Black Seconds - Karin Fossum

Early on in Karin Fossum's 'Black Seconds', when her daughter Ida has not come back home long after going to purchase some comics, Helga starts getting nervous but also thinks "... Why did this feel so familiar? Because she had already, for many years now, been rehearsing this moment in her mind...". This insight into the mind of not just Helga but any parents whose child is young, the fear that your child cannot take care of him/herself, the fear that she may get lost/hurt and sets the tone for this compelling and moving novel.

When 11 year old Ida  goes missing, Inspector Sejer starts searching for her. Search parties are mounted, but to no avail. There are 2 other parallel threads, one concerning 'Emil' a curious character, who doesn't speak and generally shuns/is shunned by there and the other concerning, 'Tomme', the nephew of Helga. We see the lives of Tomme unraveling, witnessed with a sense of impending doom by Ruth his mother (and Helga's sister) and also 'Emil' whose isolated existence is also being threatened. Does any of these have any relation to Ida going missing or are these just red herrings? Though Fossum doesn't give out anything one way or the other, one can guess the perpetrator some way into the novel, though it doesn't have any major impact on your reading experience, because this is majorly a novel that deals with the fear/foreboding of loss , the actual pain that strikes you when your worst nightmare comes true, the ways in which people deal with it/try to come to turns with it and which incidentally also happens to be crime fiction. Sample this. As Helga becomes more and more frantic when Ida does not return, she decides to call the police and thinks that if she does it, Ida will come back, because then it would mean that Helga had overreacted and she is willing to be the target of derision from others, if it would mean that Ida will come back. We, the reader, looking from outside, know that Ida is not coming, are aware that these things very rarely end up being good, but the capacity of the human mind to create scenarios to avoid facing painful situations/to create happy resolutions, however unrealistic the scenarios may be, how much ever they fly in the face of reality (even Helga would be aware of this, but her love doesn't let her face it) the pathos of the whole thing, still moves us. 

The perpetrator is also one of us, he is not your standard cunning, scheming criminal master mind, but someone who makes a mistake without meaning to, is afraid to own up to it, puts on a face of deception, but to no avail because his initial mistake/deception in turns becomes a vicious circle of more mistakes and more deception, always pulling him deeper into the quagmire from which there is no escape. Towards the end, after he has been apprehended  ".. He got through his day one second at a time. He often tried to daydream, tried to nibble his way through this mountain of time that lay before him...". Yes, a mountain of time to get through, not just for him, not just for  Helga, but also for the families of everyone directly impacted by the events of the novel.  Fossum again succeeds in making us adjust our perceptions of crime, its consequences and empathize with everyone involved in this sad business, without compromising much on the core tenets of crime fiction,  reinforcing once again she remains a cut above the majority of crime writers and is one of the very best in the business.

Standing In Another Man’s Grave- ரீபஸின் மீள்வருகை

பதாகை இதழில் வெளிவந்தது - http://padhaakai.com/2014/12/14/ian-rankin/
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ரான்கின் பற்றிய சொல்வனம் கட்டுரையிலிருந்து சில பத்திகள்-

1987-இல் முதல் ரீபஸ் நாவல் வெளிவந்தபோது, ரீபஸின் வயது நாற்பது. இதனால் 2007-இல் வெளி வந்த எக்ஸிட் ம்யூஸிக் (Exit Music) நாவலின்போது அவருக்கு அறுபது வயதாகி விட, பணி ஒய்வு பெறுகிறார். இந்தத் தொடரும் (இப்போதைக்கு?) முடிவடைகிறது……

ஷுவான் இன்னும் பணியில் இருப்பதால் அவருக்கு வெளியில் இருந்து ரீபஸ் உதவுவதாக நாவல்கள் வெளிவரும் என்னும் நம்பிக்கை உள்ளது. “ரீபஸ் வெளியேயிருந்து ஷுவானுக்கு உதவுவதன் மூலம் இத்தொடரை நகர்த்தப் பல வழிகள் இருக்கின்றன,” என்று ரான்கின் முன்பு ஒரு நேர்காணலில் கூறியது அதற்கு வலு சேர்க்கின்றது.

ஒரு தொடரை முடித்தபின் அதன் முக்கியப் பாத்திரத்தை உயிர்த்தெழச் செய்வதென்பது, இலக்கியத்தில் அவ்வப்போது நடக்கும் ஒன்றுதான். ஹோல்ம்ஸ் (வாசகரின் ஏகோபித்த விருப்பத்தின் பேரில்) துவங்கி வாலண்டர் வரை இதற்கு உதாரணங்கள் உள்ளன. அந்த வழியில் இப்போது ரீபஸ்

ரீபஸ் பணி ஓய்வு பெற இருக்கும் இறுதி நாட்களில் நடக்கும் ‘Exit Music‘ நாவலுக்குப் பின் (ரீபஸ் வரும் இறுதி நாவல் இது என்று ரான்கின் அறிவித்திருந்தார்) 5 வருடங்கள் கழித்து‘Standing in Another Man’s Grave‘ நாவலில், ஓர் இறுதிச் சடங்கில் பங்கேற்கும் அவரை நாம் மீண்டும் சந்திக்கும்போது, பணி ஓய்வு வாழ்க்கை அவரை எப்படி மாற்றி இருக்கும் (இருக்குமா), மனிதர் இப்போது சற்று கனிந்திருப்பாரா போன்ற கேள்விகளுடன், நீண்டகால நண்பரை ஒரு சிறிய இடைவெளிக்குப் பின் சந்திக்கும்போது தோன்றக்கூடிய தயக்கத்துடன் அணுகுகிறோம். இந்தச் சூழலில் இரு சம்பவங்கள் நடக்கின்றன. ரீபஸின் உயரதிகாரி, அவருக்காக தான் அலுவலகத்தில் காத்துக்கொண்டிருப்பதாக குறுஞ்செய்தி அனுப்ப, “What’s the rush” என்று ரீபஸ் பதில் அனுப்புகிறார். இப்படி அவர் செய்யக் காரணம் “.. just to be annoying”. இதைப் படிக்கும்போது மனிதர் பெரிதாக மாறியிருக்க மாட்டார் என்ற நம்பிக்கை நமக்கு வருகிறது. ரீபஸின் உயரதிகாரி தனக்கு மேல்நிலையில் உள்ளவர்களுக்கு வால் பிடிப்பதைப் பற்றி “It’s called stalking…”, என்று அவரிடமே ரீபஸ் கிண்டலாக சொல்வதும் தெரிய வரும்போது, நம் நம்பிக்கை உறுதிப்படுகிறது..

‘Exit Music‘ நாவலுக்கும் இந்த நாவலுக்கும் இடையில் வேறு சில நாவல்களை ரான்கின் எழுதி இருந்த நிலையில், இந்த நாவல் குறித்த எதிர்பார்ப்பு மட்டும் வாசகர்களிடம் அது பற்றிய அறிவிப்பிலிருந்தே அதிகமாக இருந்தது. ஏன்? ஒரு நாவலைப் படிக்கும்போது, ஆரம்பத்திலிருந்தே என்ன குற்றம் நடக்கப்போகிறது, எப்போது நடக்கப்போகிறது என அதன் போக்கை கவனிப்பதைவிட, ஒரு பாத்திரத்தின் மீது வாசகன் ஏன் கவனம் செலுத்த வேண்டும்? தனி (stand alone) நாவல்களைப் போலில்லாமல், தொடர் (series) நாவல்களில் ஒவ்வொரு நாவலும், மற்றவையுடன் அதிக தொடர்பில்லாமல் இருந்தாலும், அனைத்திலும் முக்கியப் பாத்திரம் ஒன்றாக இருப்பதால், ஒரு தொடரின் வெற்றி, அதன் நாவல்களின் உள்ளடக்கத்திற்கு இணையாக அதன் முக்கியப் பாத்திரத்தின் கையில் உள்ளது. அந்தப் பாத்திரம் எந்தளவுக்கு வாசகனிடம் வரவேற்பைப் பெறுகிறதோ அந்தளவுக்கு அந்தத் தொடரும் வெற்றியடைகிறது.

தொடர் நாவல்களின் பலமாகவும் பலவீனமாகவும் ஒரே நேரத்தில் பார்க்கப்படக்கூடுமென்றாலும், மோர்ஸ் (Morse), ரீபஸ் (Rebus) போன்ற சில பாத்திரங்கள் தாங்கள் வரும் நாவல்களின் உள்ளடக்கத்தைத் தாண்டி முக்கியத்துவம் அடைந்துள்ளார்கள். குற்றப்புனைவுகளின் அதி-நாயகர்கள் போல் இருந்தாலும், இவர்கள் அதிநாயகர்களின் குணாதியசங்கள் கொண்டவர்கள் அல்லர் , தங்கள் பலங்களுக்கு நிகரான, தங்களையே அழிக்கக்கூடிய பலவீனங்களையும் கொண்டவர்களாக இருக்கிறார்கள். இத்தகைய பாத்திரங்கள் வாசகர்களின் ஏகோபித்த வரவேற்பைப் பெறுவது, அதன் ஆசிரியர், பாத்திர வார்ப்பு, அதன் பரிணாம வளர்ச்சி இவற்றில் காட்டும் அக்கறைக்குக் கிடைக்கும் வெற்றி. (இத்தகைய பாத்திரங்களுக்கு மாறான, பலவீனங்கள் வெளிக்கொணரப்படாத ஹோல்ம்ஸ் – திமிர் பிடித்தவர் போன்ற வெகு சில எதிர்மறை குணங்களைத் தவிர-, நவீன பாத்திரங்களான வாலண்டர், மோர்ஸ் இவர்களின் குடிப்பழக்கம் அவர்களை எப்படி பாதிக்கிறது என்பது போன்ற சித்தரிப்புக்களுடன் ஒப்பிடும்போது, வழக்கு ஏதும் இல்லா நேரத்தில் ஹோல்ம்ஸின் சிந்தனைக்கு ஊக்கம் தரக்கூடியதாக உள்ள அவரின் போதைப் பழக்கம்கூட, காவிய வார்ப்பு கொண்டதாகவே உள்ளது,- தூய அதிநாயக பாத்திரம் எனலாம்).

