Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Steve Cavanagh

It was around this time last year the Decades Library was first imagined. You’ve likely heard this before but to welcome new visitors I will explain my Decades Challenge and the ultimate goal.

Something happened which made me ponder the question: Where would you begin if you were asked to assemble a library but had to start with nothing but empty shelves. You have no books. None. Not one. Which books would you add to the library shelves to make sure readers would have nothing but the very best books to choose from?

I quickly realised that I could not possibly answer this question alone so I decided I would ask some guests to help me. Each week I am joined by a booklover (authors, bloggers, publishers and journalists have all lent their time to assist) and I ask them to nomimate some “unmissable” books. To make their selection process slightly more complicated I set two rules which each guest must follow:

1 – Choose Any Five Books
2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

And that’s the Decades Challenge. Selecting five favourite books. If you think it’s easy then try to narrow down your own five choices.

All that remains now is for me to pass the Curator’s Hat to my guest. It’s my absolute delight to welcome Steve Cavanagh to the Library.

Steve Cavanagh is a critically acclaimed, Sunday Times best-selling author of the Eddie Flynn series. All of his novels have been nominated for major awards. His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the year 2018. Thirteen won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime novel of the year 2019. The Eddie Flynn novels have been translated into 26 languages. His latest book is The Devil’s Advocate.

You can order any of Steve’s books here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Steve-Cavanagh/e/B00OAGCA62?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1642111903&sr=8-1

DECADES

The Real Cool Killers by Chester Himes (1950)

Chester Himes had an extraordinary life of hardship and adversity. I can think of few writers who experienced half of what he had to endure. I am a huge fan of Raymond Chandler, but I think enough people will have read and marveled at Chandler already, and not nearly enough people have read Chester Himes. On his best day, Himes can make words dance. He is one of the very few writers that can turn prose into music. This novel is the second outing in the Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones detective series. By all means start with A Rage in Harlem, but I think some of the best prose work is in this one.

The Chill by Ross MacDonald (1964)

Ross MacDonald had his own personal troubles. He poured his heart and his empathy for his fellow human beings into his work, and specifically, his fictional hero PI Lew Archer. Writing a long-running detective series is an incredibly difficult undertaking. I remember Dennis Lehane remarking that writing a series can yield diminishing returns when it comes to the quality of each book, “how many people say the twelfth book in a series is their favourite?” This is a fair point, but some writers beat those odds. The Chill is the eleventh Lew Archer novel, and many people say it’s the best.

Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith (1974)

Few authors have had such an impact on the genre as Patricia Highsmith. She was perhaps one of the finest proponents of the psychological thriller. In Strangers On A Train, she used a high concept hook as the engine for the novel and wrote many more standalones. She also wrote a brilliant short series about the killer and conman Tom Ripley. In Ripley’s game, she combines the two elements of her craft. What if you had a terminal illness? What if someone, perhaps with dark motives, came to you and offered a vast sum of money if you killed someone? You family will need that money when you’re gone. What if what began as a psychological game turned into something much more terrifying? A brilliant book, and one that I return to again and again.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (1988)

There’s not much to say about this one other than it’s the book that made me love crime and thrillers. I’d read Sherlock Holmes, and detective comics, but it wasn’t until I was around twelve or thirteen that I read this one. My mum gave it to me. I know some people think Red Dragon is a better thriller, but for me Clarice Starling is an equally brilliant creation as Hannibal. This is the book that started it all for me. If you’ve just seen the movie, then do yourself a favour and read the book.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (1996)

Because life isn’t all detectives and murders, it’s good to have an injection of humour now and again. I think this is one of the great comic novels. Maybe the last great one. It is so brilliantly well written, laugh-out-loud funny and touching and made all the more real by the style and structure. Again, if you’ve only seen the movie – please read the book.

