2 BY WILLIAM McINTYRE

A couple from William McIntyre, an author I have yet to read.

William McIntyre is a Scottish lawyer who has written about 10 books in his Best Defence series featuring a defence lawyer, Robbie Munro. He also has a standalone novel and some non-fiction to his name.

It's been a long while since I read any crime fiction with a legal lawyerly slant and McIntyre's books might be a good place to start, especially as they contain elements of humour.

From Fantastic Fiction

Based in Scotland and drawing on his thirty years as a criminal defence lawyer, there is a rich vein of dry-humour running through the series, which William describes as an antidote to crime fiction featuring maverick cops chasing a serial killers, emphasising that justice is not only about convicting the guilty, but also about acquitting the innocent.

The two I've managed to acquire are the seventh and eighth in his series. Ideally I would pick up the first and work my way forwards to these. Time and finances may dictate otherwise!

For reference the series opener is Relatively Guilty

Present Tense (2016)

Criminal lawyer, Robbie Munro, is back home, living with his dad and his new-found daughter. Life as a criminal lawyer isn't going well, and neither is his love life. While he's preparing to defend the accused in a rape case, it all becomes suddenly more complicated when one of his more dubious clients leaves a mysterious box for him to look after. What's in the box is going to change Robbie's life - forever.

`Crime with an edge of dark humour. The Best Defence series could only come out of Scotland.'-Tommy Flanagan, Braveheart, SOA, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2











Good News Bad News (2017)

Life's full of good news and bad news for defence lawyer Robbie Munro. The good news is he's in work, representing Antonia Brechin on a drugs charge. The bad news is that she's the granddaughter of notorious Sheriff Brechin.

Meanwhile, another of Robbie's clients, Ellen Fletcher, has won the lottery and asked Robbie to find her husband Freddy, who disappeared having swindled the evil Jake Turpie. Unfortunately, Jake's not willing to bury the hatchet - not unless it's in Freddy's head.

Robbie juggles cases and private life with his usual dexterity, but the more he tries to fix things the more trouble everyone's in.

"McIntyre's outstanding third mystery featuring Scottish defence counsel Robbie Munro perfectly blends humour and investigation...Readers will want to see a lot more of the endearing Robbie.""--Publishers Weekly *

T.S. HUNTER - CARELESS WHISPER (2019)

Synopsis/blurb....

LOOSE LIPS COST LIVES.

It’s 1986, and Adam Cave, lead singer of the pop sensation Loose Lips, is struggling to stay in the closet, especially as his group is going through a messy split, and media speculation about the reasons behind it are high. 

Joe Stone is assigned to Adam as a runner for the behind-the-scenes, warts and all expose of the recording of the bands last album, and an unlikely friendship begins to form.

But when Adam’s manager, Jack Eddy, is found dead in Adam’s hotel room, in what looks like a sex game gone wrong, Joe turns to his flatmate, Russell, to help him clear the pop star’s name, and keep his secret.

Russell, meanwhile, has a secret of his own. He’s just been for a test, the results of which may change his life forever.

Another enjoyable visit to Soho mid-80s in the company of Joe Stone and flatmate Russell, with the pair of them teaming up to solve the murder of a gay band manager, rather than allowing lazy policing to conspire in an innocent man's conviction.

What I enjoy about these books is the sense of time and place Hunter portrays when describing life as a gay man in a minority community in somewhat less enlightened times..... Soho, London, music, fashion, community, attitudes, a killer disease on the rampage and the fear and worries that accompany it. 

A boy band, an unhappy lead singer, unrequited love, public image, an investigative journalist with a scoop in mind, an ambitious film-maker, friction in camp, an impending implosion and a murder.

This is probably not the most complex mystery ever written, but I liked it. Russell is a former Met Detective forced to resign after a sex sting operation conceived to out and expose his sexuality. He still possesses the skills from his former job and the ambition to get even or even one up on Skinner, the architect of his removal and the current lead on the case. Do what Skinner fails to - ask the right questions of the right people and apply a bit of pressure when required. See through the half truths and mis-truths and murder solved. Albeit with the help of a pal, Joe.

Overall verdict.

Entertaining, instructive, enlightening but never preachy. An interesting enough mystery, decent pace, characters full of heart, conviction and loyalty, a trip back down memory lane with the music and fashion of a period when I was in my early 20s myself and only 120-odd pages long. Perfect for a one-sitting read.

4 from 5

The first in T.S. Hunter's London Noir series, Tainted Love has been enjoyed before. The second, Who's That Girl sits on the pile.

