Dead Pretty [Kindle Edition]

I realised recently that I was reading less and less of the things that I wanted to read, and more and more of the things that I was either supposed to read or had been asked to read, for reviews, for a favour, or as a recommendation on which I was expected to pass comment. Because of this, I have decided to return to what I like - sorry fans, but sci-fi is in the mix! - and Roger Granelli was the swan song of my former existence. Surprisingly, it was a book that just about crosses the divide.
Essentially, it's a violent thriller about a guy who was a delinquent teen, having "grown up" and accepted responsibility for his actions and become a Private Detective, who comes home from a job to discover his suspiciously beautiful girlfriend has been evicerated on his bedspread. Cue revenge scenarios, chases and lots of nasty blood-shed and soul searching. Pretty standard fare, one might suppose, but Granelli is an author with a cohesive style, tight and effective, and a pretty decent grasp of the dark places of the psyche. That Mark Richards is pretty much an illiterate operating on instinct and intuition rather than logic or intelligence did distance him as a protagonist, but he is still unshakeably realistic and comprehensively drawn. The plot is firm and solidly built, and it is relevant to the times. Granelli should appeal to readers of grisly realistic thrillers, and is possibly the best such author to revel in his Welsh roots. And I liked it!

From a strong opening chapter, the pace flags a bit in the first third of the novel, but stick with it because once it gets moving it becomes a white knuckle ride with an ending as dramatic and thrilling as the best of the modern "noir" writers.

One comes away with the impression that RG is making the crossover from mainstream writer to genre thriller writer; a talent for which he displayed in his first novel, Crystal Spirit, and which he continued with Out of Nowhere. Although neither could be classed as conventional genre thrillers in the vein of Dead Pretty, the flair for drama combined with an introspective approach to character development is clearly apparent. This approach to character development, while not unique, is something of a trademark of Granelli as while most thriller writers are satisfied with painting a picture of their protagonists as others see them from the outside in, Granelli's not satisfied until he has grown his characters from the inside out, quirks, insecurities, obsessions and all... When thinking of comparisons to make my mind can only unearth Daniel Hecht's "Skull Session".

While in this particularly literary milieu he initially seems a little lost but manages to find his way quite quickly and I look forward to further instalments and a rapidly steepening learning curve, especially since some other writers (who I dare not name) seem to be doing the literary equivalent of painting by numbers now.

It's been some time since I've read a fast moving thriller like Dead Pretty, especially one so well written . This book was recommended by a friend who saw that it had been chosen as ` book of the month' by Waterstones, a pretty good guideline for quality, he told me. Dead Pretty has am amazing opening which gripped me and made me read the book in just two sittings. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, but Granelli pulls it all together for a very satisfying climax and end. There's a few great twists too. His prose is tight, terse and intelligent as he takes you on a tour of Britain and Amsterdam. There's nothing pulp fictionish about this book. I found it very satisfying, good writing that easy to read- the best kind as far as I'm concerned. This guy deserves to be much better known. I'm checking out his earlier stuff now. Highly recommended.