ரீபஸ் மீண்டும் பணியில் சேர்வதற்கு, குற்றப் புனைவுகளில் உள்ள ஒரு tropeஐ ரான்கின் உபயோகித்துள்ளார். ‘cold cases’ எனப்படும், துலக்கப்படாத பல்லாண்டு கால குற்றங்களை விசாரிக்கும் குழுவில் ரீபஸ் சேர்கிறார். 2000ல் காணாமல் போன தன் மகளை இன்னும் தேடிக் கொண்டிருக்கும் தாயின் மூலமாக அந்த வழக்கை விசாரிக்க ஆரம்பிக்கிறார்.

குற்றத்தின் காரணம், அது பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களின் வாழ்வை எப்படி மாற்றியமைக்கிறது, முக்கியப் பாத்திரத்தின் வாழ்வியல் மாற்றங்கள், வழமையான தொடர் குற்றப் புனைவுகளிடமிருந்து, ரான்கின், மான்கேல் போன்றோரின் ஆக்கங்களை வேறுபடுத்துகின்றன. இத்தகைய விஷயங்களில் அதிக கவனம் செலுத்தி, குற்றப் புனைவு எனும் வகைமையை மிக மிக யதார்த்தமாக அணுகுவதால், பரபரப்பு/ கிளர்ச்சி இவற்றைத் தாண்டி, குற்றத்தின் பாதிப்பை/ அதன் காரணிகளை மிக நெருக்கமாக உணரச் செய்து, வாசகனிடம் மிகுந்த பாதிப்பை ஏற்படுத்தக் கூடியவை இவ்வகை படைப்புக்கள். அதே நேரம் குற்றப் புனைவின் ஆதாரமான மர்மம், துப்பறிதல் இவற்றிலிருந்து, நம் கவனத்தை திசை திருப்பக்கூடியவை. திசை திருப்பல் என்பது இங்கு இந்தப் புனைவுகளின் பலவீனமாகக் குறிப்பிடப்படவில்லை, அவற்றின் நோக்கம் வாசகனைக் கொண்டு செல்லும் இடம் குற்றப் புனைவுகளிடம் இருந்து சற்று தள்ளி இருக்கக் கூடும் என்பதை சுட்டவே. உதாரணமாக ‘Karin Fossum’ன் நாவல்கள். குற்றப் புனைவுகளிலேயே ஒரு உள்-வகைமையாக இவற்றைப் பார்க்கலாம். பாத்திரங்களையோ/ குற்றங்களையோ, குற்றப்புனைவின் அம்சங்களையோ ஒன்றை ஒன்று ஆதிக்கம் செலுத்துவதாக இல்லாமல், இரண்டு இழைகளையும் லாகவமாக கையாளக் கூடியவர்களில் ரான்கினும் ஒருவர்.

ரீபஸின் தனிப்பட்ட வாழ்க்கை, மற்றவர்களுடன் அவருடைய உறவு/ உறவின்மை இவற்றோடு அவர் விசாரிக்கும் வழக்கு மிக இயல்பாக இணைந்துள்ளது. ரீபஸ் விசாரணைக்காக காரில் செல்லும் ஒரு நீண்ட பயணம் அவர் தனிவாழ்வோடு எப்படி இணைகிறது என்பதற்கு ஓர் உதாரணம். காவல்துறை நிர்வாகத்தில் ஏற்பட்டுள்ள மாற்றங்களுடன் அவரால் ஒத்துப்போக முடியாவிட்டாலும், தொடர்ந்து விசாரணை செய்து மறைக்கப்பட்ட/ மற்ற காவல்துறை அதிகாரிகள் கண்டுகொள்ளாத சில விஷயங்களை ரீபஸ் கண்டுபிடிக்கிறார்.

ரான்கினின் இன்னொரு தொடர் நாவல் வரிசையான ‘Malcolm Fox ‘ நாவல்களின் முக்கியப் பாத்திரம் பாக்ஸ், இந்த நாவலிலும் வருகிறார். இரு அதிநாயகர்களின் புகழை சாதகமாக பயன்படுத்திக் கொண்டு அவர்களை ஒரே படைப்பில் இணைப்பதைப் போல் இல்லாமல், அவர்களின் வேலை சார்ந்து இருவரும் சந்திக்க நேரிடுகிறது. எதிரும் புதிருமாக இருக்கும் இவர்கள் இருவரின் உறவின் முதல் அத்தியாயத்தை இந்த நாவலில் பார்க்கிறோம், வரும் நாவல்களில் அது இன்னும் வளர்த்தெடுக்கப்பட வாய்ப்புள்ளது. சியோபனுடனான ரீபஸின் உறவின் மாற்றங்களையும் நாம் காண முடிகிறது, இதுவும் அடுத்து வரப்போகிற நாவல்களில் விரிவாக பேசப்படலாம்.

ஒரு கட்டத்தில் நாவல் முழு குற்றப் புனைவின் உருவைப் பெறுகிறது. திடுக்கிட வைக்கும் சில கண்டுபிடிப்புக்கள், பரபரப்பான சம்பவங்கள் என நாவல் நகர ஆரம்பிக்கிறது. இறுதிப் பகுதியை நாவலின் பலவீனம் என்று சொல்லலாம். நாவலின் மைய இழையோடு முதலிலிருந்தே தொடர்ந்து வரும் ஒரு கிளைக்கதையின் போக்கை வெகு எளிதில் வாசகன் யூகிக்கலாம். இரண்டு இழைகளையும் அவசர கதியில் இணைத்து முடிக்கிறார் ரான்கின். ரீபஸுக்கு ஒரு புது எதிரி உருவாகிறார் (இது ஒன்றும் ஆச்சரியம் இல்லை, அவருக்கு எதிரிகள் உருவாகாவிட்டால்தான் அதிசயம்).

குற்றப் புனைவின் பொது வாசகனாக, ரான்கின்/ ரீபஸ் canonன் மிகச் சிறந்த நாவல்/ நாவல்களில் ஒன்று என்று கூற முடியாவிட்டாலும், சில குறைகளைக் கொண்ட, பெரும்பாலும் நேர்த்தியாக பின்னப்பட்ட நாவலாக இதை அணுகலாம்.

ஆனால் ரீபஸின் நெடுங்கால வாசகனுக்கு நாவலின் உள்ளடக்கத்தை விடவும், அவரின் மறுவருகையே முக்கியம். அதிகாரத்திற்கு/ அதிகாரிகளுக்கு மரியாதை தராத, உணர்வுகளை வெளிக்காட்டத் தெரியாத/ விரும்பாத (ஒரு இடத்தில் சியோபனிடம் சற்றே முரட்டுத்தனமாக நடந்து கொண்டுவிட்டு, வருந்தி, அவரைத் தொலைபேசியில் அழைத்தபின்பு எதுவும் பேசாமல் அழைப்பை துண்டித்து விடுகிறார்), வழக்கில் ஒரு சிறு துப்பு கிடைத்தாலும், தன் வேலைக்கான பாதுகாப்பைப் பற்றியோ, தன்னைப் பற்றியோ கவலைப்படாமல் உடும்புப் பிடியாகப் பிடித்துக் கொண்டு முன்னேறுவது, மற்றவர்கள் தன்னைப் பற்றி என்ன நினைக்கிறார்கள் என்று கொஞ்சம்கூட கவலைப்படாமல் இருப்பது, சுய-அழிப்பின் (self-destruction) விளிம்பில் ஊசலாடுவது, அதை விரும்பவும் செய்கிறாரோ என்று வாசகனை எண்ணச் செய்வது என இவர் நாம் முன்பு அறிந்திருந்த ரீபஸாகவே இருப்பது முக்கியமான ஒன்றாக உள்ளது. இந்தப் பத்தியில் ஓரிடத்தில் சொன்னது போல, கதையின் உள்ளடக்கத்தைத் தாண்டி ரீபஸ் உயர்ந்து நிற்கிறார்.

(சியோபனுக்கு இந்த நாவலில் அதிக பங்கில்லை என்பது கொஞ்சம் ஏமாற்றமளித்தாலும், அது நாவலின் வாசிப்பிற்கு இடையூறாக இல்லை, நாம் நன்கு அறிந்த இன்னொரு பாத்திரம் அதிகம் கவனப்படுத்தப்படவில்லை என்ற சிறிய ஆதங்கம் மட்டுமே அது. இதையும் ரீபஸின் மறுவருகை குறித்த வாசக எதிர்பார்ப்புடன் இணைத்துப் பார்க்கலாம்) அந்த விதத்தில் ரீபஸுடனான மிகவும் மன நிறைவான சந்திப்பாக ‘Standing in Another Man’s Grave‘ உள்ளது.

பின்குறிப்பு:

இந்த நாவலுக்குப் பின் ரீபஸ் வரும் ஒரு நாவலும்/ சிறுகதை தொகுப்பும் வெளிவந்துள்ளது.

The Retribution - Val Mcdermid

Jacko Vance, who has been haunting Toni Hill even though he has been behind bars for years is planning his escape as 'The Retribution' begins. 

