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an4h0ny's review against another edition
4.0
I had never read anything by Tony Black before and I had also never heard of Ayrshire county in Scotland. So this was all new territory for me. I'm glad I took a chance on this book because it was right up my alley. Let me say, right off the top that this is a bleak, dark, noir-ish tale of brutal murder. If you don't like lots of introspection and brooding in your protagonists then you might not fancy this one. But if you favor TV shows like Wire in the Blood or Luther, you will probably be just fine with this.
Detective Inspector Bob Valentine begins this tale in a training academy, where he has been placed on administrative leave after almost dying from a knife attack. I kept thinking that this was the second or third book in a series because the reader enters Valentine's world in medias res with not a lot of backstory provided. That's fine with me but I did have an expectation that at some point the author would provide a dramatic flashback of this pivotal event in Valentine's life. While not having that doesn't really detract from the story, I was left wondering about the details of this life-changing event for our main character. The aftermath of this tragedy on Valentine himself as well as his family and co-workers is explored thoroughly and is one of the main dramatic devices propelling the action here - as the accident changes Valentine is several different and very important ways.
Probably my only beef with this story is that for me, the resolution was a little abrupt and wasn't super thrilling, but like a lot of stories, sometimes the telling is the best part and you don't necessarily need a big twist or surprise at the end. So if you do read a lot of mysteries/police procedural type books you might figure out who the culprit here is early on. It won't really spoil the story for you since that's not really the main point here. Just fair warning.
Black's writing is quite good and seems to me, quite anchored in the Scottish identity. I have a feeling that Scots will get more out of this than others but as an outsider, I really appreciated the forlorn, almost ghost-like self-identity that comes through in the prose. An example... (From page 279-280 | No spoilers) DI Bob Valentine musing on his Ayrshire/Scottish formed outlook on life:
"It was the gloom, the black dog, the Scots' bleak penchant for predestination. It didn't matter what you called it, or if you even subscribed to its existence, because the entity - and it felt like a separateness, spectre - was no respecter of opinions. The black dog roamed wild, brought misery to bear wherever it touched and left the same in its wake, like messy paw prints that served as warnings of an imminent return. But why was there no white dog - an antithetical beast that brought some levity to the world? He smirked at the thought. It was not in the Scots' makeup to invent an antidote; and why would they? Surely that would deprive them of the very real aspect the black dog bestowed: identity. We wanted to be miserable, we wanted to watch the black dog bay at the moon because it was who and what we were. We found our definition in the dreich skies and desolate landscapes; we lived for the light touch of smirr blown from the sea; the jagged, rocky outcrops glimpsed through the gloaming sang to us - they were the ghosts of our souls and we would no more part with them than an arm or a leg because they were such an integral part of who we were. And he knew, it was certainly who he was."
I don't know about you, but to me, that's beautifully evocative of an ethos and mindset that's at once foreign to me but hauntingly familiar. I enjoy Tony Black's writing style and I will most assuredly revisit DI Bob Valentine's world in the near future.
Detective Inspector Bob Valentine begins this tale in a training academy, where he has been placed on administrative leave after almost dying from a knife attack. I kept thinking that this was the second or third book in a series because the reader enters Valentine's world in medias res with not a lot of backstory provided. That's fine with me but I did have an expectation that at some point the author would provide a dramatic flashback of this pivotal event in Valentine's life. While not having that doesn't really detract from the story, I was left wondering about the details of this life-changing event for our main character. The aftermath of this tragedy on Valentine himself as well as his family and co-workers is explored thoroughly and is one of the main dramatic devices propelling the action here - as the accident changes Valentine is several different and very important ways.
Probably my only beef with this story is that for me, the resolution was a little abrupt and wasn't super thrilling, but like a lot of stories, sometimes the telling is the best part and you don't necessarily need a big twist or surprise at the end. So if you do read a lot of mysteries/police procedural type books you might figure out who the culprit here is early on. It won't really spoil the story for you since that's not really the main point here. Just fair warning.
Black's writing is quite good and seems to me, quite anchored in the Scottish identity. I have a feeling that Scots will get more out of this than others but as an outsider, I really appreciated the forlorn, almost ghost-like self-identity that comes through in the prose. An example... (From page 279-280 | No spoilers) DI Bob Valentine musing on his Ayrshire/Scottish formed outlook on life:
"It was the gloom, the black dog, the Scots' bleak penchant for predestination. It didn't matter what you called it, or if you even subscribed to its existence, because the entity - and it felt like a separateness, spectre - was no respecter of opinions. The black dog roamed wild, brought misery to bear wherever it touched and left the same in its wake, like messy paw prints that served as warnings of an imminent return. But why was there no white dog - an antithetical beast that brought some levity to the world? He smirked at the thought. It was not in the Scots' makeup to invent an antidote; and why would they? Surely that would deprive them of the very real aspect the black dog bestowed: identity. We wanted to be miserable, we wanted to watch the black dog bay at the moon because it was who and what we were. We found our definition in the dreich skies and desolate landscapes; we lived for the light touch of smirr blown from the sea; the jagged, rocky outcrops glimpsed through the gloaming sang to us - they were the ghosts of our souls and we would no more part with them than an arm or a leg because they were such an integral part of who we were. And he knew, it was certainly who he was."
I don't know about you, but to me, that's beautifully evocative of an ethos and mindset that's at once foreign to me but hauntingly familiar. I enjoy Tony Black's writing style and I will most assuredly revisit DI Bob Valentine's world in the near future.
heatherreadsbooks's review
4.0
It's a dead man... Can't you see someone's put a bloody great spike through him?
DI Bob Valentine returns to the job after being stabbed and, technically, dying twice in the process. The case? A banker is murdered and discarded in the local tip. Leads are hard to find, the media are pressuring them, and it soon becomes clear there's a serial killer on the loose.
And, while it has a solid mystery around it, as does any good crime novel, Black's characters stand out from the page on their own merit's. It's not just plot-heavy with people there to make it happen; Valentine for one is a well thought out character, who faces hardships and can at times be unlikeable in his attitudes, but evolves over the process.
And his recovery is also integral in a kind - he always feels like he might be on the edge of collapse, of things falling apart. So, sure, you're invested in finding the killer, but equally in what happens with Valentine, love him or loathe him.
Solid story, great characters, and a great writing style!
DI Bob Valentine returns to the job after being stabbed and, technically, dying twice in the process. The case? A banker is murdered and discarded in the local tip. Leads are hard to find, the media are pressuring them, and it soon becomes clear there's a serial killer on the loose.
And, while it has a solid mystery around it, as does any good crime novel, Black's characters stand out from the page on their own merit's. It's not just plot-heavy with people there to make it happen; Valentine for one is a well thought out character, who faces hardships and can at times be unlikeable in his attitudes, but evolves over the process.
And his recovery is also integral in a kind - he always feels like he might be on the edge of collapse, of things falling apart. So, sure, you're invested in finding the killer, but equally in what happens with Valentine, love him or loathe him.
Solid story, great characters, and a great writing style!
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