It’s hard to believe it has taken twelve months of Decades selections for Patricia Highsmith make her debut. Five terrific reads and this is what I consider the “perfect” mix of titles – some books I know and love but there are also a couple of new recommendations which I immediately felt I needed to read. A weekly assult on my TBR! My thanks to Steve for taking on the Decades challenge.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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January 11

The Midnight Man – Caroline Mitchell

‘I remember the day I died quite clearly.’

Blackhall Manor has witnessed many dark crimes, long before five teenage girls break in to play the Midnight Game. It was supposed to be a game, but only four girls come home.

Detective Sarah Noble has just returned to the force, and no one knows more about Blackhall Manor than her. Except perhaps Elliott Carter, who is only seven but has seen things in his dreams most adults could never imagine.

It’s a case that will bring them together and shake Sarah to her core. Will she be ready to meet the Midnight Man?

I received a review copy from the publishers via Netgalley.

A police thriller with a delightfully dark edge.

Sarah Noble is returning to work after a period of extended absence. She doesn’t expect an easy ride, given the circumstances which led to her absence, but Sarah does seem surprised at the animosity her colleagues are showing as she returns to duties with the police. Restricted duties and only core hours each day which is going to be a problem as her team are about to be involved in a troubling case which will stretch them and drain their resources.

The root of their problems lies within Blackhall Manor. The infamous old building (now falling to ruin) where one night, years earier, a father gunned down his wife and two children before turning the gun on himself. The building’s reputation now means it holds a fascination for the local school children. There is a “challenge” game they play where a group of kids will try to stay inside Blackhall Manor from midnight to 3.33am and avoid being found by The Midnight Man. If he should catch you then the understanding is that things won’t end well for the unfortunate player.

As we join the story there is a group of five schoolfriends planning their trip to Blackhall Manor. They have received an invitation to play the game and their nervous excitement is infectious as they consider the implications of playing and how they will ensure their parents don’t find out what their plans are.

The Midnight Man game is a great introduction to the story, particularly as readers have already been inside Blackhall Manor. The first pages of the story takes us back to that fateful night when the murders occurred – it’s a harrowing read as we hear events unfolding through the eyes of one of the children. The noise, the panic, the disbelief and incomprehension thrusts the story right into the face of the reader and it’s a powerful way to grab our attention.

In present day the game goes wrong for one of the players. She becomes seperated from her friends and discovers the game is much more real than they expected. Her friends believe she has chickened out and gone home so it is a shock the following day when news of a missing girl begins to circulate.

For Sarah and her colleagues in the police the missing girl is just the start of their problems. The girl comes from a powerful family within the small community and answers are urgently being demanded. As is the assurance the police will return her home safely. But for Sarah, work problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Someone is watching her, threatening her, taunting her and they seem to know all about Sarah – things nobody really should know. But in a small town can you really keep secrets?

The Midnight Man has a plan and he is playing his game but he also knows of Sarah and his plans may involve her too. Lives will be lost, others destroyed and any fragile trust which exists in the community will soon be shattered.

This is a tension packed read and Caroline Mitchell keeps you hooked. There are lots of great characters who feed into the story and each seem to have their own involvement in Sarah’s case but it’s never quite clear who is just quirky and who may have a hidden agenda. Dark, creepy and nicely paced to keep my attention throughout.

The Midnight Man is published by Embla Books and is available in digital format, audiobook and paperback. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09BVGYMD3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

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January 7

Decades – Compiling the Ultimate Library with D.V. Bishop

Welcome back to my Decades Library. It’s a new year but I am asking my guests to take on the same challenge. Each week someone from the world of books will join me to help me in my quest to assemble the Ultimate Libary. I call it my Decades Library for reasons which shall shortly become clear.

For anyone joining us for the first time – Welcome! Let me explain what the Decades Library is all about. I began this challenge with the simple question: If I was to build a new library (starting with zero books) which books should I add to my library shelves to make sure I had the very best collection of titles available for people to read?

I knew I could not take on this challenge alone so each week I invite a new guest to join me and I ask them to add some of their favourite books to my Decades Library. They have to follow two rules. Got to have rules or chaos ensues.

Rule 1 – Pick Any Five Books.
Rule 2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades.

