The Fallen (Paperback)

Our local press gave the impression that every page was littered with bad language and described it in terms like 'flopperoo' and 'turkey', mentioning in the same article, 'Bergerac' and 'Reach For the Moon' (which was set on the Island).
Bergerac it isn't, but then it wasn't written for prime-time television - although with a small amount of modification it could easily qualify for such a slot.

Old hacks and passed-over coppers provide most of the colourful language but not as frequently as one would see, probably in close-up, on an average televised football match.

The plot has been outlined by several previous reviewers, but suffice to say that when I wasn't reading the book, I found myself thinking about it. I figured out who did what, with what and to whom, several times - each one different, none correct until the very end of the book.

I found the characters very believable.

Hogan, the 'hero' reporter, down on his luck, transport problems, marriage problems, job problems and often, staying alive problems.
Emma Thomas, the young, ambitious copper, fast-tracking her way through the system at whatever cost.
Detective Sergeant Dudfield, at odds with his superior officer in believing that they've arrested the wrong man. A long-suffering, down-to-earth, reliable copper.
The Forbes sisters, a strange pair with somewhat unusual tastes and habits.
There are many more of course, a few of which, in my opinion, could well have been based on local folk.

The Isle of Wight setting works well, and I often found myself 'there' in my mind's eye.

THE FALLEN is well worth a read for anybody looking for action, intrigue and a thought provoking storyline.

Even before his job starts for real, he stumbles on his first story and what a story it ultimately turns out to be. Following the sirens of a police car he arrives at the scene of a young woman who has fallen from the cliffs above. To the onlookers' surprise, she turns out to be alive, but barely. Carrying no identification, the police are stumped as to who she is and without a relative's permissive, they cannot publish her photo in the paper. PC Emma Thomas is assigned the case and befriends Hogan and it's not long before they are lovers. A witness comes forward claiming to have seen the young woman arguing with a local autistic man on the cliff path. The police are swift to make an arrest but Hogan isn't convinced they have the right person.

A subsequent reporting assignment provides Hogan with a new lead in the cliff-fall case, which takes him to Romania and the snowy streets of Bucharest. Whilst he's away, another young woman plunges off a cliff, this time to her death. The answers Hogan finds in Bucharest point to a perpetrator much nearer home and it's not long before his own life is threatened several times.

THE FALLEN is an engrossing read where nothing can be taken at face value. The story twists and turns and what's gone before can be constantly reinterpreted after new information comes to light. It's well written and the unusual setting is used to good effect. Any downsides are that the investigation is advanced by a number of coincidences and that nearly all the characters are unlikeable. Nonetheless, this is a psychological thriller that's well worth a look.