Read - August, 2019
Published - 2019
Page count - 126
Source - review copy from publisher - Red Dog Press
Format - paperback

JULY 2019 - FILMS + TV (+ THEATRE) (HOME VIEWING - MOSTLY)

A decent month's small screen viewing and a family outing to watch a black comedy drama play around the corner at our local library theatre.

Wild Bill (2019) (ITV Drama series)

The last couple of episodes from this one were watched and enjoyed. I'm hoping Rob Lowe comes back for a second series as I've enjoyed his portrayal of an American cop running a rural police force. Plenty of action, plenty of different types of cases........ family feuds, witness protection, money laundering, a corrupt cop and conflict with the man who put him in his position.

From IMDB....

US police chief Bill Hixon lands in Lincolnshire with his 14 year-old daughter Kelsey, hoping to flee their recent painful past. New community forces Bill to question everything about himself.

Creators: Dudi Appleton, Jim Keeble, David Griffiths
Stars: Rob Lowe, Bronwyn James, Anthony Flanagan

4 Latas (2019) - Film - Netflix

A French subtitled film watched in Slovakia on Netflix. Subtitles always demand I pay attention when watching as I'm totally fluent in absolute no languages other than English - even that's debatable. Jean Reno is a familiar face - Leon and Ronin. I quite liked it - a road trip across the desert for a sad re-union with a dying friend.

From Google....

Hoping to reunite with a dying friend in Mali, two longtime pals cross the Spanish Sahara with their friend's estranged daughter. Along the way, they recall trips the three made together in the 1980s, crossing Africa in cars they would later sell.

Dinner - Moira Buffini - Local Theatre

Five go theatre.... the stars aligned and my wife, myself and all 3 children were free to congregate and spend a quality evening at our local theatre. A play featuring.... death, crime, food, arguments, a creepy butler, an unexpected guest, infidelity, jealousy, anger, secrets and confrontation.
Enjoyable and very funny in places. A great night out.

From Wikipedia...

Dinner is a 2002 play by the British dramatist Moira Buffini. It premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London on 18 October 2002.

Paige Janssen invites some friends over to dinner to mark the publication of a book, Beyond Belief, written by her husband, Lars. A succession of unusual courses, interrupted by the arrival of an unexpected guest, lead to some surprising revelations and, eventually, to death.

London Kills (2019) - BBC Drama 

A five-part drama which aired over consecutive nights, though I watched on catch-up. Five different cases of murder to be solved, but an over-riding story arc concerning the recent disappearance of the lead DI's wife. I liked the cast - Hugo Speer and Sharon Small in particular.

I enjoyed watching the dynamics of the small team of detectives involved in the show.... mistrust, suspicion, secrets, tensions, naivety-borderline-stupidity, and a loose sense of camaraderie. With the questions the ending posed, I guess there'll be a second series. If so, count me in.

From Google...

Following the detectives of an elite murder investigation squad in London; the team is lead by the experienced Detective Inspector David Bradford, whose wife has been missing for the past three months: a case he has been unable to solve.

Waco (2018) - TV Drama

Binge-watched the six episodes of this one with my wife.

Sad, disturbing, horrible and outrageous. There's two sides to every story and this series portrays the Branch Davidians in a more sympathetic light than my recollections of mainstream media during the siege and the immediate aftermath. It does make you suspicious of authority when you see how the FBI worked to bring this thing to a head and the subsequent reported findings of the investigations. I think the days of accepting at face value what Governments tell you are long gone. Maybe I'm just a sad, pinko liberal, seeing conspiracy and control around every corner.

A previous FBI stand-off at Ruby Ridge is referenced here. Another tragic event that I don't think I was previously aware of.

Michael Shannon stars as FBI negotiator, Gary Noesner. He's the only authority figure with a clear head and the patience to end the siege peacefully. An opportunity denied him with tragic consequences. Taylor Kitsch stars as hypnotic religious leader David Koresh.

Powerful, gripping and anger-inducing. Highly recommended.


From Wikipedia...

Waco is an American television miniseries, developed by John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle, that premiered on January 24, 2018, on Paramount Network. The six-episode series documents the 1993 standoff between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas and it stars Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, Andrea Riseborough, Paul Sparks, Rory Culkin, Shea Whigham, Melissa Benoist, John Leguizamo, Julia Garner, and Glenn Fleshler.

The Handmaid's Tale - Season 3 (2019) - TV Drama

Five maybe six episodes watched from the current series of 13. I think at the minute, nine have aired, so we aren't ridiculously behind. Gripping and tense would be an understatement. God I hate the Waterfords. Recommended viewing, but start with the first series otherwise it's wasted.


From Google.....

Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world, the few remaining fertile women are forced into sexual servitude. One of these women, Offred, is determined to survive the terrifying world she lives in, and find the daughter that was taken from her.

I Am (2019) - TV Drama - Channel 4

One from three watched so far - I Am Nicola - with Vicky McClure (This is England and Line of Duty.)  Nicola is in a relationship with a controlling boyfriend. Scary, tense, troubling, a kind of watch behind the sofa, through your fingers kind of drama - especially when the arguments start. Very powerful and very thought-provoking. A lot of the time you're shouting at the screen - "GET OUT! GET OUT!" Domestic abuse is horrifying.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the other two episodes bring to the table.


From Radio Times ....

Channel 4’s ambitious new anthology series “I Am…” stars Oscar nominee Samantha Morton, Humans’ Gemma Chan and Line of Duty‘s Vicky McClure in three standalone “female-led” stories.

Created by Bafta winner Dominic Savage (The Escape), each hour-long film follows a different women as they experience “moments that are emotionally raw, thought-provoking and utterly personal”.

Shot over the summer and autumn of 2018, each of the three episodes is co-authored and developed by its female lead, a collaborative process that Samantha Morton compared to “singing a duet” during a Q&A at the BFI & Radio Times Festival.

JULY 2019 - FILMS (CINEMA)

Not as many trips as the previous month, but still value for money from the monthly subscription.

Four in total - the least annoying of the Superhero genres, a comedy-romance with a musical backdrop, a re-made Disney classic and a horror-ish/funny film about a cult in Scandinavia.....

Spider-Man Far From Home (2019)

An okay watch. I've never been a massive fan of the Superhero thing, but I did enjoy the Tobey Maguire - Kirsten Dunst films of a few years back. Tom Holland is Spider-Man, Jake Gyllenhaal and Samuel L. Jackson also feature. From memory the ones from back in the day all seemed to be set in New York, here we have a bit of a road trip around Europe. The plot as it is was related to Avengers End Game apparently. Something I didn't enjoy at all.

A couple of hour's entertainment, a trip out, the coffee and snacks were good and my eyeballs didn't bleed during the viewing. Can't say I exited the cinema feeling more culturally enriched than before I went in.


From IMDB....

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.

Midsommar (2019)

My wife and daughter thought it was a load of crap and two and a hour hours of their life wasted. Me, I quite liked it. Who ya gonna believe?

Some young Americans make a trip to Sweden for a Midsommar Festival and get caught up in the clutches of a cult. There are some quite horrific and stomach turning scenes throughout, but also there are some moments I found incredibly funny. Probably a Marmite film. I only recognised one of the cast - the geeky kid from We're the Millers - Will Poulter. I was kind of reminded of The Wicker Man

From Google......

With their relationship in trouble, a young American couple travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where a seemingly pastoral paradise transforms into a sinister, dread-soaked nightmare as the locals reveal their terrifying agenda.

The Lion King (2019)

A near replica of the original only not animated. I did like Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and James Earl Jones still has a voice like velvet. I quite enjoyed it.

From Google.....

Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny on the plains of Africa. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar, Mufasa's brother -- and former heir to the throne -- has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is soon ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba's exile. Now, with help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba must figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

Yesterday (2019)

Music, jokes, banter, a sort of Sliding Doors type alternative reality, a Beatles soundtrack, Robert Carlyle, Ed Sheeran, Sarah Lancashire and a couple of leads (Himesh Patel and Lily James) I can't recall seeing in anything before though I recognised the lady. Oh and the daft one out of Trollied - Joel Fry. I really liked it. I had forgotten just how many decent tunes The Beatles had, though they were slightly before my time.

Danny Boyle directed and Richard Curtis was a writer. And another plus-point the Lowestoft back-drop - a seaside town me and my family have spent many an enjoyable break at over the years.

A real feel good film, up there with Sunshine on Leith in my book.

From Google.....

Jack Malik is a struggling singer-songwriter in an English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, despite the fierce devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie. After a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout, Jack wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never existed. Performing songs by the greatest band in history to a world that has never heard them, Jack becomes on overnight sensation with a little help from his agent.



Roll on August - Jason Statham and a bit of Tarantino await!

OWEN LAUKKANEN - DECEPTION COVE (2019)

Synopsis/blurb.....

A rescue dog, an ex-Marine, and an ex-convict are caught in the crosshairs of a ruthless gang in remote Washington state, in this "first-rate thriller" (Associated Press) for "fans of CJ Box and Michael Koryta" (Booklist).

Former US Marine Jess Winslow reenters civilian life a new widow, with little more to her name than a falling-down house, a medical discharge for PTSD, and a loyal dog named Lucy. The only thing she actually cares about is that dog, a black-and-white pit bull mix who helps her cope with the devastating memories of her time in Afghanistan.