Jacko escapes, Jacko does several shockingly evil things, the novel ends, that's it. Mcdermid's novels have been of a consistently high quality, with well fleshed out characters,  tightly built events, a slow build up to a explosive climax. But in this novel, Mcdermid seems to let it run all over the place, the apparent ease in which Jacko does what he does is as shocking if not more than what he actually does. The novel reads more like a generic, mindless slasher novel than the closely knit dark/brooding ones we associate with her. 

The unspoken things between Tony and Carol is one of the main USP's of this series, but Mcdermid is treading the line where it can become a case of flogging a horse to its death. All this, 'will they/wont they' speculation could lead to reader exhaustion beyond a point. Flashes of the Mcdermid that we know are there, a couple of events that remind us that Mcdermid doesn't play to the gallery, doesn't shy away from things that can unsettle the reader and that this novel is just an aberration in an otherwise high quality series.

Broken Harbour - Tana French

Early in Tana French's 'Broken Harbour', detective Kennedy and his partner enter a house where a family of 4 have been brutally assaulted with only the mother still alive. At that poiint, Kennedy, his partner and yes the readers sense the presence of evil, which doesn't leave it's grip on Kennedy/the readers until the very end, and even then there is a lingering aftertaste of its presence.  It is not just to the violent nature of the crime. The holes that have been made in the walls, the surveillance cameras in the various rooms, what do they indicate? Was the family being targeted by someone (or something) which the holes bored in the walls indicate?  Were they waiting in fearful anticipation of something evil striking them and taken precautions in the form of surveillance cameras? Imagine a family of a couple and 2 kids living in constant fear of what would finally befall them, the mind cracking waiting for it.

Tana's earlier novels have a pattern where the main protagonist of the novel faces a case (which is the novel) which shatters him completely. It is the same here. Kennedy is a detective who has the highest solve rate in the squad and right from the beginning we know that this case will test him like no other (in Kennedy's own words as he is the narrator). Throughout the novel, there are various incidents that she hints at as being very relevant/non-relevant to the novel.  There is a very obvious red herring in the early stages of the novel regarding a suspect, an incident towards the middle which Kennedy refers to (in hindsight) as being critical

which in normal cases would have acted as spoilers. But Tana doesn't worry about these things as the way in which she unravels the story and her narrative verve ensure that the user never relaxes one bit even though he feels that Tana has shown all her cards. This is because there is always a feeling that she is holding one card back, one that would once again re-frame your entire understanding of the events, the red herring suspect not completely being a red herring an example of this. You some that something is not completely right and yet not completely wrong too.

Setting a 500 plus page novel over the course of 3-4 days takes some doing. A lot of things happen at the micro level but at times one could feel that nothing major is happening. The first 150 odd pages are devoted to the first day of the investigation. This again could have proved counter productive as the reader may get put off by this long drawn out day to day detailing, but here too Tana's narration ensures that this does not happen, the stake out near the house of the victims being one example. Drawn out over 2 days (nights actually), it is guaranteed to give you the chills. At every step, there is an expectation of something happening, some new fact coming to light and it does happen. Kennedy's character initially comes across as  pompous and insufferable and yes he is all these things. A protagonist like this is a sure fire recipe for a novel collapsing. But it is to Tana's credit that she brings out the goal oriented driven part of his character, that makes us slowly understand his manic need for control always, which makes him bearable even if does not endear him to us.

There are a few minor missteps too. Interleaved with the investigation is Kennedy's past which is again a technique done to perfection earlier by Tana in her 'In the Woods'. Towards the end, she gives out a revelation about an incident in the past. One can contrast this with 'In the woods' where the ambiguity about the protagonist's past was maintained till the end.  One can also guess right at the beginning about the toll this investigation will taken on Kennedy (Kennedy pretty much gives it away), but compared to the other hints that Tana drops and still packs a punch when finally revealing them, this one feels like a let down from the high standards till then. Of course, as in other cases. both these incidents are backed up logically, but there is a sense of a contrivance, a sense that Tana is trying a bit too hard (particularly the tipping point for Kennedy's decision) to ensure that things are tied up neatly. 

These don't matter much, as in the end the novel is not as much about the 'who' or the 'how', the mystery or the final revelation. It is also not about Kennedy taking too much of the limelight and distracting the reader from the victims. It is more about the 'why' and the events leading up to it. The unraveling of the events is not about the mystery as much as it is about the unraveling of a mind.  As Kennedy digs further into the lives of the victims, we see something that could happen to us, an evil that could touch us as easily as it touched the victims. It is then you finally understand the presence of the evil that you sensed right at the beginning. 

In a way the novel is also a commentary on how transient 'financial stability' has become in these times of more frequent/short cycles of financial boom/recession. At beginning of the investigation Kennedy says  " it gets there because they open the door and invite it in," about murders happening. Yes, the evil is out there, just waiting to be invited by unsuspecting folks who just want to lead a happy life and think that what they invite would help towards that. But what they find is that they have not invited a matronly 'grandma', but a big bad red wolf. But by then, the wolf has taken over the house. Is it a mistake of the victims or is it something that is near impossible to avoid in this age of consumerism. Can this evil be ever fully destroyed? The novel leaves with such sobering questions at the end rather than the exhilaration of a thrilling hunt.

With 5 novels (the latest one being published just about a week ago), Tana French is a distinct voice straddling both the police procedural as well as psychological crime, but ultimately carving out an identity of her own. Not be missed.

The Last Temptation - Val Mcdermid

It is interesting to see how a series of novels (in any genre) develops over the course of time. The quality of the series (which is subjective) is one thing, other things that are of interest include the themes/canvas/setting that the author chooses over the course of the series and any change in them. Some authors seem to be clear right from the beginning about how the series is going to go. For instance, right from 'Faceless Killers', once can sense/see the themes that Mankell would expand upon in his next works. 'Sjöwall and Wahlöö apparently had a plan for 10 books alone, right from the beginning. Some authors are different, it does take time for them to find their voice, like Rankin for instance. The initial novels of Rebus series like 'Tooth & Nail', 'Hide & Seek' etc could be termed as slasher novels. They were good yes, but it is with novels like 'Black Book', 'Black & blue' that you see Rankin finding his feet and his preferred zone of writing. 

Similar is the case of 'Val Mcdermid's Tony Hill. Yes, the series made a splash right from the beginning with the unique protagonist 'Tony Hill' , which was in a way, the emasculation of the dominant masculinity of crime fiction. So, you had a unique main character and  antagonists whose evil shocked many, but they still remain dangerously close to slasher novels. The third novel in the series 'The Last Temptation' falls in this category.The interplay between characters, the well-drawn story lines of the earlier series are missing in them. 

'The Last Temptation' sees Carol Jordan going undercover in Europe to nail a gangster. (Too?) coincidentally, Tony too lands up in Europe as part of an investigation into the serial killing of psychologists. The two strands proceed in parallel and result in a gory end. The killing of the psychologists is gory, but not well thought out with the main intention being to shock the reader. Carol's thread had a lot of potential, which the latter day Val Mcdermid would surely have fleshed out well, the dynamics between Carol and the Gangster, the blurring of the lines between reality and the part one is playing etc, but as such what we get are the flashes of potential that we see to fruition in the later novels, but which remain underdeveloped here ultimately. Even the intentions of the serial killer has potential with the weight of history lending credence to it. But here again, it remains an interesting idea that didn't achieve it's full potential. Mcdermid takes the easy way out in the convergence of the 2 threads towards the end. The revelation about an event which helped Carol to enter the gangster's world is totally incredulous. One actually guesses it beforehand, but still holds hope that Mcdermid would never go for such a far-fetched scenario, and hence is disappointed when our guess turns out to be correct. One thing is consistent though. Right from the first book, Mcdermid has never been squeamish about blood and gore, (at the same time avoiding gratuitous violence) and putting her characters in difficult places, both emotionally and physically. 

As a crime fiction novel, it is middling at best. But  since it tells us why the Tony-Carol relationship is the way it is in the later novels, it is important in that sense and hence is a must read if you are a follower of this series.

Broken Skin - Stuart Macbride

In Stuart Macbride's 'Broken Skin', DS Logan McRae  gets thrashed by a young kid on one occasion. While the image of a grown up eating humble pie at the hands of a kid is funny, it is tempered by the fact that the kid in question has seriously injured another person while attempting a theft. What causes a kid who was well behaved a few months ago, to go on this violent streak? Throughout the DS Logan series , Macrbide keeps doing this macabre dance between being ferociously funny and brutally violent.

Life is as usual for Logan (i.e.) multiple cases to solve, being bullied by Roberta Steel and Insch, trying to slope of work and the bullying. But he has the knack of being involved in anything and everything he tries to avoid. In addition to searching for the delinquent kid, he has to track a serial rapist and a suspicious death which seems related to the S&M industry.

Careful plotting , red herrings and a twist based on something mentioned earlier on in the novel, these are not the strong points of this series. Macbride sets up the various cases/threads of the novel and set Logan running off on his own. The resolution of the novels are a bit too fast, towards the end each case gets solved one by one with a twist that doesn't seem sudden or shocking but as a kind of halfhearted cop-out done just so the novel could end. This could indeed a problem with Macbride's books which run to over 400 pages and in some cases over 500. After reading nearly 3/4ths of these novels, one could feel shortchanged about the ending, which can have an adverse impact on your reading the other works in the series.

All these are overcome by the strengths of the series, which is mainly propelled by the sheer narrative force, the dialogues and the quirky characters.  'Roberta Steel' is still such an engaging character, Insch is true to form, Rennie is suitably slovenly and Richards is a good addition to this weird and funny bunch. As usual Logan hovers on the borderline of being wimpy and reluctant hero. And the dialogues, Macbride just creams this part, the series is worth reading just for them. Beware though, Macbride is not just about dark humor, he can and does dark things to his characters which one cannot just imagine. So you never feel safe with even the main characters of the series because, you never know or rather you know that they can be subjected to unexpected disasters. It is never gratuitous, just Macbride's way of telling us that crap happens and it happens often and at the most unexpected times. This is a compelling series not to be missed if you have the stomach for it.

