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Literary Review
Thomson is probably the best writer of my generation
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'His masterpiece, a novel so strong that it seems a foregone conclusion that Thomson will enjoy the commercial success and widespread acclaim he deserves ... brilliant' Matt Thorne, Independent on Sunday 'Beautiful writing, occasional poetry, and an aching sense of the vulnerability of those we love. It's an ambitious and brave book' Carol Birch, Independent 'Exquisitely controlled ... What gives Death of a Murderer its greatest strength is its restraint. Nothing is exaggerated for effect ... Thomson is able to make glories of the tiniest moments' Toby Litt, Guardian 'Thomson reaches the summit of his powers ... a novel of beautiful moral complexity' Andrew O'Hagan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I felt a strong theme throughout this book was 'fathers', and their strong influence on their children:
Billy's neglectful father, a past girlfriends abusive father, a neighbour whom Billy looks upon as a father figure, his wife's sneering and contemptuous father and his own roll as father to Emma who has Downs Syndrome. This is also bourne out in his 'conversation' with Hindley who doesn't want to talk about her moody and violent father and even the film he and Sue saw in Amsterdam was 'In The Name of The Father'.
He spends his shift guarding the notorious child killers body and his mind drifts to his relationships and experiences in life that have made him who is. I liked the concept and can't agree enough on how influential a father can be in their child's social and emotional development - this isn't an excuse for people who've had bad relationships with their fathers, to use to behave unacceptably. But does question whether rejection/abuse/neglect effects our relationships both growing up and throughout life.
The ending felt a bit of an anti climax, yet I can appreciate it's subtlety as Billy see's his role as Emma's daddy one that will over ride his previous experiences.
Overall an interesting book, and one worth reading, but not one I would rave about.
Billy's neglectful father, a past girlfriends abusive father, a neighbour whom Billy looks upon as a father figure, his wife's sneering and contemptuous father and his own roll as father to Emma who has Downs Syndrome. This is also bourne out in his 'conversation' with Hindley who doesn't want to talk about her moody and violent father and even the film he and Sue saw in Amsterdam was 'In The Name of The Father'.
He spends his shift guarding the notorious child killers body and his mind drifts to his relationships and experiences in life that have made him who is. I liked the concept and can't agree enough on how influential a father can be in their child's social and emotional development - this isn't an excuse for people who've had bad relationships with their fathers, to use to behave unacceptably. But does question whether rejection/abuse/neglect effects our relationships both growing up and throughout life.
The ending felt a bit of an anti climax, yet I can appreciate it's subtlety as Billy see's his role as Emma's daddy one that will over ride his previous experiences.
Overall an interesting book, and one worth reading, but not one I would rave about.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I left this book bewildered at the state of received opinion of this book's supposed high quality. I followed it for as far as I did (about 80% of the way) because I was teased by what transfiguration or denouement could possibly redeem the flat, bland, downright dull writing I was struggling through. Eventually I decided nothing could excuse what I had been asked to experience, and gave up. The presumably deliberate banality of the writing, and the erratic monologue it carries, degenerated into a trial I was no longer prepared to endure. If you are looking for a holiday read, or an uplifting review of the human condition, look elsewhere: the narrative skills are well hidden, and flacid gloom is milked for all it is worth. But if you are teased and angered like me, it might be worth reading on to see if you can find what I could not - some redeeming virtue.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although the main character, Billy Tyler, is a policeman, Death of a Murderer is not a novel that fits into the crime or thriller genre. Thomson takes the death of Myra Hindley as the springboard for a fictional exploration of childhood, growing up, and humankind's propensity for violence and evil. Billy is a kind of Everyman, not a detective trying to solve a case. Thomson writes brilliantly, effortessly conjuring up new characters and scenes in crisp and evocative prose. The only reason for not giving it five stars is that some aspects of the plot feel a bit contrived. I've not read any novels by Rupert Thomson before but will certainly do so now.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fab!
An unusual but compelling read. Rupert Thomson uses the death of Myra Hindley in 2002 as the background for this novel. Read more
Published 14 months ago by SJSmith
Good, not his best though
Well written, a good read that becomes quite captivating the more you read it, but this isn't a patch on a lot of his other books.
Published 23 months ago by PJ Sturdee
Good, absorbing read
This is undoubtedly a thought provoking novel which raises uncomfortable questions, particularly within Billy Tyler, the main character of Death of a Murderer. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2010 by Ms. N. Howarth
A Rupert Thomson Novel, Need I Say More?
Putting a picture of Myra Hindley on the cover may attract readers expecting a salacious crime story. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2009 by R. J. Hole
Difficult to like
DEATH OF A MURDERER is a difficult book to like, dealing as it does with some very tough issues and using as its framing reference a real character whom many would rather not... Read more
Published on 24 Sep 2009 by Emanon
Death of a Murderer But Not Crime Fiction
I wasn't alive when the awful things that happened with Myra Hindley on the moors, it is something that I have always grown up knowing of and not being interested in but wondering... Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2009 by Simon Savidge Reads
Not thrilling
Unfortunately I didn't experience the chills or the thrills that some readers experienced. I agree that Death of a Murderer is vivid and unusual but it left me without any real... Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2008 by Ana
Just a bit too forced
Rupert Thomson's novels have usually revolved around a cataclysmic external event happening to someone, generating before and after sections. Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2008 by MisterHobgoblin
lacks a gripping edge
The book tells the story of a Police Officer who guards the body of a mass murderer, the officer is left with his own thoughts and imagination. Read more
Published on 26 May 2008 by Rob Smith
Complex, disturbing and thought provoking - well worth the price of...
Thompson's novels seem to have a slightly unreal feel to them: a sense characters don't quite talk to one another, a lack of connection, that things aren't quite as they should be. Read more
Published on 10 April 2008 by wolf
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