I have finally wrestled the Curators Hat back from my last guest, Lisa Gray (thanks for looking after it over the holidays Lisa) and I am delighted to introduce D.V. Bishop who will make the first five selections of 2022.

D.V. Bishop writes the Cesare Aldo historical crime novels set in Renaissance Florence. The first in the series, City of Vengeance, was shortlisted for the 2021 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, won the Pitch Perfect contest at the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing festival, and earned Bishop a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship. It was published in paperback on January 6^th, 2022. The second Cesare Aldo novel, The Darkest Sin, comes out March 2022 in hardback, ebook and audiobook – pre-order links here: http://linktr.ee/TheDarkestSin

D.V. Bishop is the pen-name of David Bishop, an award-winning screenwriter and TV dramatist. He has authored audio dramas and tie-in novels for Doctor Who and Judge Dredd. A former editor of iconic British science fiction weekly 2000AD, Bishop has written nearly fifty issues of beloved comics character The Phantom. Bishop co-created the original graphic novel Dani’s Toys with artist Ruairi Coleman which will be launched via a Kickstarter campaign in 2022.

In his copious spare time Bishop leads the MA Creative Writing and the MA Writing Popular Fiction programmes at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland. A glutton for punishment, he is developing a new global online MA Creative Writing programme focusing on popular genre fiction for 2022.

DECADES

I live in Scotland, but my heart belongs to where I was born and raised: Aotearoa (New Zealand). My contributions to the Ultimate Library all come from NZ, books that deserve to be better known.

1960s: The Scarecrow by Ronald Hugh Morrieson (1963)

‘The same week our fowls were stolen, Daphne Moran had her throat cut.’ That sentence opens The Scarecrow, an early Kiwi Gothic and the first novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson. He struggled to get published in his lifetime yet all four of his novels were adapted into films. The Scarecrow is funny, creepy, insightful, thrilling, and picaresque in equal measure. It is available on Kindle in the UK.

1970s: Smith’s Dream by C. K. Stead (1971)

Smith’s Dream is a taut, speculative thriller set in a New Zealand where political apathy lets a repressive government take charge. The title character went off the grid after his marriage ended; when he re-emerges, Smith struggles to recognise what his country has become. Hard to find in print, but the 1977 film version Sleeping Dogs with a young Sam Hunt is on UK DVD & Blu-Ray.

1980s: Photo Finish by Ngaio Marsh (1980)

I could hardly make this list without including one of the Golden Age queens of mystery fiction, Ngaio Marsh, after whom NZ’s crime fiction awards are named. Photo Finish is set in a millionaire’s island mansion and features a Maria Callas-esque opera diva being stabbed through the heart with a photo of herself impaled on the dagger. Unsurprisingly, most of Marsh’s work remains in print.

1990s: Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff (1990)

This is a blistering novel about domestic violence and toxic masculinity. Once Were Warriors held a mirror up to aspects of life in New Zealand that few people discussed, forcing readers to face the brutal reality of racism and sexism in the country. There’s an acclaimed film version that won prizes world-wide, but Duff’s debut novel deserves to be read for its unflinching prose and power.

2000s: Overkill by Vanda Symon (2007)

The prologue of this debut is compelling and terrifying in equal measure, setting the stage for a brilliant first novel by Vanda Symon. UK readers discovered how gripping Overkill was when Orenda Books unleashed a new edition in 2018, and it was rightly shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger. But Overkill was first published 2007 in NZ, so it sneaks into my stretch of five decades.

My thanks to David for these marvellous selections. When I invite anyone to take part in the Decades Challenge I always mention that the selections are all very personal choices so to see five New Zealand titles gracing the Library shelves just warms my heart. I have even reviewed one of them for this blog!