A heads up for reading the Garnethill Trilogy by Denise Mina

The major issue in reading a crime series is that most of the time, we read it in an order that is different than the one in which they were written. There are multiple reasons, it could be that the order of translation itself is incorrect, or the order in which we get access to the books is wrong, etc. But generally it doesn't cause much confusion other than some seeming inconsistencies in the main protagonists of the series, due to our reading of the series in a different order. The story line of each novel though is mostly self-contained and rarely spills over into the next novels in the series.

It is due to this confidence that I started reading 'Exile' the second novel in Denise Mina's 'Garnethill Trilogy', the first being 'Garnethill'. The confidence was misplaced as the initial parts of the novel tell of events that reveal the main antagonist of the first novel. The writing in this novel is of very high quality,  which isn't surprising for me having read a few of her standalone works, but the revelations about the previous novel (which is perfectly right from the perspective of the main character 'Maureen'.) have kind of put me of the entire series, which is sad, because it is rare to see such powerful writing.

Anyway, heads up to anyone wanting to read the 'Garnethill' trilogy, read them in the order they were published. That's the best way to do it.

Snow White must die - Nele Neuhaus

'Tobias Sartorius' has served 11 years in prison after being convicted of killing 2 girls and has been released as Nele Neuhaus's 'Snow white must die' begins. Though Tobias has always maintained that he is innocent, he also cannot remember anything of the events of the day when he is supposed to have killed the 2 girls. The beginning does remind us of Hakan Nasser's 'The Return' and Tana French's 'In the Woods',  but Neuhaus creates her own path to the murky depths of human behavior. 

A mystery set in a small village could be an easy cop-out, just mention that the village is small, that everyone knows everyone, throw a bit of gossip and you have a small town mystery. But right from the prologue Neuhaus gets the setting, tone and mood perfect. The prologue starts of with a disturbing image. It begins as what seems to be a common enough scenario in crime fiction, where someone seems to be imprisoned and the person who has imprisoned the captive has come to see her. He makes sure that the captive has everything that is needed, including playing music etc. But something seems to be wrong, it doesn't seem to be a case of kidnapping and slowly we realize that whoever had been imprisoned is not alive (and has been probably dead for quite a long time) and the person has been taking care of a corpse. Scary. (Having communicated implicitly that the captive is dead, why did Neuhaus have to state it explicitly at the end of the prologue? A bit more confidence in the reader would do writers a whole lot of good).

The setting of Altenhain village, between 2 mountains, with the woods nearby add to the eerie atmosphere. Add to this the mob mentality of the villagers when Tobias returns to his home, the various characters who all seem to be disturbed by his return (unlike a majority of the villagers who just seem to hate having a murderer in their village,  these characters seem to be  personally involved in events of the past), a young man suffering (apparently) from autism who seems to know more than what he lets on, an curious teenager (who is also an outsider) who is interested in the past, you get a novel (and the village in it) waiting to explode.

Nelehaus maintains the narrative tension for the first half well, with multiple scenarios for what could have happened in the past and several suspects for them. Nelehaus is ambitious in the scope of the novel and even if there are too many threads going around, all them are neatly tied with the core of the novel and do make sense. The motivation of each character is pitch perfect, but the manner in which the investigators (and Nelehaus) arrive at it is not. And that's because, she overextends herself,  gets entangled in her own web of threads and is in such a hurry to resolve every doubt that she had sown in the mind of the reader (and the investigators), that the unraveling of the mystery seems more like the unraveling of her narrative skills. There are the obligatory parallel threads of the personnel life of the lead investigators which is functional. In a way, it is actually a good thing because we are not distracted from the core of the novel, but it could also be a deterrent in case of a series (as opposed to in a standalone mystery) when you are not invested into the main protagonists. 

The novels works more as a powerful human drama than as a taut mystery. A drama of power, and its abuse in various forms. The cunning manifestation of power masquerading as compassion, the power of sexuality and the sexual jealousy it causes. The drama of families broken apart by a tragic event, the tragic event itself acting as a canvas where the villagers can paint their 

pseudo-solicitousness and holier than thou attitude all the while harboring great glee at the opportunity to gossip and badmouth others and reveling in the misfortune of others. The sad state of Tobias's father is one such instance. His once famous restaurant had to be closed due to lack of patronage, his farm had to be mortgaged, house went to seed, got divorced from his wife, he also has to bear the taunts of the villagers. One could argue as to why he should suffer for what his son did and one could rationalize that it was an unfortunate, but unavoidable side-effect of what his son did (or what the villagers thought he did). But towards the end, when one gets to know the truth behind the events,  it is clear that more than righteousness  or moral outrage, it  was the jealousy and spite that the villagers harbored towards the family to Tobias that made them turn against them without any compunction. 

This is also about how being a complicit bystander, where one chooses to not do/to ignore/turn the other way,  causes as much heartburn as what one actually does. And it is the power and depth of this human drama, that makes one hope that Neuhaus can provide us more tighter mysteries without compromising on the human core.

P.S

As is the case in the translation of most authors, it looks like Nele Neuhaus's books are being translated out of order. This seems to her 7th book (as per one of her interviews) and it is not clear whether her earlier works were standalone novels or if they too had the detectives  Pia and Oliver in them. Early on in this novel, there is a reference to an earlier investigation. If that investigation is indeed an earlier novel in this series, the reference here could work as a kind of dampener as one of the suspects is mentioned as being not being innocent. However, It must be said that this novel looks (and reads) like the first of a series, so the reference mentioned here may have no major impact.

  

Hans Koppel - Two novels - She's never coming back/You're mine now

Hans Koppel's 'She's never coming back' starts with the kidnapping of Ylva. Koppel adds an audacious and macabre twist to it as her kidnappers keep her captive in basement of a house that is right opposite Ylva's. The room where she is captive has a live camera feed for transmitting images from the front of her own house.

The plot has multiple threads to it. The core one is of course the mystery of who has kidnapped her and why. The relationship between Ylva and Mike (there is a mention of an affair between Ylva and another person sometime earlier), with Mike seemingly prone to bouts of depression is another, as is the thread of how Mike and his daughter try to pick the pieces of their lives and move on.

All of these could have made the novel as much a psychological drama as it is a mystery. But Koppel doesn't much time on these, not even time to give enough information for the reader to un-spool the unsaid by  himself. It's one thing, if Koppel had completely ignored the other threads and kept it as a straight forward thriller. But looks like he was caught in two minds, one to add more emotional heft to a thriller and at the same time feeling a compulsion to write a fast paced thriller. The result is that we get a few tantalizing insights, like the dynamics of the husband-wife relation, how relatively easily the family (seemingly) gets over Ylva's disappearance. The relationship between Ylva and her kidnappers is another thread that had immense possibilities. But Koppel rushes from one situation to another, running at breakneck speed towards the end, making all the above superfluous. 

The mystery itself is nothing much to speak of. The identity of the kidnapper is a surprise (though a bit contrived, it's purpose being to lead to the conclusion) , but the manner in which they do it (and also the other crimes they do) is glossed over. It just looks like the kidnapper got up one day and decided to do it. There is no hint of the planning etc done by them, particularly about the other crimes committed. The reason for the crimes is a sad enough story, one that we have heard about countless times. There is also another parallel thread about a couple of people who were classmates of Ylva, which gives some hints on why the kidnapping could have happened, but there is again a 'ex deus machina' in this thread to take the story forward.

With some many plot-lines, each with potential of their own, this could have been a cracker of a novel, but remains a middling one at best.

Koppel's 'You're mine now' pretty much follows the same pattern. Anna has an affair with an younger 'Erik' and it leads to unforeseen consequences. The dynamics of Anna's relationship with her husband (Magnus) is interesting here too. One good thing about both the novels is that the women in them are quite capable of taking care of themselves and don't always need a shoulder to cry on. The men, though not wimps come very close to being one. Magnus is a better etched character than Mike, the reason being Koppel spends more time on showing us their relationship. When Anna decides to break off the affair, Erik shows another side of his. The transformation (to the reader and Anna) of Erik is brought out well. Instead of telling us directly, Koppel makes us understand through the actions of Erik. Sometimes he is submissive, disconsolate,  yearning for Anna, cajoling her and sometimes he is aggressive, spewing hatred and trying to create problems for her, telling reader (and Anna) that he is unstable. The reason for Erik's actions is a controversial plot line which is completely skimmed over by Koppel other than a few hints here and there. 

Mention should be made of the role of police in both the novels. The policemen here are not existentially scarred persons fighting ghosts of the past. Their concerns seem to be like when the baths or cinemas would open rather than justice.  It's also probably an indicator of how police view some (supposed) crimes in reality. When Ylva is first reported missing, the police take quite a long time to decide that she has indeed gone missing against her and will and their first (and major) suspicion is on the husband. When 'Anna' reports about Erik pestering her, the policemen do not take it too seriously. Even when a character goes missing and Erik seems to be in the thick of it, they take Erik's word and decide that he has nothing to do with it. One could say that they are being realistic or incompetent, depending on how you view it.

If one is looking for a reasonably fast paced thriller, these two novels offer a bang for the buck. But does the bang has as much an impact as it sounds? And what after the bang? Though both novels fail to scale the heights they promise to, the story-lines that Koppel takes up, the (infrequent) moments of startling insights into relationships that the books have make one hope that Koppel may achieve this promise in his future books. 

