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Amazon.co.uk Review
Of all writers practising what might loosely be called crime fiction today, Christopher Brookmyre is the one who lends himself least easily to categorisation. There are those eccentric titles, for a start: such as the latest one: A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil. This unwieldy title (as often before) gives an indication of the sardonic quality of his writing, and in that, Brookmyre is reminiscent of his great American colleague, Carl Hiaasen. Like Hiaasen, too, Brookmyre favours eccentric and outrageous plots, but there is always a strong grounding in reality, which gives the humour a decidedly bitter edge.
Internet contact between ex-school friends these days leads to some disturbing encounters, and Brookmyre's version of the scenario is typically murderous. Brookmyre is interested in whether or not the index to future of violent behaviour might be discerned in the school playground. DS Karen Gillespie is bemused by a cack-handed attempt at burning a pair of bodies; this takes place outside Glasgow (in fact, in the area in which she grew up). And in a nearby lodge, strange attempts have been made to clean up what appears to be the same crime, but (as a pathologist points out), everything here is handled as maladroitly as the murder. Two suspects appear, but when Karen discovers that they were at primary school together (along with one of the murder victims), things begin to look like a grisly version of Friends Reunited.
Brookmyre readers will know exactly what to expect from this scenario, and they won't be disappointed. If the level of invention is not as delirious as in previous books, Karen Gillespie is as quirkily characterised as ever.
--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
*'Moments of exquisite Brookmyre inspiration' Guardian *'This is the book I would want if I were marooned on a desert island or lost in space' Independent *'Definitely in a league of his own.' Mirror *A sharp, memorable and occasionally surprisingly
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
“Are they deid? Jesus Johnnybags, are they both deid? F-‘s sake, man, answer us. F-‘s sake.”
Right from the opening line there’s no mistaking the author’s voice. A dozen or so f-words and derivations and a couple of c-words down the page from another couple of typical incompetent “bampot” killers attempting to dispose of two dead bodies with the assistance of substances purchased from the local B&Q’s chemical cleaner department confirm the impression - we are most definitely in a new Christopher Brookmyre novel.
Yet, despite the familiarity of the opening dialogue and the situation, Brookmyre manages to find a new spin on his hilariously profane crime novels. Reminiscent of the memories fired-up in the old school-reunion situation of ‘One Fine Day in The Middle of the Night’, Brookmyre goes back even further this time and reminisces on the bonds formed between a group of children who all start school together at St. Elizabeth’s Primary in Braeside – all depicted in detail, year by year from primary one through to sixth form - with the author’s typical wit and keenness of observation. It adds considerable charm to the backgrounds of the characters who we later find mixed up in a multiple homicide many years later, as well as giving us the joy of seeing Brookmyre stretch his writing skills.
This time around, the ultra-violence is relegated to a welcome second place in favour of a spot-on account of growing up during the 70s up to the mid-80s. There are more schoolyard punch-ups than terrorist attacks in his new novel, but Brookmyre has a whole childhood of classroom incidents, slaggings and humiliations to draw on here and the writing is just as witty, inventive and foul-mouthed as ever, as Martin – now a bigshot lawyer, well-known to celebrity magazines – returns home to help out an old friend from school who has gotten mixed up in a particularly gruesome situation, that can only be explained by other ex-school friends knowledge of their time growing up together. The usual pyrotechnics aren’t there in the crime plot and it feels like just an excuse of the author to indulge in a hilariously funny and nostalgic account of growing up, but its perceptive writing with characters and situations will be recognisable by anyone. This is quite brilliant and easily one of Brookmyre’s best.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The 10th Christopher Brookmyre book written and the 10th I have read. I loved the concept by painting the stories of all the victims and suspects of a brutal double murder as school kids could you deduce what happened ?
It will certainly help if you are 30+ for being able to relate the school Brookmyre talks about as the school you attended. This is his shortest book since the Quite Ugly debut and I think he could have added to it without having spoiled anything. I really enjoyed that the school parts were written from several different voices and so you weren't just having 1 central character. The scottish slang is thick in this book however there is a very tongue in cheek glossary at the back which is hilarious even when read seperate from the book.
After having seen International espionage and elaborate heists in his last books it was great to almost celebrate the small town location and mentality of this book.
A great read and I'll be checking frequently for number 11
It will certainly help if you are 30+ for being able to relate the school Brookmyre talks about as the school you attended. This is his shortest book since the Quite Ugly debut and I think he could have added to it without having spoiled anything. I really enjoyed that the school parts were written from several different voices and so you weren't just having 1 central character. The scottish slang is thick in this book however there is a very tongue in cheek glossary at the back which is hilarious even when read seperate from the book.
After having seen International espionage and elaborate heists in his last books it was great to almost celebrate the small town location and mentality of this book.
