Twenty years ago, a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl named Corrine Woodrow was convicted of murdering one of her classmates. But now new forensic evidence indicates that Corrine didn't act alone, and Sean Ward - a private investigator whose promising career in the Met was cut short by a teenage drug dealer with an automatic weapon - travels to the seaside town of Ernemouth, to try to discover what really happened all those years ago. But he quickly realises that what's ultimately at stake is not Corrine's reputation, but those of the people who ran the place then - and still run it now. In order to get to the truth, he has to take on not just retired Detective Inspector Len Rivett - the man who headed up the original case and wants to keep it firmly closed -- but also the mindset of an entire town that has always known how to look after its own.
Weirdo
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Review
'A must for fans of crime fiction' --Hot Press
'Unsworth's best yet, as sharp as vinegar on chips' --Financial Times
'Cathi Unsworth has carved out an idiosyncratic niche writing unsettling, subcultural British noir ... a creepy, credible page-turner that delights and disturbs' --Metro
'A serious talent ... An unusually gifted writer of heartfelt noir ... she has brilliantly captured that desperate sense of teenage boredom, isolation, danger and mayhem.' --Daily Mirror
'The greatest strength of Cathi Unsworth 's crime writing to date has derived from her ability to evoke a specific time and place with an intense and visceral skill. Weirdo, her fourth novel, is her finest work yet in that respect, and the fact that it is attached to the most deft and intricate piece of plotting of her career makes it an outstanding addition to the British crime-writing scene . . . page-turning and intense' --Independent on Sunday
'An absorbing mystery, an extraordinarily powerful evocation of time and place and a cast of characters whose every breath feels real Unsworth gets better with every book.' --Guardian
'a broodingly atmospheric noir ' Observer
'Bad Penny Blues marked out Cathi Unsworth as a writer of rare talent. Weirdo proves she is no one-hit wonder... Demonstrating once again a fine sense of place and period (1983 and 2003), Unsworth creates a gripping tale of adolescent angst and genuine evil' --Sunday Telegraph
'Unsworth draws on her Norfolk upbringing to explore an insular society' -- Sunday Express
'Masterful ... brilliant evocation of time and place, Unsworth adds astonishing and disturbing insight into the minds of disaffected youth who cannot find love and acceptance. Terrific.' --The Times
'The greatest strength of Cathi Unsworth 's crime writing to date has derived from her ability to evoke a specific time and place with an intense and visceral skill. Weirdo, her fourth novel, is her finest work yet in that respect, and the fact that it is attached to the most deft and intricate piece of plotting of her career makes it an outstanding addition to the British crime-writing scene . . . page-turning and intense. ' --Independent on Sunday
'An absorbing mystery, an extraordinarily powerful evocation of time and place and a cast of characters whose every breath feels real Unsworth gets better with every book.' --Guardian
'a broodingly atmospheric noir ' Observer
'Bad Penny Blues marked out Cathi Unsworth as a writer of rare talent. Weirdo proves she is no one-hit wonder... Demonstrating once again a fine sense of place and period (1983 and 2003), Unsworth creates a gripping tale of adolescent angst and genuine evil' --Sunday Telegraph
'Unsworth draws on her Norfolk upbringing to explore an insular society' --Sunday Express
'Unsworth's best yet, as sharp as vinegar on chips' --Financial Times
'Cathi Unsworth has carved out an idiosyncratic niche writing unsettling, subcultural British noir ... a creepy, credible page-turner that delights and disturbs' --Metro
'A serious talent ... An unusually gifted writer of heartfelt noir ... she has brilliantly captured that desperate sense of teenage boredom, isolation, danger and mayhem.' --Daily Mirror
'The greatest strength of Cathi Unsworth 's crime writing to date has derived from her ability to evoke a specific time and place with an intense and visceral skill. Weirdo, her fourth novel, is her finest work yet in that respect, and the fact that it is attached to the most deft and intricate piece of plotting of her career makes it an outstanding addition to the British crime-writing scene . . . page-turning and intense' --Independent on Sunday
'An absorbing mystery, an extraordinarily powerful evocation of time and place and a cast of characters whose every breath feels real Unsworth gets better with every book.' --Guardian
'a broodingly atmospheric noir ' Observer
'Bad Penny Blues marked out Cathi Unsworth as a writer of rare talent. Weirdo proves she is no one-hit wonder... Demonstrating once again a fine sense of place and period (1983 and 2003), Unsworth creates a gripping tale of adolescent angst and genuine evil' --Sunday Telegraph
'Unsworth draws on her Norfolk upbringing to explore an insular society' -- Sunday Express
'Masterful ... brilliant evocation of time and place, Unsworth adds astonishing and disturbing insight into the minds of disaffected youth who cannot find love and acceptance. Terrific.' --The Times
'The greatest strength of Cathi Unsworth 's crime writing to date has derived from her ability to evoke a specific time and place with an intense and visceral skill. Weirdo, her fourth novel, is her finest work yet in that respect, and the fact that it is attached to the most deft and intricate piece of plotting of her career makes it an outstanding addition to the British crime-writing scene . . . page-turning and intense. ' --Independent on Sunday
'An absorbing mystery, an extraordinarily powerful evocation of time and place and a cast of characters whose every breath feels real Unsworth gets better with every book.' --Guardian
'a broodingly atmospheric noir ' Observer
'Bad Penny Blues marked out Cathi Unsworth as a writer of rare talent. Weirdo proves she is no one-hit wonder... Demonstrating once again a fine sense of place and period (1983 and 2003), Unsworth creates a gripping tale of adolescent angst and genuine evil' --Sunday Telegraph
'Unsworth draws on her Norfolk upbringing to explore an insular society' --Sunday Express
Book Description
The new novel from 'the First Lady of Noir Fiction' (David Peace)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Ms Moomin
Format:Paperback
Cathi Unsworth has really got in to her stride with Weirdo, a fantastically well plotted psychological suspense novel, bordering on noir but not at all as dark as Cathi's previous books. Weirdo is set in two time periods: the early 80's and present day. Two investigations run parallel in the two narratives, and the reader only find out at the very end how it all ties in together and who the real victim and the real perpetrator is. I loved every page of this book, and was gobbled up by the tension: the creepy seaside town in winter, a small community trying to bury horrible secrets from the past, and the reader's niggling doubt - who can you trust, who's actually evil here?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Edie
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
For the first time in a long time, I finished a book and started rereading it immediately. Not because it had a tricksy opening to reassess, but to savour the language, having devoured it first time round for plot. This is a mini-masterpiece of UK crime writing. Not just a whodunnit but a whodunwot. Neither victim nor perpetrator are revealed until late into the novel and yet we are hooked, and kept guessing throughout. Into a happy, rundown backwater comp comes Sam, hot from London, having been dragged back to Ernemouth with her mum who has run off with a man half her age. Sam brings discord and suspicion wherever she goes, brewing up divisions and hatreds that run far beyond jostling for queen bee position on the school field.