The Blackhouse - Peter May

A policeman who has faced a personal tragedy and whose family life is in shambles. Check. A policeman who has to go to his hometown (from where he escaped years ago and has cut off all contacts after that) to investigate a murder. Check. A hometown where everyone knows everyone but certain things are best left unsaid. Check. A back story where the policeman and his friend strive for the attention of the same girl. Check. With all these in place, Peter May's 'The Blackhouse' does not start on a promising note. To add to it, the back story of the protagonist, 'Fin Macleod', is narrated in first person by Fin himself, which also seems jarring initially.

Due to murder in 'Isle of Lewis', which seems similar to the one that occurred earlier in Edinburgh, Fin, who was part of the original investigation is asked to go to his hometown to check if both are related. The head of investigation at Lewis doesn't want him around, but Fin does some investigation anyway, with several of his activities relating not to the crime, but to the events of his personal life.

The novel finds its footing in this part. We see 'Lewis'  a place, whose harshness and bleakness seems to have seeped into the lives of the people who still live there.  We learn more about the Fin's life, the events that drove away from Lewis and finally his lover. We feel the biting cold of the sharp winds, the incessant rain, the sluggish roads, see the  landscape of terrible beauty, a landscape which is both forbidding and inviting at the same time, ready to reward the person who can master it, but at the same time eager to trip him if he relaxes even a bit. The trip where, the characters set sail to 'An sgneir'  island for the annual harvest of birds

is an example. The black cliffs, rough waves crashing against the shores, the flock of birds rising, the desolation of the place everything is brought out extremely well. 

This is a story of the follies and arrogance of youth, wanting redemption but not knowing how to about it and above all the usual but still always sad tale of abuse of power and above all abuse of trust. There is an interesting narrative style in the novel. Peter explains first the end result of an action, then a few pages or chapters later explains the route which by which the end result was arrived at. For e.g. X could be alive at one point in the novel, suddenly he is mentioned as dead further in the novel, then after a few pages we learn as to how X died. This technique plays around with the reader, as as we are unsure about a lot of things, like say why Y feels guilty about something, why Z acted the way he did. 

This novels works more as a study of human emotions in harsh conditions (both in terms of the landscape and the quality of life) than as crime fiction. The writing is good in parts and the characters are defined well enough, but you never get the certainty that one is reading a crime fiction. There are parts where Fin seems to be off on his own journey trying to face the demons of his past,  but suddenly comes up with a plausible explanation to exonerate a suspect. It is at such points, that we that we are reminded, that yes this is a crime fiction and Fin is investigating it. The motive being the crime is well fleshed out, but the manner in which the perpetrator goes about it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief.  But the novel has enough in it to engage the reader and make him  look forward to the other 2 novels in this series which are also set in Lewis island.

Ann Cleeves - Hidden Depths

At one point in Ann Cleeves's 'Hidden Depths', inspector Vera Stanhope muses

"Real murders weren't like this. They were brutal and mucky. Unplanned usually, always ugly". She has reason to,  as she is investigating 2 murders, where both the victims, who do not seem to have been related in anyway have been decked out in a similar, almost ritualistic fashion. Vera has to find out a killer who seems to have come from the pages of a novel.

This novel is not a police procedural on the lines of say Rankin or Mankell where the day to day legwork of investigation has an important role. It is more in the vein of Ruth Rendell's 'Wexford' series of novels, where though, the main protagonist is a policeman, not much time is given to the inner workings of the department. 

There are few initial moments, where Vera and her team have discussions and the boredom of the team members is mentioned, one of the few times when we get the feeling that yes, this is a procedural. 

There are a lot of  red herrings, which you typically, do not get a lot of in Rankin or Mankell, just an accumulation of data and a point where all those data fall into place). There is a sidekick to Vera, but that's it, most of the work is done by her and in this too we see a difference as even the maverick Rebus has Siobhan who herself is a well formed character, by his side. The character of.Vera's assistant harks back to 'Burden' in the Wexford series.You never get the feeling that he could be important like Siobhan, you know that the entire show is run by Vera. This then is a quintessential traditional British crime novel with no influence of Tartan Noir or the Scandinavian wave.  (This is only book I have read in this series, so could be wrong about how it plays out in the other books). 

The initial parts of the novel are quaint in the sense that the landscape, the initial introduction of the characters could all fit into an 'Agatha Christie' novel. Indeed, Vera could be a 'Jane Marple' rebooted for our times, what with her unabashed poking/probing into the lives of others, but also sensitive at the same time, the only difference being that in Vera's case she has the license to poke into other people direct. During the initial parts, one felt as if he were in some 'neverland', a place that didn't seem real, too good to be true. Oh yes, the beach, woods were all there, but one doesn't see the waves, feel the biting code or hear the chirping of the birds. The characters all seemed so distant. The whole setting seemed a bit in-congruent to a police procedural. The violence too is understated, almost respectful of the victims. (Last year, Ann had spoken about violence in Nordic Noir which can be read at (http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/29/nordic-noir-violence-against-women)

Thankfully, these apprehensions vanish once Ann gets down to letting us know about the various characters. Any time, we get too close to someone's personal (personal in the purest sense of the word) life, not just during an investigation as in this novel, a can of worms is going to open. It would be a cliche and stating the obvious when I say that 'Hidden Depths' refer to the innermost feelings of the characters, that's what Ann does she mines the hidden depths of her characters.  There is the mother of the first victim who feels guilty as she had gone on a date (after a very long time) on the day her son was murdered, there is the couple who have an affair without the other knowing it, but are these in anyway connected to the murders.  Ann suddenly zooms in on the small moments and makes us ponder about whether it is related to the novel or just a snapshot of mind at a particular moment. When the mother of the victim has erotic thoughts and then immediately feels ashamed, we know that it probably has nothing to do with the murder, but lets us know about the loneliness that she has suffered and the guilt she has to carry on top of that.

The murders occur  in act 1, the characters, red herrings are set up in act 2 and finally Vera ties up everything in a finale that is in tune with the rest of the novel. Nothing that will take our breath away, but at the same time fitting in well within the realm of what had been exposed to Vera (and to the reader) earlier on. 

One doesn't initially warm up to Vera. She seems unnecessarily churlish, dismissive of her team members (there are mentions about how her team members desist from giving any suggestions fearing her sharp tongue) and generally seems to get under everyone's skin. But she is not a lone wolf like Rebus who desists authority and works alone. She is okay with a team, but not confident about their abilities, the worst kind of leader? But we slowly thaw towards her, with her wicked sense of humor (sometimes self-deprecatory),  her loneliness, her past with her father and though we do not completely warm up to her by the end, we surely do not desist her.

More than the core mystery or Vera, the parts of the main players of the novel is what intrigued me. I may not read the other novels in this series, but as Ann has written several series (with different protagonists), there are quite a lot of choices which I would be looking out for. The 'Shetland Island' series maybe? 

In The Woods - Tana French

A boy loses his memory of the events of a day when his two friends go missing. Sounds intriguing? Then the boy grows up to be a policeman and has to investigate a case at the very same location where the original incident occurred. Sounds a bit too hard to digest? What if the narrator of the novel is the boy who has now grown up, how much will you believe him.  Well, 'Tana French' takes this seemingly incredulous scenario in her novel 'In the Woods' and weaves in a perfectly plausible, heart-pounding mystery, a novel which is ultimately a sad story about people trying to make/find their way through life.

One day, Rob goes into the woods with his 2 friends and is found hours later with blood over him. His friends are never found and he doesn't (or says so) remember anything about what happened. After the incident, his entire life is spent trying to come to terms with it. Now a detective, he catches a case when a young girl is murdered in the same woods where his friends went missing and he is assigned the case.

Though the murder occurs fairly early, the first part of the novel is spent in establishing Rob's every day personal/professional  life, his friendship with Cassie and in setting up the groundwork for the rest of the novel. It may seem labored at times but is well worth the time. We learn about the drudgery of everyday police life, the sexism, gossips in it, we learn how Rob and Cassie came to be both ideal professional partners and close friends. 

As we learn more and more, a few queries come to the reader. Is this murder related to the incident that involved Rob. Will a killer (assuming that the 2 missing kids were indeed killed) strike after twenty years or is this something unrelated? The family of the murdered girl seems to be odd to say the least. Did the family have anything to do with it, was there any sexual/physical abuse of the kids within the family. Why was the young girl and her twin frequently ill. 

And what of Rob? Has he really forgotten what happened when his friends went missing or he is suppressing something (either consciously or sub-consciously). Because the reader has to remember one thing that Rob says at the beginning  "What I am telling you, before you begin my story, is this - two things: I crave truth. And I lie." So, how much of what Rob is narrating is true, not just about the events of that fateful day of his life and also about the events of the murder that he investigated? A crime fiction with an unreliable narrator, what a potent combination. In fact, after completing the novel, one could look back the events, viewing them through this quote by Rob and a whole new story (or stories) could open up to you.

But this is not just a standard mystery and hence 'Tana' concentrates on the players involved too. What toll will this investigation take on Rob, will his carefully constructed facade of stability hold on in the face of this case which hits so close to home (literally and metaphorically), will it impact his professional and personal relationships. One doubt that the reader would have at the beginning, is how can Rob investigate this case when there is so much emotionally related to him. The question actually should be as to how his superior allows him to investigate, because Rob (though initially a bit unsure) would want to be in this case as he would feel it may given some closure (of what? no one including Rob would know that), in any case, it is a given that Rob would be drawn to it. Tana anticipates this and creates a scenario where Rob is able to handle the case, But of course, it does add to the tension of what would happen if his superior finds about his past, will he do it before the case is solved and if so what happens to Rob. Will both the cases (even if they are related or unrelated) ever be solved?

