ‘Rivers of London’ by Ben Aaronovitch

    This novel was sitting on my shelf for ages before I finally decided to read it. Rivers of London (published as Midnight Riot in the US) is an appealing mix of modern police procedural, urban fantasy and historical fiction. It’s narrated by PC Peter Grant of the Metropolitan Police, who becomes an apprentice wizard while investigating a series of crimes in which random people turn violent due to a supernatural entity. He becomes drawn into a conflict between the god and goddess of the Thames, although thinking about it now, I can’t quite understand what this aspect of the plot had to do with the other.

    Rivers of London book cover with map of the city and the Thames highlighted in red.

    Generally I liked this book, not for the crime element, which was a bit gory, but for the exploration of London’s history, architecture and multicultural character. The author clearly has a deep knowledge and love for London. I felt that the description of buildings sometimes went too far, but take these out and the book would be much reduced. The writing style was quite amusing and didn’t take itself too seriously. I didn’t like the main character Grant very much but that was OK. This is a small criticism but Dr Polidori, who is mentioned several times, was occasionally misspelt as Polidari. I’m not interested in reading the rest of the series but I can understand why they are so popular.

    First published by Gollancz, 2011.

  • Review of ‘The Mantis’ by Kotaro Isaka

    This is the third of Isaka’s books I’ve read. I thought it wasn’t as good as Bullet Train (it does include some of the same characters), but better than Three Assassins. We are back in Isaka’s shady world, where anyone could be contracted to take you out, maybe even hired by your own handler.

    Graphic of a mantis above a cityscape.

    The book is about Kabuto, who wants to retire from being an assassin. His family have no idea about this secret part of his life. He is preoccupied with how he can be a better father and husband, while feeling guilt at his past. Unfortunately his doctor, whose medical terminology is code for the assassin business, does not want to let him go. I found the book rather a slow burn until the halfway point. There was a long stretch where Kabuto was researching how to deal with a hornets’ nest and then a description of how he carried this out, which felt like padding. Then it started to pick up and there was some huge, improbable twists. Generally I thought it was a good read, if uninteresting at times. The representation of women seemed old-fashioned but perhaps this was an attempt to engage with traditional views in Japanese society.

    First published in Japan with the title Ax in 2017. This edition is translated by Sam Malissa and will be published by Harvill Secker on 9th November.

    Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy via NetGalley.

  • Review of ‘Flash Evans and the Darkroom Mystery’ by Frank Bell

    I had no idea, when I read this book, that the author Frank Bell was a pseudonym of Mildred Benson, who wrote many of the early Nancy Drew stories. It’s an excellent novel for older children, action-packed, exciting and contemporary for the era (it was published in 1940).

    Book cover of Flash Evans and the Darkroom Mystery, showing Flash Evans rescuing an older man from a fire.

    The narrative follows 16-year-old Jimmy ‘Flash’ Evans, an intrepid photographer for a newspaper, The Brandale Ledger. As he begins to make a name for himself, risking his life for a great story, someone appears to be sabotaging his photographs in the darkroom. The head photographer is jealous and seems to have it in for Jimmy, could he be the culprit? At the same time, he is drawn into investigating a criminal gang.

    In addition to being a great read with a likable main character, the novel is now of historical interest for its representation of journalism, newspaper production and photography. There is also remarkably little in it that would today be deemed politically incorrect. A sequel was published, but there the series ends.

    The book was this month’s Project Gutenberg random read.

  • Review of ‘The Accidental Cop’ by Eve Koguce

    I’d never read a book set in Latvia before, so this one was interesting for both its character-driven story and its setting of Riga in 1999-2000. It follows Roberts, a young man who shows us the corruption of the police during a freezing winter. The writing style is carefully-worded and emotive. It has some indications that English may not have been the native language of the writer, which suits the tone of the book. There are Latvian words sprinkled throughout, which are explained where necessary. I liked the introduction and the mini-essay on the history of Latvia, which put the story into context.

    Book cover of The Accidental Cop by Eve Koguce, showing a police officer at night in front of his car.

