Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timlin's best novel?, 19 Oct 2004
Leaving the pulp excesses of his Sharman novels behind him, Timlin returns with a mature crime novel that deserves to be a best seller.Set in the present, but with continuous flashbacks to 1960's/1980's, this book follows the lives of a south London criminal gang and a sons need for revenge against his father's killer that ends up destroying all those involved. The themes of sadness and loss that permeate the best of the Sharman stories (which might surprise many who dismiss Timlin as merely a pulp writer) are allowed to take the forefront. Your sympathy for the characters is built up slowly (this is a very long book by Timlin's standards) and his drawing of South London is his best here and the violence, which could be over the top in some of Timlin's work, is handled realistically. Great stuff.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brutal and haunting crime epic, 22 Sep 2004
'Answers From the Grave' switches in time from the early nineteen-sixties until the present day, and relates how one killing, with the emotional devastation it causes, resonates through decades; ultimately creating pain and tragedy for both those directly and indirectly involved. The author, Timlin, previously best known for his caustic and entertaining 'Sharman' detective series, the latter two of which sadly declined in credibility, has really upped his standard and scope. This novel encompass changing fashions in music, architecture, drink, family values, drugs, fashions and modes of villainy amongst others. It gives a depth and credibility to each major character, and the scarred main protagonist, at times alternatively psychotic, loyal and loving, is chillingly realistic. This is the second best book I have ever read.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timlin's best novel?, 20 Oct 2004
Leaving the pulp excesses of his Sharman novels behind him, Timlin returns with a mature crime novel that deserves to be a best seller.Set in the present, but with continuous flashbacks to 1960's/1980's, this book follows the lives of a south London criminal gang and a sons need for revenge against his father's killer that ends up destroying all those involved. The themes of sadness and loss that permeate the best of the Sharman stories (which might surprise many who dismiss Timlin as merely a pulp writer) are allowed to take the forefront. Your sympathy for the characters is built up slowly (this is a very long book by Timlin's standards) and his drawing of South London is his best here and the violence, which could be over the top in some of Timlin's work, is handled realistically. Great stuff.
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