Whatever we know about the incidents of the case, it is only as much as Rob wants us to know. So it is with the other characters involved in it. There is Cassie, a perfect friend, sibling, lover, really she could be anyone to you, but if is she is on your side, you can go to war with her, knowing that she will take care of your back. In fact, she competes with Rob in grabbing our attention and frequently succeeds too. You want to comfort her, hug her, assure that you will keep her safe, all the while knowing that she is the one who would do all these things to you and doesn't need much comforting herself. That's the effect of her character having this unique mixture of seeming vulnerability mixed with steel. But what impact will this case have on her, will she come out of this unscathed? 

If only Cassie had been a character in a series of novels, she would have become an unforgettable one. She is unforgettable even now (it is possible that even Rob fades from your memory, but Cassidy not much chance),  but she could have become more well known,  and unforgettable in the sense that she becomes embedded in the public consciousness, a la Salander. She would have been a heroine for our times. Maybe Tana saw this potential and that's why she gave the stage to her in her next novel 'The Likeness', but that is for another post. One quibble I had with her character was her (unofficial) profiling of people. Yes, it is mentioned that she did a part of a psychology course (but it is not known why she left it in the middle), but would that be enough to be proficient enough to act as some kind of unofficial profiler? Of course, one can be inherently attuned to be this kind of thing, but still this doesn't seem to fit it, but it does add to the mystique of her character. 

As both the case and the characters unravel, we rush towards the end, with an impending sense of doom that nothing is going to end well, even  if the case is solved. There is a too glibly and hastily planned 'entrapment'  to get at the truth and though Tana (via Rob) gives the rationale behind this anticipating the reader's disbelief, it does take a bit of swallowing to do. But anyway, just another minor quibble. Just when you think that things have been resolved, there is another devious  (or delicious depending on the reader) twist, the best part of which is that the groundwork for this has been laid early on in the novel and the fact that is fits in so perfectly with how one of the character has been played by another. Yes, there is a good chance that one could guess the culprit (particularly after an incident that occurs in the middle), and I did too, but the best part is that one can never be sure about it. One cannot say that I was 100% sure about the culprit, the best one could say that I had a suspicion. This is not a knock on the novel, this kind of resolution is much better than one where the author doesn't show any of his cards and springs a complete surprise at the very end. It takes a gutsy author to show her cards (partially) early on, have the conviction that the reader may not guess based on it and even if so, ensure that he is uncertain and hence is still surprised at the end. These are the novels that make crime fiction an interactive one with both the author and trying competing and the author trying to stay one step ahead.

A murder, thrills, chills, the steady build up of tension to a crescendo with a solid denouement , all the staples of good crime fiction are there in this novel. But it is not about these alone. This is  also about how circumstances change our relationships with whom we are closest and the world in general and also about how relationships or the lack of one lead to circumstances that result in pain for everyone concerned. In some ways, the novels speaks of things that 'literature' is supposed to do and does. Take the mystery out of Rob's childhood incident, remove the murder and you would get a tale of pain, loss and (hopefully) redemption. And yes, this novel also tells that pieces of a jigsaw puzzle does not always fall into places, not everything gets tied up neatly at the end and that ultimately, for some (a lot of) people there is no final destination, just one long unending journey through life. This is much more than just a good mystery read, it is a keeper.

P.S

I read Tana's 'The Likeness'  before reading this one. Though the incidents in the novels are unrelated and they can be read in any order, if you like me have read 'The Likeness' first, I would suggest to do a quick re-read (like me) of it , not entirely, but at-least of the first 50 odd pages. You get to know a bit more about Cassie's past and the impact that 'In the Woods' had on her. 

Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

A return to one's hometown should generally be a happy thing, tinged maybe with a bit of melancholy about the memories of what happened earlier. But, is this the case always, because if so, why does Camille, a reporter working in Chicago, has a lot of misgivings when asked to go to her hometown to report on what could be serial murders of children? As we learn next, why hasn't she gone to her hometown for several years?

Persuaded by her boss, Camille agrees to go to 'Wind Gap' and report on 2 murders of children that have happened in the past year. She meets her mother 'Adora' after a very long time, get acquainted with her step-sister 'Amma' who is 13, while trying to get information about the murders that have happened. We get to know more about the dynamics of Camille's relationship with her mother as well as about the murders. We also see the claustrophobic small town atmosphere, where everyone seems to know everything (where everything seemingly equals information which is part rumor and part truth and yet most are unaware of the really important things), where people are very eagr to get an object of their anger and suspicion for the murders,  people waiting for a release from their mundane lives to such an extent that even murders become a cause for release in a way (Camille feels that the people of Wind Gap would actually want a resident to the murderer instead of an outsider, because it would then given them stories to tell about how they actually lived near and even interacted with a murderer). 

Nothing really terrible happens (in the present and from the reader's POV) for the most part of the novel, but a sense of unease keeps on increasing as new things (from the past) come to light.  Why do some characters (in both the present/past) keep falling ill suddenly and recover at the same pace? Is the violent nature that is attributed to both the murdered girls cause their death? A boy tells Camille about something he witnessed in the woods, which taps into all our fears about the woods and the myths surrounding them. Towards the end, the slow burn nature of the novel reaches its peak and the tension becomes unbearable. There is a twist towards the end which may seem far-fetched, but in fact matches whatever happened earlier in the novel and actually makes more sense than the previous revelation.

With the protagonist 'Camille' being body abuser with cuts all over and a border line alcoholic to boot, with Amma's bullying and cruel treatment of her peers and younger kids (Megan Abbot also brought out the cruel vindictive streak in girls in her 'Dare Me'), it is easy to be go along with the general perception of Flynn being a misogynist. But is it actually so? Flynn says in an interview that

"To me, that puts a very, very small window on what feminism is," she responds. "Is it really only girl power, and you-go-girl, and empower yourself, and be the best you can be? For me, it's also the ability to have women who are bad characters … the one thing that really frustrates me is this idea that women are innately good, innately nurturing. In literature, they can be dismissably bad – trampy, vampy, bitchy types – but there's still a big pushback against the idea that women can be just pragmatically evil, bad and selfish ... I don't write psycho bitches. The psycho bitch is just crazy – she has no motive, and so she's a dismissible person because of her psycho-bitchiness."

What Flynn says above perfectly matches this novel as the women characters are someone whom we can identify with easily, as devious and twisted as their actions are. This makes the novel scarier because the people who do the terrible things here could actually be the people we know and when supposedly normal people do such things the impact and shock of it is even more. So what stands out more than the actions of the antagonist (which it must be admitted is terrible indeed) is the motivation behind what is being done and the fact that it could be done by anyone at all, not by only a 'psycho-bitch'. One indicator (for me) of crime fiction that goes beyond being merely good or  thrilling is whether it makes the reader pause for thought and think about what-if scenario's that could have avoided the events of the novel and this novel does that to us.

When one reads an author's breakthrough work and then goes back to the earlier works of the author, comparisons are inevitable. Reading 'Sharp Objects', one sees that 'Gone Girl' was no flash in the pan. Indeed, I would rate 'Sharp Objects' higher than that. 'Gone Girl' may be a page turner in the purest sense, but 'Sharp Objects' has more emotional and narrative heft and is more tighter. In fact, 'Amy Dunner' of 'Gone Girl' could be the 'The psycho bitch is just crazy – she has no motive...', that Flynn says she doesn't write because we never even get any hint for her motives other than a feeling that she is a compulsive power seeker and hence is always distant from the reader (This may have been a conscious attempt by Flynn. Also, the psycho bitch character is not actually  a bad thing when it is not used as a cliche. Because why should every perpetrator of crime have something that happened in his/her childhood that caused him/her to snap, maybe he/she is wired that way only, but that's a discussion for another day). So, with all her twisted machinations, Amy (Gone Girl) is not as scary as the characters in 'Sharp Objects', who, while being as twisted as Amy are too close to  comfort for the reader. 

Whatever route Flynn takes in her future works, whether it be of the thrilling but a bit distant 'Gone Girl' kind or the more intimate and scary 'Sharp Objects' kind, she is a writer to look forward too.

The Nightmare - Lars Kepler

Penelope and her boyfriend Bjorn are joined at the last minute on their boating trip by Penelope's sister 'Viola'. Viola is murdered and Penelope and her boyfriend are on the run. Meanwhile, an important government official has apparently committed suicide. These two seemingly unrelated incidents start off the husband-wife team 'Lars Kepler's' 'The Nightmare', their follow up to their hugely successful debut novel 'The Hypnotist'. 

Like in their first novel, the duo are quite successful in the initial stages of the novel, in creating an atmosphere that reeks of evil and portending of more terrible things to come. Detective Joona gets involved in both the cases and as he investigates links come up between the two, hinting of involvement of people at very high levels. There is also a bit of 'open suspense' in that, the reader knows what happened/is happening to Penelope whereas the police doesn't know it adding a bit more tension to the reader, as he internally wills on Joona to take the correct path. The first part of the novel is the best part as we initially get hit by the full force of evil,  regain our bearings and wait for what will happen next as Joona proceeds with his investigation.

The best of Scandinavian crime fiction/police procedural has always been characterized by a strong sense of geographic atmosphere and of time and place where the events take place. There could be multiple murders occurring, but one would not get the feeling that these are being staged hurriedly by the author just to get a rise out of the reader.  One can sense shift in the genre from police procedural to a more (mainstream) 'American' thriller kind of works in Jo Nesbo's novels. Lars Kepler, too seem to  be following on this route judging from the first 2 books, but with far less control over. Incidents take at seemingly break neck speed, but the reader is left thinking as to how much more suspension of disbelief is required from him. Though it slagged off a bit, 'The Hypnotist' managed the tightrope walk between being a procedural as well as a thriller at the same time, quite well. Though one was left with the feeling, that more depth could have been possible, whatever emotional core was in the novel did create quite a bit of impact, which salvaged the novel overall. But here, the best features of crime fiction (sense of time, place, characters, emotional investment into them) seem to be sacrificed at the altar of thrill. For instance, the main antagonist of the novel is a kind of modern day 'Mephistopheles' who could have been an unforgettable character, but ends being a caricature. There are throwaway lines that hint at his past, his relationship with his son is briefly shown but none of them are dwelt into deeply enough for us to see the protagonist even as a human being, let one as 'Mephistopheles'. Towards the end of the novel, it devolves from a thriller to some kind of action packed novel with raids etc testing our patience.