    There is a lot of detail about life as a young recruit at the Police Academy and the procedures for murder investigations. It seemed very well-researched and designed to appeal to fans of crime fiction. The ‘accidental cop’ of the title, Roberts, wants to be a lawyer rather than a police officer, but there is so little opportunity and he had a difficult upbringing. He’s mature for his age and readers will find themselves rooting for him. It was only perhaps a third of the way through the novel that a plot began to emerge, which is when I realised that the book is more about characters and atmosphere than the usual police procedural. This ensures that the novel is unusual and memorable.

    Independently published in 2023.

  • Review of ‘The Launch Party’ by Lauren Forry

    And Then There Were None… in a hotel on the Moon! What a great idea, a locked room mystery with a touch of sci-fi. I wasn’t so keen on the execution of it, however.

    The story follows a group of people who win a contest to be the first guests at Hotel Artemis. After the space ship drops them off, they realise there are no staff. Then someone gets murdered and the detection begins…

    Generally I found this book to be a page-turner and I wanted to know who the culprit(s) were. It was meticulously plotted and had many references to Agatha Christie. I loved the setting, although I felt that it wasn’t exploited enough. The atmosphere of the story could have been more sinister. The characters seemed strangely old-fashioned for a supposedly futuristic setting. I know it wasn’t supposed to be very realistic anyway, but who would go into space – one of the most dangerous things you can do – without reading the paperwork the corporation gave them?

    The writing style was a little repetitive, with characters often glaring, rolling their eyes, wincing, etc. Moreover, it was mostly linear and I would have preferred a more dramatic beginning – perhaps a foreshadowing to pique my interest. I didn’t understand the point of the epilogue and felt that the ending was stronger without it. The character we follow the most is Penelope, a police detective on leave, but she seemed bland and we didn’t get to know her.

    In summary, if this book wasn’t set on the Moon, I’m unconvinced it would stand out. If you’re a fan of murder mysteries, you may as well give it a try.

    Thank you to the publisher Bonnier Books for the advance copy via NetGalley. The book will be published on 22nd June.

  • Review of ‘Who Is Maud Dixon?’ by Alexandra Andrews

    An intriguing literary thriller which turned out to be smarter and more brutal than the blurb suggested. Some of the plot was predictable but I found it shocking towards the end.

    The narrative follows Florence Darrow, an editorial assistant in New York who feels that life owes her something. Her career doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, when the bestselling author, the pseudonymous Maud Dixon, head-hunts her. So begins a tense, gripping journey which takes us on a wild ride to Morocco, where a car crash and a case of mistaken identity deepen the mystery.

    Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

    One of the interesting things about this novel is how the author gets you on the side of Florence Darrow, who is not a nice person. There is an echo of The Talented Mr Ripley. You’ll be turning the pages hoping that the deception is not discovered but knowing that justice ought to win.

    I thought this book was a great read and quite unusual for a thriller. I didn’t get some of the American references or fully understand some of the literary discussions but this had no impact on my experience of the story.

    Published in 2021 by Tinder Press.

  • Review of ‘Kingsrise’ by Anne Mattias

    What’s 70% police procedural, 20% Arthurian fantasy and 10% supernatural horror? The answer is Kingsrise, an unusual and sophisticated novel by Anne Mattias.

    Kingsrise by Anne Mattias

    Set in a town on the west coast of England, the story follows DI Niamh Khalid as she investigates a series of strange apparent murders. The fantasy element is introduced in a very subtle manner and it’s not until the halfway point that things are definitely not your usual crime thriller. Niamh has her own problems – a younger brother who’s been in trouble with the law and who may be involved in what’s going on, a former relationship with the local news reporter, the stress of her job – but she does her best not to let her emotions affect her sense of justice. The police side of things seemed carefully researched and it was interesting to see how this clashed with the forces of the fantasy world breaking through into our contemporary times. The characters were believable and well-developed. There were genuinely scary moments and the tension rarely let up.

    A recommended read if you’re looking for something different.

    Independently published in 2023.