David kindly provided a pre-order link for his forthcoming Cesare Aldo thriller The Darkest Sin but the first book in the series, City of Vengeance, released this week in paperback and you can grab a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/city-of-vengeance/d-v-bishop/9781529038798

DECADES WILL RETURN

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January 5

Opal Country – Chris Hammer

Opals…

In the desolate outback town of Finnigans Gap, police struggle to maintain law and order. Thieves pillage opal mines, religious fanatics recruit vulnerable youngsters and billionaires do as they please.

Bodies…

Then an opal miner is found crucified and left to rot down his mine. Nothing about the miner’s death is straight-forward, not even who found the body. Homicide detective Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate, assisted by inexperienced young investigator Nell Buchanan.

But Finnigans Gap has already ended one police career and damaged others, and soon both officers face damning allegations and internal investigations. Have Ivan and Nell been set up, and if so, by whom?

Secrets…

As time runs out, their only chance at redemption is to find the killer. But the more they uncover, the more harrowing the mystery becomes, and a past long forgotten is thrown into scorching sunlight.

Because in Finnigans Gap, nothing stays buried for ever.

My thanks to the publishers for providing a review copy through Netgalley.

This book clocks in at over 500 pages and over the Christmas period I worked my way through the adventures of Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan as they investigated the murder and crucifiction of an opal miner – found down his own mineholding and left for an unknown period of time. In terms of memorable murders in crime fiction I cannot think of any other books which open with a crucifictions down a mine. This got my attention from the get-go.

And after grabbing my attention Chris Hammer had no plans to let it go. There’s loads going on in Opal Country and I really enjoyed this trip to the remote (and very hot) Australian wilderness. The story takes place in and around Finnegans Gap and our lead character Ivan Lucic is dropped into the town totally unprepared for the heat and isolation he encounters. He is paired up with local cop Nell Buchanan who provides the local knowledge and expertise which will make the pair a strong team.

But Ivan and Nell don’t click all the time and there are times when the partnership is strained, particularly when past events find their way from the city to Finnegans Gap and internal affairs come to pay Ivan a visit. This element of the story links to other Hammer stories but readers do not need to have read the earlier books (though I recommend you do as they are great). The reason for an internal affairs police officer visiting Ivan in this book is clearly explained to ensure you understand the position he has found himself in when events in Opal Country begin.

I found the background to Opal Country fascinating too. I knew little of opals and how they are mined but this is an integral part of the story building and Chris Hammer takes his readers through the problems the miners face making it an integral part of the story as he builds the backgrounds of the town and the key players in this thriller. Smoothly done and it ensured I was sufficiently up to speed when mining rivalries reared their heads.

While I was reading Opal Country I did refer to the book as “a beast”. There were times in the middle third of the story where I felt I was reading but not actually making any progress through the book (in terms of completion). But despite that faux sense of no-progress I was loving the story and there was lots of information to take in. It’s a big book but it’s a cracking story and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.

Chris Hammer has become one of the names I now look out for. Clever plotting, strong characters and memorable stories – I am already looking forward to the next one.

Opal Country is published on 6 January by Wildfire Books and you can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/opal-country/chris-hammer/9781472295880

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January 4

Demon – Matt Wesolowski

In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world.

Twelve-year-old Sidney Parsons was savagely murdered by two boys his own age. No reason was ever given for this terrible crime, and the ‘Demonic Duo’ who killed him were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were given new identities and lifetime anonymity.

Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates the lead-up and aftermath of the killing, uncovering dark stories of demonic possession, and encountering a village torn apart by this unspeakable act.

And, as episodes of his Six Stories podcast begin to air, and King himself becomes a target of media scrutiny and the public’s ire, it becomes clear that whatever drove those two boys to kill is still there, lurking, and the campaign of horror has just begun…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for the review copy I received and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Demon blog tour.

A new Six Stories book is cause for celebration. Matt Wesolowski’s superb chiller crime tales always skirt the supernatural but leave enough doubt in the reader’s mind that there may be a more “grounded” explanation for creepy incidents which arise in his stories.

A quick recap of the Six Stories format for new visitors. Podcast host Scott King will focus on an event which has a degree of notoriety. Over the course of six podcast episodes he interviews six different people with a connection to the focus of the series. He is not trying to convince his listeners he has “solved” or can explain a mystery, he presents these six stories and leaves listeners to form their own conclusions around what may have happened.

