Two and a half star rating.
Bleak and chilling, based on a real individual, Peter Manuel, dubbed Scotland’s first serial killer. Not a nice man at all and most of the other people in this book weren’t particularly pleasant either. The start of this story is like being thrust into a conversation which began long before you arrived - confusing, trying to make sense of it all, so it helps to already be familiar with this appalling man before starting. I found this a bit hard going and struggled to get through it. Good descriptions of 1950’s Glasgow which gave a realistic feel of those days.

Book themes for Penance Day: Read a book that has a monk, nun, pastor / preacher or priest as a protagonist, or where someone is struggling with feelings of guilt or with their conscience (regardless over what).

I meant to update this over the weekend while I was reading the book, but BL maintenance/bug fixing meant that I had to save this post until now.

I've read The Tremor of Forgery - a full review is still to come - and it's a book where Highsmith explores some existentialist ideas about morality and how morality is shaped. 

As it turned out, the main character spent a lot of time feeling guilty - and questioning his feelings of guilt - over current and past relationships as well as over a more tangible event that occurred during his stay in Tunisia on which the plot is based: Did he or did he not kill a man?

The Tremor of Forgery is an odd book. We got:

• a tale about ones own morale and whether or not it is the right decision to adapt the moral code of the country that your currently living in.
• vivid descriptions of Tunesia, which confirmed my conviction that I never will revisit this country again.
• xenophobic Americans, who are being racists in a foreign country. The comments about Arabs and their behaviour were enervating and I felt the slight urge to punch the American characters repeatedly in the face.
• a Dane, which is equally racist. He is slightly excused because of his dog.
• yes, a dog.
• a possibly closeted gay main character, who strikes up a friendship with an openly gay character.
• murder and theft.
• a book, written by the main character.
• a suicide.
• a weak female protagonist.
• a lot of couscous and a LOT of tap water.

Yes, it´s an odd book and not whole lot is happening in this novel. It´s not my favorite Highsmith, simply because it wasn´t disturbing enough for me. But I finished this book two days ago and I´m still thinking about it. And I don´t know what was so special about this book for me to do that. Apparently Highsmith´s writing has that effect on me.

Denise Mina is an author I keep on my watch list so when a chance to read the first chapter of her new stand alone novel was dangled in front of me, I lunged.

The story takes place in 1950's Glasgow, before the facelift that would clean up its soot covered buildings & mean streets. On a damp December night, Wiliam Watt & his lawyer Laurence Dowdall meet notorious criminal Peter Manuel in a bar. They've been lured by Manuel's claim to have information on something called the Burnside Affair.

Watt's entire family was murdered & if not for the brilliant Dowdall he might still be in prison. But despite his release, there are whispers about Watt's possible role in the horrific crime & he jumps at the chance to hear what Manuel has to say.

The excerpt does exactly what a first chapter should....get your attention & leave you wanting more. The setting is dark & atmospheric lending the story a gritty, noir-ish feel. All 3 characters are already easy to picture. There's the dapper & refined Dowdall who seems strangely apprehensive about the meet. Watt comes across as a social climbing wanna-be with an inflated sense of his ability to handle the situation. He may have met his match in Manuel, a slippery & dangerous opportunist with an agenda.

The prose is terse yet descriptive enough to provide you with a seat at the table. By chapter's end Dowdall has quit the scene, leaving the other 2 men to hash out a deal. I'm willing to bet neither is exactly what they seem & there are disturbing revelations ahead.

Well Ms. Mina, you got me. I'm in. Now begins the looong wait for this book's 2017 release.

My thanks to Random House UK for the teaser.

Hey everyone! So, I'm back with a new post and it's going to be another review! Yay, I'm currently working through my fourth book for the month. So, for today I'll be reviewing "Garnethill" by Denise Mina. 

About:

The Story is about a woman name Maureen O'Donnell who woke up on morning to find her boyfriend dead in her living room. She of course is the prime suspect to his murder, but she does all she can to clear her name. 

What I thought:

So, this story was quite interesting and I ended up liking it. There were a lot of moments where I  really wanted to punch a couple of characters square in their face. Like Maureen's mom Winnie, who is a bitch and a damn alkie. One of the detectives name Joe McEwan. There are plenty of more, but I don't want to go into full detail. Maureen's best friend Leslie and her brother Liam were likable characters. Liam more so, because all he wants to do is protect his little sister. Leslie does too and help Maureen out in any way she can.  

I kind of got confused on how the book was wrote and there were sentences that didn't seem right to me, but it could be just because the book is based in Scotland. I also, found myself annoyed at how somethings were written, but all and all it was a really good book and I really would recommend it. 

Well, that's it from me. It's a short post, I know, I had a crazy day! I'll be back on Wed with a new post. Until then, I hope you all have a great day/night where ever you are and I'll write to you all later!

CHEESE!!!