We get to learn a bit more of Joona in this novel, his commitment phobia (really, is there any other kind of cop, other than Ake Edwardson's Erik Winters who seems to a rare exception), hints of a troubled past and there is even a hint of the supernatural at the end. This emotional involvement with Joona, the prospect to learning more about him, and the fact that Lars Kepler (have so far at-least) invariably do a great job in staging the set up of the novel,  makes one look forward to the other books in the series, though this one is not a worthy sophomore effort. 

Dare Me - Megan Abbot

பதாகை தளத்தில் வெளிவந்தது (http://padhaakai.com/2014/03/02/dare-me-megan-abbot/)
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Ages fourteen to eighteen, a girl needs something to kill all that time, that endless itchy waiting, every hour, every day for something—anything—to begin.”

“There’s something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls.”

மேகன் ஆபட்டின் (Megan Abbot) ‘Dare Me’ நாவலில் பதின்பருவத்தைப் பற்றி வரும் வரிகள் இவை. அந்தப் பருவத்தின் சிக்கல்கள், எதிர்பாலின ஈர்ப்பு, பாலின குழப்பம், எதையும் (குறிப்பாக, தடை செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளதை) முயற்சி செய்ய/ அறியும் விழைவு, நட்பு வட்டாரத்தால் எப்போதும் அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட வேண்டும் என்ற அழுத்தம் (peer pressure), வாழ்வின் யதார்த்தங்கள் அறிந்திராத காலத்தில் முடிவற்று நீளும் எனத் தோன்றும் இளமை என பலதரப்பட்டவை. சுயத்தை அறியவும் உறுதி செய்ய​வும்​ நாம் நம்மையறியாமல் செய்பவைகளாக இவற்றைக் கொள்ளலாம். அப்படி ‘தன்னையறிதலை’ மையமாக வைத்து, குற்றப்புனைவின் களத்தில் மேகன் ஆபட் இந்த நாவலை எழுதி உள்ளார்.

பெத் (Beth), ஆடி (Addy) இருவரும் குழந்தை பருவத்திலிருந்தே நெருங்கிய தோழிகள். பதின்பருவத்தில் உள்ள இருவரும், தங்கள் பள்ளியின் ‘cheer-leading’ குழுவில் உறுப்பினர்கள். பெத் இயல்பாகவே தலைமைப் பண்பு உள்ளவராகச் சுட்டப்படுகிறார், ‘cheer-leading’ குழுவின் தலைவரும் அவரே. ‘Cheer-leading’ பயிற்சியாளராக கொலட் (Colette) என்பவர் புதிதாக வேலைக்கு சேருவதிலிருந்து நாவல் ஆரம்பிக்கிறது.

பயிற்சியாளர்/ ஆசிரியர் என்பவற்றின் வெற்றி அவர் எந்தளவுக்கு தன் துறையில் வல்லவர் என்பதை பொறுத்து இருப்பதில்லை. அவர் எந்தளவுக்கு தன் மாணாக்கரை தன் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் வைத்திருக்கிறார், தான் சொல்லிக் கொடுக்கும் துறையில் ஈடுபாடு கொள்ள வைக்கிறார் என்பதை பொறுத்துதான் உள்ளது. ‘He has lost his team’, ‘Team has quit on his coach’ போன்றவை ஒரு பயிற்சியாளரின் கொடுங்கனவாகும். இதைத் தவிர்க்க வேண்டுமென்றால் தன் மாணாக்கரின் மதிப்பை அவர் பெற வேண்டும். கொலட் வருவதற்கு முன்பிருந்த பயிற்சியாளரை இந்தப் பெண்கள் மதிக்காமல் (‘We girls, we owned her. Especially Beth. Beth Cassidy, our captain’), தங்கள் இஷ்டப்படி இருந்துள்ளார்கள். ஆனால் முதல் நாளே தான் மாறுபட்டவர் என்று கொலட் நிரூபிக்கிறார்.

But standing there, back straight like a drill officer, she’s wielding the roughest gaze of all.

Eyes scanning the staggered line, she’s judging us. She’s judging each and every one. I feel her eyes shred me— my bow legs, or the flyaway hairs sticking to my neck, or the bad fit of my bra, me twisting and itching and never as still as I want to be. As she is.

பெண்கள் அலைபேசிகளைப் பயிற்சியின்போது பயன்படுத்த முடியாதபடி செய்கிறார். அணிக்கு தலைவர் யாரும் தேவை இல்லை என்று அந்தப் பதவியை எடுத்து விடுகிறார். புதிய வகை பயிற்சிகளை அறிமுகப்படுத்தி,’cheer-leading’ என்பது பொழுதைக் கழிக்கும் விஷயமாகக் கருதி அசட்டையாக இருந்த இந்தப் பெண்களை அதில் இன்னும் சிரத்தை கொள்ளச் செய்கிறார். இந்த மாற்றங்களினால் கொலட் குறித்து முதலில் சில தயக்கங்கள் இருந்தாலும், சீக்கிரமே ‘cheer-leading’ குழுவினர், அவரின் ஆளுமையால் ஈர்க்கப்படுகின்றனர் (girl-crush).

இரு ஆல்பா (alpha) நபர்கள் ஒரே இடத்தில் இருப்பது கடினம். எனவே பெத் மட்டும் கொலட்டிடமிருந்து விலகியே இருக்கிறார். தன் அதிகாரம் பறிபோனதை அவரால் ஏற்கவும் முடியவில்லை, அதே நேரம் கொலட்டை நேரடியாக எதிர்க்கவும் முடியவில்லை. ஆனால் கொலட் பெத் குறித்து அதிகம் அலட்டிக் கொள்ளாமல், தன் பாணியில் குழுவை வழிநடத்துவது போல் உள்ளது. அது உண்மையா, அல்லது நமக்கு புலப்படாத, நுட்பமான ஆடு புலி ஆட்டம் இருவருக்கிடையே நடக்கிறதா என்று நினைக்கும்படி சில சம்பவங்கள் நடக்கின்றன. புதிய உறவுகள் நாவலின் முதல் பகுதியில் ஏற்படுகின்றன. குற்றப்புனைவென்று சொல்லுமளவுக்கு நாவலில் இதுவரை எதுவும் நடப்பதில்லை. ஆபட் நாவலிற்கான தளத்தை உறவுச் சிக்கல்களின் மீதே கவனம் செலுத்துவதன் மூலம் அமைக்கிறார். ஆனால் இந்தச் சூழல் இப்படியே இருக்க முடியாது, ஏதோ ஒன்று நடந்தே ஆக வேண்டும், அது கண்டிப்பாக நல்லதாக இருக்காது என்ற அச்சத்துடனேயே இந்தப் பகுதியை கடக்கிறோம்.

பிறகு ஒரு மரணம் நடக்கிறது. முதலில் தற்கொலை போலிருந்தாலும், அதில் ஒரு மர்மம் இருப்பதுபோல் சில விஷயங்களை ஆபட் (பாத்திரங்கள் மூலம்) வெளிப்படுத்துகிறார். முதல் பகுதியில் பார்த்த உறவுச் சிக்கல்களுக்கும், இதற்கும் சம்பந்தம் இருக்குமா? நமக்கு தெரிவதில்லை. ஒரு பாத்திரத்தை தன் பக்கம் இழுக்க/ தன் பக்கக்திலிருந்து இழக்காமலிருக்க, உணர்வு ரீதியான ஆட்கொள்ளல் முயற்சிகள் (emotional manipulation) நடக்கின்றன. பாத்திரங்களின் உறவு முடிச்சுகள் அவிழ அவிழ, குற்றம் பற்றிய உண்மையும் கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக புலப்படத் தொடங்குகிறது. அதாவது பல பாத்திரங்களுக்கு, நடந்த மரணம் சார்ந்து சில விஷயங்கள் தெரிந்திருக்கிறது (ஆனால் அதன் முக்கியத்துவத்தை அவர்கள் அறிந்திருக்கிறார்கள் என்று சொல்வதற்கில்லை, என்ன நடந்தது என்பதையும் மொத்தமாக யாரும் அறிந்திருப்பதில்லை). முதலில் எதுவும் சொல்லாமல் இருப்பவர்கள், உறவு நிலை மாற/ மாற்ற அதை வெளிப்படுத்துகிறார்கள். விஷயங்கள் நமக்கும் (பாத்திரங்களுக்கும்) தெரிய வர, சம்பவங்கள் வேகம் பிடித்து, குழுவினர் கலந்து கொள்ள வேண்டிய முக்கியமான ‘cheer-leading’ போட்டிநாளை நோக்கி நகர்ந்து, கொதி நிலையை நாவல் அடைகிறது. போட்டி அன்று நடக்கும் சம்பவங்கள் பலப் பாத்திரங்களின் வாழ்வைப் புரட்டிப் போட்டு விடுகின்றன.

