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Far From The Tree – Rob Parker (Audiobook)

Twenty-seven bodies, vacuum-packed, buried in a woodland trench. Some have been there for years, some for just days.

When DI Brendan Foley recognises one of the Warrington 27, he knows this case is about to shake his world.

Detective Sergeant Iona Madison is a skilled boxer and a vital support for Foley. Theirs is a newly established police force, and loyalties are about to be tested to the extreme.

Pressure mounts as news of the mass grave is plastered over the news. Brendan knows they can’t crack this case alone, but he’s not letting a rival force take over.

Their investigations lead them into the murky underworlds of Manchester and Liverpool, where one more murder means little to drug-dealing gangs, desperate to control their power bases.

But as Madison steps into the ring for the fight of her life, the criminals come to them. It’s no coincidence that the corpses have been buried in Foley’s hometown. The question is, why?

I am an Audible member and I purchased this audiobook through my membership allocation.

I bought Far From The Tree when it was an Audible Only title and because it was by Rob Parker – who is currently releasing books faster than I seem to be able to read them. Knowing this author can write a pacy thriller and reading that blurb (above) about a mass grave and an investigating officer recognising one of the victims, I decided Far From The Tree was a book I didn’t want to miss out on. Turns out my instinct was on the money as I could’t get enough of this one.

The good news for non-audiobook readers is that Red Dog Press have just announced there will be a paperback release of Far From The Tree in July of this year. The audiobook remains immediately available and I rate it highly, narrator Warren Brown is magnificent and does a fabulous job bringing life to DI Brendan Foley and his collleagues. The action is set in Warrington and England’s North West and even to my untrained (and Scottish) ear I was able to place the regional accents and feel entirely satisfied the authenticity and accuracy which you would hope to hear was very much accomplished.

Why was Far From The Tree such a hit with me? It gripped me early and kept me hooked. I didn’t want to stop listening and Rob Parker really nailed the dynamics and impact of the story with a strong set of characters.

Lead character is Brendan Foley. He is meant to be enjoying his son’s christening but is called out to supervise a shocking discovery in a local wood. When we arrive on the scene with Foley the police are uncovering a trench which appears to be a mass grave. The bodies within are all wrapped tightly in plastic but it is immediately clear that some have been in the ground for quite some time. Nothing the Warrington Police have seen before can have prepared them for this and readers can immediately see the impact it is having on them.

Foley is briefly called away from the crimescene and we see his DS, Iona Madison, step up to oversee matters while Foley returns to his family to explain his absence to his wife and to get his father to keep an eye on proceedings (and his wife) while Foley will be away. This distraction from the body-filled trench was extremely effective in introducing Foley’s family, who will go on to play a significant role in later events, and also showcasing Madison as the strong, effective investigator she needs to be in Far From The Tree.

I am loathe to get too deeply into events of the book as part of my review (Spoilers) however, I do want to touch on how much I enjoyed this book as a strong police procedural thriller. The investigation into twenty seven multiple murders is no mean feat, particularly when many of the victims were buried in a condition which involved maiming or disfigurement. Foley and his team doggedly pursue the small clues they can uncover as the pathologist completes examinations. I also enjoyed the side of the story where action slips to Foley and his family. The strain an investigation such as this can put on the officers is something not always explored in fiction but Rob Parker takes time to show the devestation it can have on a family and it brings you closer to Foley and Madison and their loved ones.

This isn’t an easy review as I am trying so hard to avoid spoilers. What I can share is that Far From The Tree is easily one of the best audiobooks I have listened to for some time. I did a full six hour listening session to get through three quarters of the story in one go – previously the longest audiobook session I had completed was around 2 hours (and that was while I was driving). I loved this book, it got its claws into me early and didn’t let me go. When it ended I didn’t feel I was done with these characters – they endured shocks, grief, personal trauma and not all the team will be at their desks in the weeks following the story…but I still wanted more. When a book leaves you craving more chapters then it has done its job. Brilliant. Pure page turning drama.

Far From The Tree is currently available in audiobook format only but will be released in paperback on 2 July 2021. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1839012099/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i8

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April 1

The April Dead – Alan Parks

NO ONE WILL FORGET . . .

In a grimy flat in Glasgow, a homemade bomb explodes, leaving few remains to identify its maker.

Detective Harry McCoy knows in his gut that there’ll be more to follow. The hunt for a missing sailor from the local US naval base leads him to the secretive group behind the bomb, and their disturbing, dominating leader.

On top of that, McCoy thinks he’s doing an old friend a favour when he passes on a warning, but instead he’s pulled into a vicious gang feud. And in the meantime, there’s word another bigger explosion is coming Glasgow’s way – so if the city is to survive, it’ll take everything McCoy’s got . . .

My thanks to Jamie at Canongate for a review copy of The April Dead and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the oppourtunity to host this leg of the tour.

Harry McCoy is the new name to add to the list of Scotland’s Best Fictional Coppers. His city is Glasgow and The April Dead takes us to 1974 – a full decade before Taggart became known as “Scottish For Murder.”

This book opens with a bang – literally. A homemade bomb has blown up in a rundown house in a quiet part of town. It looks like the bomb-maker made one final mistake at the wrong moment. McCoy isn’t good with blood so being asked to investiate a death where the victim is spread around a room really isn’t the best way for him to begin his day.