In Weirdo, the characters are multi-layered and all too real. Even the clearly wicked have their complexities and vulnerabilities. Unsworth creates an intensely vivid atmosphere through location in this tired seaside town with its hatred of outsiders, strangers, weirdos - anyone who deviates from its shiny little norm that is rotten at core. She brings the medieval witch hunt up to date. I'm a sucker for crime and literary novels but they don't often come hand in hand. She keeps pace with the best of them, but never at the expense of subtle, multi-textured language and observation. I can't rate this highly enough. Not read anything else by her yet so am looking forward to the backlist.
In Weirdo, the characters are multi-layered and all too real. Even the clearly wicked have their complexities and vulnerabilities. Unsworth creates an intensely vivid atmosphere through location in this tired seaside town with its hatred of outsiders, strangers, weirdos - anyone who deviates from its shiny little norm that is rotten at core. She brings the medieval witch hunt up to date. I'm a sucker for crime and literary novels but they don't often come hand in hand. She keeps pace with the best of them, but never at the expense of subtle, multi-textured language and observation. I can't rate this highly enough. Not read anything else by her yet so am looking forward to the backlist.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By G. J. Oxley
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I was priviledged to meet and chat to the lovely Cathi at the Harrogate Crime Festival in 2011, where I purchased her latest book (at the time) 'Bad Penny Blues'. I informed her that I'd read her first novel 'The Less Deceived' on the recommendation of the writer Martyn Waites (a GREAT bloke and superb, underrated novelist) and really enjoyed it. She was very sweet, so I was predisposed to like this title before I'd even started it!
Anyway, I haven't let this bias skew my reaction to the book. It quickly sinks its hooks into the reader and impels them to read along. The plot? I think if you read all the reviews on this page together they'd more or less make reading this book redundant, so I'll say no more on this matter.
I will comment however that Cathi honed her skills writing in the musical press and this discipline shows in how quickly and interestingly she moves the plot forward. Not the best book I'll read this year, but it's still very enjoyable and worthy of any crime fiction fan's attention.
Anyway, I haven't let this bias skew my reaction to the book. It quickly sinks its hooks into the reader and impels them to read along. The plot? I think if you read all the reviews on this page together they'd more or less make reading this book redundant, so I'll say no more on this matter.
I will comment however that Cathi honed her skills writing in the musical press and this discipline shows in how quickly and interestingly she moves the plot forward. Not the best book I'll read this year, but it's still very enjoyable and worthy of any crime fiction fan's attention.
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4.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
a great read.
vivid is how id describe this book in a single word. Its characters, its location and its structure provides a vivid escape back to the 80's following a small group of girls... Read more
Published 1 month ago by K. D. Squire
2.0 out of 5 stars
One for the East Anglian Goth detective noir fan - only
A private investigator is hired to look into a grisly murder from 20 years past and finds himself up against a closed community reluctant to let their dirty laundry be aired. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Marand
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping and nostalgic
I really enjoyed this book and found it a gripping read from start to finish. It is set in the present day with flashbacks to the eighties and makes for a nostalgic read, with the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by G. Horsham
4.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptionally disturbing but still deserving of 4 stars
Exceptionally disturbing. This is the first book I have read by this author and I am not sure if I will read another because of the way this story makes for uncomfortable reading... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dee J Kirkby
2.0 out of 5 stars
A grindingly slow pace with far too much over-padding.
First published back in July of 2012, British author Cathi Unsworth's fourth full-length novel was the retro gothic thriller 'Weirdo'. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Chris Hall
4.0 out of 5 stars
Weirdo
Connie Woodrow has spent the last 20 years in a mental institution after being convicted of murdering a classmate at the age of 15. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bookworm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Its grey, gloomy and grim perspective is cleverly portrayed...
I will be rather honest and say from the outset that the book is not kind in its portrayal of the characters or the setting. Read more
Published 4 months ago by ROROBLU'S MUM
4.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive
I was impressed by the vivid writing. There was some great characterisation and it did a good job in evoking the atmosphere of an out of season East Anglian Holiday resort. Read more
Published 4 months ago by The Emperor
4.0 out of 5 stars
Slow to get going, but gets there in the end.
Really enjoyed this one, but I must say, I found the first quarter of the book a tad slow going. Fortunately I stuck with it (it's rare I give up on books that I start). Read more
Published 4 months ago by Clashcity Rocker
1.0 out of 5 stars
Utter nonsense
Having wearily finished reading this book I can only describe it as appearing to have been written by someone who has escaped a creative writing class and subsequently been let... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Adam Freeman
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