After fifteen years -- nearly half his life -- in state prison, Mason Burke owns one set of clothes, a wallet, and a photo of Lucy, the service dog he trained while behind bars. Seeking a fresh start, he sets out for Deception Cove, Washington, where the dog now lives.

As soon as Mason knocks on Jess's door, he finds himself in the middle of a standoff between the widow and the deputy county sheriff. When Jess's late husband piloted his final "fishing" expedition, he stole and stashed a valuable package from his drug dealer associates. Now the package is gone, and the sheriff's department has seized Jess's dearest possession-her dog. Unless Jess turns over the missing goods, Lucy will be destroyed.

The last thing Mason wants is to be dragged back into the criminal world. The last thing Jess wants is to trust a stranger. But neither of them can leave a friend, the only good thing in either of their lives, in danger. To rescue Lucy, they'll have to forge an uneasy alliance. And to avoid becoming collateral damage in someone else's private war, they have to fight back -- and find a way to conquer their doubts and fears.

All the prime ingredients here for an explosive read.

An ex-convict, a PTSD suffering ex-Marine, widowed to boot, a kidnapped companion dog and a cabal of crooked local cops involved in drug running.

Mason - the ex-con has done one good thing in his life. He trained Lucy, a companion dog for a service veteran. He gets wind of the dog's imminent demise after she attacked an officer of the law. El pronto he heads to Deception Cove to try and save her.

Jess is Lucy's owner. She's damaged, grieving, and in dispute with the local cops. Her dead husband has ripped them off and they want their missing parcel back, or they themselves will be feeling the blunt end of the stick from the next level up in the drug cartel they've been working for.

The cops came a calling and Lucy got protective, threatening to the bite the asshole of their asshole chief. He's now being held as leverage for the return of the drugs about which she knows nothing - the initial transaction and her husband's subsequent death happening while she was away with the military. Jess with her companion gone is feeling more isolated than ever.

I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed the set-up and the development of a relationship between Jess and Mason. Hostility and frost from Jess slowly thawing as Mason gradually proves himself to be worthy of her friendship, both of them trying to save their dog's life.

I liked the initial feeling out of the players. Mason the stranger in town, the first meeting with Jess, the first meeting with the cops, the bar visit trawling for information, getting run out of town, running straight back in again, their alliance, the desperation of the police to get out from under, the bully boy tactics, the quirky minor characters - each with a role to play to advance the tale. Lots to like, quite busy, but never confusing.

Small town corruption, dodgy cops, drug operations, other small town low lifes, run-ins, threats, intimidation, fear, a Mr Fix-it, a death to focus the mind, arson, an ally or two, a boat trip, a confrontation, the dusting off of some military skills, an island battle and an outcome.

Setting - tick. Deception Cove, Washington (real or fictitious? don't know) - isolated, coastal setting, small town

Main characters - likeable, interesting, one flawed and damaged, one open, honest and regretful - tick. 

Plot - tick - conflict a good vs evil battle in a nutshell.

Pace - tick. Fast-moving, but never rushed. Time taken to develop the characters and events without losing any urgency.

Length - tick - 339 pages my version, but a quick read.

Resolution - tick. Bang on. They all lived happily ever after - not quite everyone, but ok for the ones that mattered - satisfying!

4.5 from 5

Deception Cove was my first time reading Owen Laukkanen, but not my last. Just as well really as I have a few more from him on the pile.

Read - July, 2019
Published - 2019
Page count - 339
Source - Net Galley, courtesy of Mulholland Books
Format - ePub

PATRICK E. McLEAN - THE SOAK (2017)

Synopsis/blurb......

A searing crime novel that introduces an exhilarating new voice in noir fiction that’s as sharp, cruel, and relentless as the story’s unforgettable hero.

Hobbs is an aging, professional thief who chases one last, big score into the eye of a Florida hurricane. He emerges a broken man, hell-bent on revenge while out-running his own mortality and a ruthless FBI agent gone rogue.

"Richard Stark fans will relish heistmeister Hobbs in this well-plotted tale of robbery, murder and revenge." Publishers Weekly

"A dark, funny, pitch-perfect take on the heist novel and worthy of comparison to Richard Stark and Garry Disher." Scott Phillips, author of The Ice Harvest

"The Soak is tense, fast moving, intricately plotted and layered with the moral ambiguity of the best crime fiction." Garry Disher, multiple Ned Kelly Award winning author of the Wyatt novels 

Well two authors who I have enjoyed in the past - Scott Phillips and Garry Disher liked this one and I'm not going to disagree. McLean's The Soak was definitely my cup of tea.