Before too long McCoy will be spinning more than one plate and finding himself in another unwelcome position. As ever, one of the key elements which bring these predicaments is is oldest friend Stevie Cooper – recently released from Peterhead prison and back in town to re-establish himself as the big noise with a finger in every pie. McCoy’s friendship with Cooper, one of Glasgows biggest criminals, is always problematic but never more so when Cooper is arrested for murder by McCoy’s young apprentice Wattie.

It seems the clumsy bombmaker may not have been working alone as there are further incidents around the city and McCoy finds he is relying upon the skills of a colleague who transferred from Northern Ireland. His experience of dealing with the aftermath of IRA bombs across the Irish Sea has given him unwelcome knowledge of different bombs and the destruction they can cause. In the mid-1970s the IRA were starting to make their presence felt on the mainland UK and unfortunately for McCoy he appears to be drawing attention to himself and being noticed by the wrong type of people.

With regular sidekick Wattie spending some of his time dealing with his new paternal responsibilities we see McCoy using some of his personal time trying to help out a retired American naval captain. His son (also a sailor) has gone missing in Glasgow and Capitan Stewart has travelled to Scotland to try and trace him. He is reliant upon McCoy’s support and McCoy appears happy to spend time with Stewart and help him to find the missing boy. However, it seems Stewart junior may have fallen in with a bad crowd and McCoy is certain there are elements of his life which his father knows nothing about. Diplomacy isn’t really McCoy’s strength so digging into possible criminal activities while keeping Captain Stewart in the dark is just another challenge for McCoy.

As with the earlier Harry McCoy novels I find the author’s depictions of Glasgow, as she was, to be mesmerising. It’s a familiar city in unfamiliar coat. McCoy knows his home and he knows many of the undesirable characters who live within but he moves around and spins those plates and by shaking up the right people and knowing the questions to ask he begins to make progress. The bombings are a clear and present threat and there are too many young military types cropping up in the investigation for McCoy’s liking. Alan Parks keeps the reader hooked with multiple events and threads and you know that when the book reaches the endgame lots of those threads are going to be connected – but which ones?

I make no secret of the fact I adore the Harry McCoy series. I recommend them above many other crime books and each new release brings increasing levels of anticipation. The April Dead did not disappoint – if I did “starred” reviews it would be a nailed on Five Star recommendation. I know you have a TBR which is taking over your house but you need to be reading these books. So read them. No excuses.

The April Dead is published by Canongate Books and is available in Hardback, Digital and Audiobook fomat. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08H2BQR1T/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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August 31

Crack Apple & Pop – Saira Viola

Tony is a handsome young boxer is forced into a life of crime after suffering a vicious blow in the ring.

Seduced by the glitz and glamour of London and mentored by charismatic gang lord Don March he rises rapidly up the crime ladder until he spies an opportunity to start a semi-legit Natural Highs business.

Bank-rolled by an eccentric British dandy and accompanied by a cast of starry misfits including a 3ft tall blue-haired money man, an Etonian drug mule, two dominatrix debt collectors, a dodgy lawyer and a host of demi-celebs, Tony carves out a life for himself in a city where money creates its’ own morality.

All seems to be going well until in the shadows, a Bollywood mobster threatens to derail their plans.

Chaos ensues, of course it does – wonderful, beautiful, visceral chaos.

The deft wit of Hammett meets the vivid poetics of Chandler: Crack Apple and Pop is slick smart and razor sharp. A gritty and sometimes metafictive slice of London noir.

A city of artful dodgers, yardie gangsters, kinky aristos, cocaine dusted starlets and social thrill seekers where everyone’s hustling and everyone’s getting high.

Whether it’s law, finance, the music biz, or the boxing ring: money is king. And only the ones prepared to risk everything will survive…

My thanks to Emma at Damppebbles for arranging the blog tour and to Fahrenheit Press for my review copy.

Fahrenheit Press release books which are dark, edgy, “noirish” and their regular readers love the unpredictable stories on offer.

Crack Apple & Pop is not going to be to everyone’s taste. It is cleverly written, loaded with lives and stories, anecdotes and glimpses into the lives of colourful characters but cosy crime fans will not embrace the darkness on offer here.

As a Scottish blogger I review a fair few Scottish crime thrillers – the biggest gripes I see about Scottish books I love is that “local dialect” upsets some of Middle England. Crack Apple & Pop is pure London (and not the pleasant BBC Radio 4 London voices). There is slang, drug references, gang culture and dozens of vulnerable lives being manipulated by the powerful.

The reader is taken to snapshots of different scenes, a return to the lead characters then an aside to a random encounter. Everything feels 100mph and there are so many incidents which may shock or amuse. I find it hard to do describe how it feels to read (as you can clearly see).

An example: the opening chapters are about a developing boxing career. The rhythm of the writing is amazing in that it is punchy, it weaves and bobs and bruises the reader then it is over and all slows and the pattern of writing changes.

This happens over the story – fast scenes are sharp, stacatto or spiked. Then slower, calmer scenes are detailed and comfortable. It is very cleverly done as it changes the feel of the story.

If you want to read a character driven book this has to be a contender. It is lives laid out for our inspection – these may not be happy lives so proceed with caution.

Crack Apple & Pop is published by Fahrenheit Press and is available in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: http://www.fahrenheit-press.com/books_crack_apple_and_pop.html

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