A great read and I'll be checking frequently for number 11
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
No explosions in this one, but all the other Brookmyre hallmarks are there - an intricate plot, complex and believable characters and a hefty dose of dry humour. It's easy to make comparisons with his earlier school-reunion book One Fine Day In The Middle Of The Night, but if anything this is slightly grimmer and more adult. This is probably due to the aforementioned lack of explosions, but also because he takes the brave step of killing off a character that you've come to care about (not a spoiler, don't worry; the body is discovered in the very first sentence).
The book opens with short scenes alternating between two panicked guys trying to hide some bodies, and the police discovering the remains shortly afterwards. An unfortunately-placed page break had me briefly confused, as it made it look like the police were doing the inept body-disposal themselves, but that was just bad layout - one thing you can be sure of with Brookmyre is that his characters are never going to act in inappropriate ways for the sake of a plot device. The first two criminals - old classmates of both the detective and the victim - are quickly apprehended, but of course it's not as simple as that (or it'd be a very short book). The subsequent police-procedural murder investigation then takes something of a back seat, as we go back to follow the characters' journey through the horrors of primary school, to see what clues can be found there.
This is a welcome return to classic, old-style murder mystery, where villains can be tracked down by unravelling the background and the motives - Patricia Cornwell and her forensic-detecting ilk are all very well, but as bad guys go, motiveless psychopaths are a bit of a cop-out. Here, Brookmyre is in his element, building a convincing past for all the main players, interspersed with the ongoing investigation and how they all interact as adults; as ever, his characters are made of real blood and bone, and you end up sympathising with even the worst of them.
I won't be giving anything away by saying the ending is unexpected - it is a mystery, after all. However, there's no gimmicky twist or Agatha Christie triteness, just an ending that ties it all up and seems entirely natural. Overall, a very satisfying read.
The book opens with short scenes alternating between two panicked guys trying to hide some bodies, and the police discovering the remains shortly afterwards. An unfortunately-placed page break had me briefly confused, as it made it look like the police were doing the inept body-disposal themselves, but that was just bad layout - one thing you can be sure of with Brookmyre is that his characters are never going to act in inappropriate ways for the sake of a plot device. The first two criminals - old classmates of both the detective and the victim - are quickly apprehended, but of course it's not as simple as that (or it'd be a very short book). The subsequent police-procedural murder investigation then takes something of a back seat, as we go back to follow the characters' journey through the horrors of primary school, to see what clues can be found there.
This is a welcome return to classic, old-style murder mystery, where villains can be tracked down by unravelling the background and the motives - Patricia Cornwell and her forensic-detecting ilk are all very well, but as bad guys go, motiveless psychopaths are a bit of a cop-out. Here, Brookmyre is in his element, building a convincing past for all the main players, interspersed with the ongoing investigation and how they all interact as adults; as ever, his characters are made of real blood and bone, and you end up sympathising with even the worst of them.
I won't be giving anything away by saying the ending is unexpected - it is a mystery, after all. However, there's no gimmicky twist or Agatha Christie triteness, just an ending that ties it all up and seems entirely natural. Overall, a very satisfying read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Another triumph for Brookmyre
This guy is an undiscovered treasure! Cleverly written and extremely funny, but also touchingly perceptive on the ups and downs of human relationships. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Hamish
Pulling hair and eating dirt
As a full-blood "Weegie" who attended a Glasgow state school in the 1970's and 1980's, I felt that this book was talking to me in a way that no previous Brookmyre novel had done. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Catananche
Not up to usual gripping standards
Some other reviewers have pointed out- this book is just too long for the content it has. To be honest, I struggled to keep track of who was who through the book- so am sure that... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Huskee
A laugh out loud cracker of a read
I've never read any of Brookmyers work before, I bought it because it is said that Brookmyer is sharp, witty and caustic like Carl Hiassen who is one of my absolute favourites a... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Sma
What a tale...
This was one of my first Brookmyre reads and I have to admit to re-reading it more than once....a tale running the past and present in parallel... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Issy
Back to School
`A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard black Pencil' is the first Christopher Brookmyre book I've read and it has made me eager to read more. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Avid reader
Strangely different, but not necessarily in a good way
If you want to read a book about children going to school in the 70's then, this is the book for you. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jan
Stylistically interesting but unengaging
This book is a stylistic departure from Brookmyre, and I can't say I found it as enjoyable as his previous novel. Read more
Published 12 months ago by J. R. Johnson-Rollings
A tale etched in blood and hard black pencil
It is a long time since I have laughed so much, reading a book. Sometimes ghastly, sometimes brutal, but cut with some of the funniest dialogue I have read. Read more
Published 19 months ago by AF, Edinburgh
How schoolmates turn out...
Christopher Brookmyre seems to have cornered the market in his own special brand of darkly humorous crime fiction and this novel follows that pattern. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Little Green Alien
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