An armoured car heist, a long in the tooth professional thief, Hobbs - with a life partner wanting him to retire, a young gun with an idea, a trusted villain - someone Hobbs knows from jobs before, a financier and a couple of FBI agents - one stable, one a borderline psychopath, a visit to Florida and a hurricane ...... what's not to like.

I really enjoyed this one... the planning, the execution, the outcome, the investigation and the aftermath. It's quite a short book at a little over 200 pages and the action moves quite quickly, but McLean also has the time to develop the main characters and give us their back stories and motivations. Not so much their plans for the future - our heist doesn't end well for many of the participants from both sides of the fence. 

Plenty of snappy exchanges and verbal jousting on display. Lots of black humor. Great dynamics between the two agents - one male, married and steady though suffering from career limbo, one female, attractive, angry, unpredictable and unstable. They made for a lovely couple with a bit of wild sex thrown into the mix as well.

Pace, story, character, action, setting, outcome. All ticks in the box. 

I wouldn't mind seeing Hobbs put off his retirement for one last job.

4.5 from 5

Previously I have enjoyed Patrick E. McLean's short story - The Lucky Dime.

Read - July, 2019
Published - 2017
Page count - 216
Source - purchased copy
Format - Kindle

2 BY JOE CLIFFORD

A couple from US author Joe Clifford, someone I have actually already read.

Joe Clifford has written five books in his Jay Porter series.

The fifth Rag and Bone I read recently, having previously enjoyed one of his short story collections - Choice Cuts some years ago.

His Porter series is quite well regarded and comprises

1. Lamentation (2014)
2. December Boys (2016)
3. Give Up the Dead (2017)
4. Broken Ground (2018)
5. Rag and Bone (2019)

There are several other standalones to his name including an autobiographical novel Junkie Love.

Clifford is a former homeless, heroin addict, who has battled through some difficult times. He deserves every success


Broken Ground (2018)


At an AA meeting, handyman and part-time investigator Jay Porter meets a recovering addict who needs his help. In the midst of another grueling northern New Hampshire winter, Amy Lupus' younger sister, Emily, has gone missing from the Coos County Center, the newly opened rehab run by Jay's old nemeses, Adam and Michael Lombardi.

As Jay begins looking into Emily's disappearance, he finds that all who knew Emily swear that she's never used drugs. She's a straight shooter and an intern at a newspaper investigating the Center and the horrendous secret hidden in it - or beneath it.

When Jay learns of a "missing" hard drive, he is flung back to five years ago when his own junkie brother, Chris, found a hard drive belonging to Lombardi Construction. For years, Jay assumed that the much-sought-after hard drive contained incriminating photos of Adam and Michael's father, which contributed to Chris' death. But now he believes that hard drive may have harbored a secret far more sinister, which the missing Lupus sister may have unwittingly discovered. The deeper Jay digs, the more poisoned the ground gets, and the two cases become one, yielding a toxic truth with local fallout - and far-reaching ramifications.


The One That Got Away (2018)

In the early 2000s, a string of abductions rocked the small upstate town of Reine, New York. Only one girl survived: Alex Salerno. The killer, Ken Parsons, was sent away. Life returned to normal. No more girls would have to die. Until another one did.

It's been seven years since Kira Shanks was reported missing and presumed dead. Alex Salerno has been living in New York City, piecemealing paychecks to earn a livable wage, trying to forget those three days locked underground and her affair with Sean Riley, the married detective who rescued her. When Noah Lee, hometown reporter with a journalistic pedigree, requests an interview, Alex returns to Reine and Riley, reopening old wounds. What begins as a Q&A for a newspaper article soon turns into an opportunity for money, closure and - justice. The disappearance of Kira Shanks has long been hung on Benny Brudzienski, a hulking man-child who is currently a brain-addled guest at the Galloway State Mental Hospital. But after Alex reconnects with ex-classmates and frenemies, doubts are cast on that guilt. Alex is drawn into a dangerous game of show and tell in an insular town where everyone has a secret to hide. And as more details emerge about the night Kira Shanks went missing, Alex discovers there are some willing to kill to protect the horrific truth.

In the modern vein of Dark Places and Mystic River, The One That Got Away is a dark, psychological thriller featuring a compelling, conflicted heroine and a page-turning narrative that races toward its final, shocking conclusion.

Praise for THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY:

"A great book! I devoured it. Taut, pacey and with a powerful sense of place, Joe Clifford's The One That Got Away is an intelligent and astutely observed piece of American small-town noir." - Paula Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train and Into the Water