நாவலில் இரண்டு இழைகள் உள்ளன, இரண்டிலுமே ஒரு மர்மம் உள்ளது. முதல் பகுதியிலிருந்து வரும் உறவுகளின் dynamics பற்றிய உண்மை என்ன என்பது ஒரு மர்மமென்றால், நாவலின் நடுவில் நடக்கும் மரணம் இன்னொரு மர்மம். இரண்டு மர்மங்களுக்கும் உள்ள தொடர்பை, கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக நமக்கு தெளிவுபடுத்துகிறார் ஆபட். காவல் துறைக்கு நாவலில் அதிக பங்கு இல்லை, பாத்திரங்களின் implosionதான் அனைத்து முடிச்சுகளும் அவிழக் காரணமாக உள்ளது. இங்கு ஒரு விஷயம். முதல் மர்மத்தின் இரு முக்கிய முடிச்சுக்களை, அதாவது ஒரு முக்கிய பாத்திரம் தானே அறிந்திராத/ அறிந்திர விரும்பாமல் இருந்த, குணாதிசயத்தை அறிவது, மற்றும் இரு பாத்திரங்களிக்கிடையே உண்மையில் எப்படிப் பட்ட உறவு உள்ளது என்று தெரிய வருவது, இரண்டையும் வாசகன் ஓரளவுக்கு எளிதாக, நாவலின் இறுதிக்குள் ஊகிக்க முடிகிறாது.

குற்ற/ மர்மப் புனைவு என்று பார்க்கும்போது இது நாவலின் பலவீனமாகத் தோன்றலாம். ஆனால் முதலில் சொன்னது போல் நாவலின் மையம் என்பது ‘ தன்னையறிதல்’ என்பதே ஆகும். அதற்கான ஒரு காரணியாகத்தான், மரணம்/ அது தொடர்பான மர்மம் அனைத்தும் உள்ளன. இதுவே பொதுப் புனைவின் கூறுகளும் கொண்ட நாவலாக அணுகப்படும்போது, ஆசிரியர் சில விஷயங்களை நுட்பமாக சொல்லிச் செல்வதை வாசகன் புரிந்து கொள்கிறான் என்று மாறுகிறது (பொதுப் புனைவில் இறுதி கட்டம்வரை புலப்படாத முடிச்சு ஒன்று இருக்க வேண்டும் என்ற கட்டாயம் கிடையாது இல்லையா?).

மேலும் ஆபட் ஒவ்வொரு பாத்திரத்தைப் பற்றியும் வேண்டுமென்றே உருவா​க்கும் தெளிவற்ற தன்மை காரணமாக நம்முடைய யூகம் தவறாகவும் இருக்கும் என்றும் வாசகனுக்கு தோன்றுவதால் இறுதிவரை ஒரு பரபரப்பு இருந்து கொண்டுதானிருக்கிறது. உதாரணமாக ஆல்பா(alpha) நபர்களாக தோன்றும் பெத்/ கொலட் இருவருக்குள்ளும் உள்ள பலவீனமான (vulnerable) பகுதியையும், எப்போதும் அவர்களைப் பின்தொடர்கின்ற தொண்டர்கள் போல் உள்ள ஆடி போன்றவர்கள் (இவர்களில் ஒருவரை கொலட் ‘Sheep’ என்று வரையறுக்கிறார்), திடீரென வெளிப்படுத்தும், அவர்களிடம் இருக்கும் என நாம் எண்ணியிருக்காத, மனத்திண்மையையும் ஆபட் contrast செய்கிறார். எனவே இந்தப் பாத்திரம் இப்படித்தான் நடந்து கொள்ளும் என்று வாசகன், ஊகிக்க முடிகிறதே தவிர,இறுதி வரும் வரை அதுப் பற்றி உறுதி கொள்ள முடியவில்லை. குறுஞ்செய்திகள் அனுப்புவது பற்றி கொலட்

“You girls, with your phones and your sad little texts,” she says, shaking her head.

“Ten, twelve years ago, it was still folding notes, passing them in class. Just as fucking sad. No, this is sadder.”

என்று பேசும்போது, அவரும் பதின்பருவத்தைக் கடந்துதான் வந்திருக்கிறார் என்பது சுட்டப்படுகிறது, அவருடைய இப்போதைய சமநிலைத்தன்மை நாம் நினைப்பது போல் வலுவானது கிடையாது என்றும் வாசகனுக்கு தோன்றுகிறது.

பதின்பருவத்தில் உள்ள ஆடி தான் நாவலின் கதைசொல்லி என்பதால், நீண்ட பத்திகளோ, கடினமான வார்த்தைகளோ அதிகம் இல்லாமல், நாவலின் உரைநடை பெரும்பாலும் அந்த வயதுக்குரிய பேச்சுவழக்கில் உள்ளது. அலைபேசிவழி குறுஞ்செய்தி பரிமாற்றங்கள், உடல் குறித்த வெறுப்புக்கள் (body image problem) என அந்த வயதினருக்கான இன்றைய காலகட்டத்தின் பிரத்யேக விஷயங்களும் நாவலில் உள்ளன (கொலட் ஒரு பெண்ணிடம் ‘baby-fat’ஐ குறைக்கும்படி சாதாரணமாகச் சொல்ல, அந்தப் பெண், பிலாக்கணம் வைத்து ஓலமிடுகிறார். பயிற்சியில் படும் அவஸ்தை/ அது சார்ந்து பயிற்சியாளரின் கண்டிப்பு/ கிண்டல்கூட அவர்களை அழ வைப்பதில்லை, உடல் குறித்த ஒரு சிறு கருத்து அவர்களை நிலைகுலைய வைக்கிறது).

நாவலில் தர்க்க ரீதியாக இல்லாமல் உள்ள ஒரு விஷயம், பெத்/ஆடி இருவரும் இரவு/ பகல் என்றில்லாமல் நினைத்த மாத்திரத்தில், காரில் பிறரைச் சந்திக்க கிளம்புகிறார்கள். இருவரின் குடும்பத்தில் சில பிரச்சனைகள் (பெற்றோர் விவாகரத்து) இருப்பது குறிப்பிடப்பட்டாலும், வீட்டில் கொஞ்சம்கூட அக்கறை இல்லாமல் இருப்பார்களா என்று தோன்றாமல் இல்லை.

நாவலில் இன்னொரு நெருடல், ‘cheer-leading’ பெண்கள் அனைவரையும் பசலை படர்ந்தவர்களாக சித்தரித்திருப்பது. பதின்பருவத்தில் பாலியல் ஈர்ப்பு என்பது இயல்பானதே என்றாலும், இதில் வரும் சில சம்பவங்கள் cheer-leading’ஐப் பற்றிய stereotypeகளை மீண்டும் வலியுறுத்துவது போலத் தான் உள்ளது. ஒரு கட்டத்தில் பந்தயத்திற்காக ஆண் ஒருவனை தங்கள் பக்கம் ஈர்க்க பள்ளி வளாகத்திலேயே அவர்கள் செய்யும் சில விஷயங்கள், நிஜத்தில் நடக்கக் கூடியதா என்று அமெரிக்க பள்ளிகள் பற்றித் தெரிந்தவர்களே சொல்ல முடியும். வெளியிலிருந்து பார்ப்பவர்களுக்கு கொஞ்சம் அதீதமாகத்தான் தோன்றுகிறது. அதே நேரம் நாவலின் மற்ற இடங்களில் குற்றப் புனைவின் சட்டகங்களை ஆபட் மீறிச் செல்வதைப் பார்க்கும்போது, அவர் சித்தரித்திருப்பது இயல்பான ஒன்றே, வெளியிலிருந்து பார்ப்பதனால்தான் stereotype போலத் தோன்றுகிறது என்றும் சொல்லலாம்.

ஒரு குற்றப் புனைவு சுவாரஸ்யமாக, ஓரளவுக்கேனும் தர்க்கத்தோடு அவிழ்க்கப்படும் மர்மத்தை மட்டும் கொண்டிருந்தால் போதும், அந்த வகைமையின் கடமையை அது பூர்த்தி செய்கிறது. ஆனால் அனைத்து எழுத்தாளர்களும் இதை அப்படியே ஏற்றுக் கொள்வதில்லை, அவர்கள் இந்த எல்லைகளை மீற முயல்கிறார்கள்.

“When a murder is satisfied, it isn’t the beginning of the story; it’s the middle. We shouldn’t forget that fact because murder has ripples. You never go back to being the same. The people that investigate these crimes never go back to being the same as they were before they started the investigation. The people’s whose lives have been affected, the victim’s families, even the murderer themselves are profoundly changed. That’s why murder is still the most interesting crime for us to write about, because it is the only crime where something unique is taken away from the world, something that can’t be replaced.”

என்று Rankin சொல்கிறார். இந்தப் பாரம்பர்யத்தில் வருபவர் மேகன் ஆபட். பதின்பருவத்தில் ஏற்படும் அடையாளச் சிக்கல்கள் எப்படி பலரின் வாழ்க்கையைப் புரட்டிப் போடுகிறது என்று விரியும் இந்த நாவலின் முடிவில், வாசகனுக்கு ‘adrenaline rush’ஐ விட, ஒரு சிறு நிகழ்வு நடக்காமலிருந்தால், பலவற்றை தவிர்த்திருக்கலாம் என்று தோன்றுகிறது. அதே நேரத்தில், அது தற்காலிகமான தள்ளிவைப்​பா​கத்தான் இருந்திருக்க முடியுமென்றும், சில விஷயங்கள் எப்படியும் பின்னர் கண்டிப்பாக வெடித்திருக்கும் என்ற ஆயாசமும், எப்போதும் புரிந்து கொள்ள முடியாத மனதின் விசித்திரமும், அது மனிதரை கொண்டு செல்லும் இடத்தைப் பற்றிய எண்ண ஓட்டங்களுமே நம்மிடம் தங்குகின்றன. குற்றப் புனைவு என்பதைத் தாண்டி வேறு விஷயங்களைச் சொல்ல முயன்ற அளவில் இந்த நாவல் குறிப்பிடத்தக்க ஒன்று.