In Demon the subject of the new run of Six Stories is an extremely controversial event: two children murdered a school friend and were convicted for their crime. Both the boys were granted new identities and after a long period of rehabilitation were to be released back into society. It’s a highly emotive story and many feel the two killers should not be returned to society – there is even an online social media threat to leak their new identities and allow “justice” to be done.

Wesolowski tackles this controversial scenario with an astute narrative. Through one of the stories the guest explains how the child rehabilitation process works and how killers could possibly be considered for release. But this is done using the narrative from the story and readers may well find they agree there may be circumstances where young criminals could become mature rehabilitated citizens.

The murder of 12yo Sidney Parsons shocks the small Northern town but the two boys who ended his life had been terrorising the people in the village for weeks. However we learn through Kings podcast that the town has a history of dark incidents and more than one brush with witchcraft down the years.

How much of the events surrounding Sidney’s murder was down to the evil behaviour of two “Demon” children and how much relied upon external factors?

I had thought this story was clear cut but along the way there are revelations which changed my perception of the people involved and by the end of the final story my understanding of the whole episode had radically changed. It’s a terrific example of a slow reveal of information and hiding clues from the reader in plain sight.

I cannot recommend the Six Stories books more highly. Each new instalment has been a delight and Demon makes the series even stronger. Already looking forward to what comes next.

Demon is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format from all usual providers.

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January 1

The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello – Chris McDonald

Wedding bells are chiming in the idyllic, coastal town of Stonebridge. For Sam and Emily, it should be the happiest day of their lives. But, on the morning of the ceremony, the best man is found dead. The police quickly write his death off as a tragic accident, but something doesn’t seem right to wedding guest and groomsman Adam Whyte. Armed with an encyclopaedic, but ultimately ridiculous knowledge of television detective shows and an unwarranted confidence in his own abilities, Adam and his best friend (and willing Watson), Colin, set out to uncover what actually happened to Daniel Costello.

My thanks to Isis Audio for a review copy of the book ahead of today’s Audiobook Publication.

Happy New Year and Happy Audio Publication Day to Chris Mcdonald as the first of his Stonebridge books releases to a new audience as a talking book.

At time of writing there are five Stonebridge books in the series and The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello is the first and the first to be released as an audiobook. It’s my introduction to the series too so a perfect time for me to catch up on a series which was catching my eye last year.

This story is described as a modern cosy story and that’s not typically been my normal choice of reading but I read the blurb and it sounded fun. Good news. It WAS fun. Events surround a wedding and the wedding party are all gathered in a large (exclusive) country house hotel.

The title does rather give away who the victim in this murder tale is going to be. But within the first few chapters he stands out as a toxic character and his forthcoming demise doesn’t seem the worst outcome. However the manner of Daniel Costello’s death leads the police to conclude it was an unfortunate accident after too much drink had been consumed.

At this point Adam Whyte intercedes. He has seen far too many crime dramas to dismiss some unexplained details surrounding Daniel’s death. He ropes in his friend Colin to assist as Adam begins his own investigation into the murder(?) which has taken place right under his nose.

This was a delightful way to begin my reading for 2022. Chris Mcdonald keeps readers and listeners hanging onto the story with short and snappy chapters. Adam’s investigating makes for fun listening and although this is quite a short tale it didn’t feel light on details and there are plenty of suspects to challenge the home detectives joining in at home.

As you would expect from an Isis Audiobook, the audio version is a great listen. Narrative responsibility sits with Stephen Armstrong and I very much enjoyed being guided through this story with his voice in my ears.

Great fun and plenty of humour through the story to add to my enjoyment of a clever wee murder mystery.

The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello is available as an audiobook and in print and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1913331873/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_B1AVCYY25CHVHJ2ZCNDPhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1913331873/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_B1AVCYY25CHVHJ2ZCNDP

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