Murder at Holly House #DenzilMeyrick #MurderAtHollyHouse

By Denzil Meyrick https://denzilmeyrick.com/ @Lochlomonden

Published by Bantam, Transworld Books @TransworldBooks (a division of Penguin Random House UK https://www.penguin.co.uk/)

368 pages ISBN 9781787637184

Publication date 9 November 2023

I was allowed access to a pdf review copy on Net Galley in exchange for a fair review. I would like to thank Net Galley https://www.netgalley.com/ @NetGalley, and of course the Author and Publisher for granting this access.

The Cover

A cover that conjures up the ‘golden period’ of crime fiction with a cracking strap line “In a village of lies… death comes with the snow”. All quite fitting for this period piece, I like it.

My thoughts

The first point for the pedants, is it a Christmas story? Well for those of you who still question whether ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie (it is) I believe it is. It is set in December 1952 during the run up to Christmas and the land is covered with a thick blanket of snow, which is good enough for me. That said it can be difficult to tell these days with the shops stocking Christmas gifts from October, and I managed to buy hot cross buns in November. It’s the 2020’s and life is all mixed up, things were more straightforward back in 1952 weren’t they?

I’ve been a fan of the author’s DCI Daley series from the beginning and so was curious to see what this novel would bring, being based in Yorkshire and historical. Through Twitter I was aware of his family links to my home City Hull so I wondered if it would be included within; I was not to be disappointed. Curious is an appropriate adjective as this very engaging novel is a bit like a Victorian cabinet of curiosities with plenty of appealing oddities.

The story only came to light when a distant cousin of Frank Grasby was sent some crates from the home of his late parents. In searching through all the paperwork enclosed he discovers the unpublished Memoirs of Inspector Frank Grasby along with several police reports, telexes and memorandum. From this the author has managed to piece together this tale…

Frank Grasby is a bit of a bumbling buffoon of a policeman working in York. He is prone to mishaps and lapses of judgement for which he has something of a reputation. After one too many cock up Superintendent Arthur Juggers decides it is time for Frank to be moved away for a short while for the benefit of everyone. Frank is chilled, he dreads being posted to Hull, and more importantly the beat down Hessle Road tackling ‘three day millionaires’ the drunken trawlermen briefly ashore between voyages. To Frank’s relief it’s not Hull but Elderby in rural North Yorkshire where he is to investigate a series of thefts from farms. Now what could possibly go wrong here? Well, he does find a body stuck up a chimney, but thankfully it’s not Santa Claus…

So, we have the spoof journal of a hapless fool who manages to get himself into The Yorkshire Post for all the wrong reasons. The start of the novel is very funny as we discover his errors and terrible attempts at excuses, not to mention the strange foibles of his character. Here is a middle-class snob who doesn’t pay respect to his seniors but expects it from subordinates. A man who is ‘all piss and wind’ at times hopelessly ineffectual but still not without some charm. A complete embarrassment but also an accidental hero we can warm to.

The characters are wonderfully drawn, as eclectic as they are colourful. Towards the end of the story, we discover that some of these characters are not who they appear to be, which results in a beautifully chaotic finale.

There is the widow Mrs Gaunt who runs the guest house which is dark and spooky (though it is spooks of another variety play a part in the tale) whose companion is Cecil, a crow who perches on her shoulder. Sergeant Bleakly is a war hero, he served in Burma with Orde Wingate in the Chindits, but he now has a condition which means he falls asleep at inopportune times. Also at the station is Daisy Dean (Dee Dee) an American intern who has the looks to turn heads. She may appear to be sweet and demure but there is steel under the surface, a woman not to be taken at face value.

The dialogue is peppered with beautifully dated language where men are good chaps or coves, and ‘oh I say there old chap’ would be considered a firm rebuke. The plot quickly transforms from simple robbery with the discovery of murder and then into a spiffing Boy’s Own story (keeping in the spirit of the novel there). All the while Frank is a couple of steps behind the action and getting hints at a mysterious past in Elderby. Why is there drawing on the wall in Frank’s room at Mrs Gaunt’s which includes a man who looks remarkably like his father the Reverend Grasby?

Overall, this novel is intended to be jolly good fun and that it certainly is. Packed with gentle humour, buffoonery, a bit of slapstick and the occasional flash of danger, it brings a sense of feel-good satisfaction. I could see this book having wide appeal and appearing in many Christmas stockings. I dare say a few copies will be intended as gifts but end up being kept once the buyer skims the first few chapters! It’s the sort of book I would come back to, and I feel sure the author will be able to piece together some more hair-raising tales from Frank’s memoirs.

Take a quirky cast of characters, liberally soak with humour and the add a dash of action, combine and bake on a medium heat and you end up with Murder at Holly House, a perfect Christmas mystery that can be enjoyed anytime.

Murder at Holly House can be purchased direct from the customer here

The author

Denzil Meyrick was born in Glasgow and brought up in Campbeltown. After studying politics, he pursued a varied career including time spent as a police officer, freelance journalist, and director of several companies.

Beginning with Whisky from Small Glasses, then The Last Witness, Dark Suits and Sad Songs, The Rat Stone Serenade, and Well of the Winds, the DCI Daley series have all become Scottish Crime bestsellers. Whisky from Small Glasses reached #2 in the UK Kindle store in 2016.

An anthology of short stories, One Last Dram was published in late 2017.

The Daley series to date have all been number one bestselling UK audiobooks on Audible. DCI Daley #6 The Relentless Tide and #7 A Breath on Dying Embers one of the Scotsman newspaper’s books of 2018 and 2019. A Breath On Dying Embers was longlisted for the 2019 McIlvanney Prize.

Source: Amazon profile

Deep Cover

By Leigh Russell https://leighrussell.co.uk/

Published by No Exit Press (Oldcastle Books) https://noexit.co.uk/index1.php?imprint=1

320 pages ISBN 9780857304650

Publication date 24 August 2021

I was allowed access to a pdf review copy on Net Galley.  Thanks to the author and publisher for organising this.

From the blurb

When a sex worker dies in suspicious circumstances in York, Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel struggles to remain focused on the murder investigation: she is distracted by her worries about her colleague and life partner, Ian Peterson, who has disappeared. As Geraldine becomes close to her new DS, Matthew, she is unaware that Ian is working undercover in London, trying to identify a criminal gang who have been targeting her.

As a second victim is discovered in York, and Ian’s life is threatened by a psychopath the tension mounts. If he fails in his mission, both he and Geraldine may die…

Synopsis

DI Geraldine Steel is separated from her life-partner and colleague Ian.  On a personal level she feels let down by him because his actions mean she can no longer see her sister who is now living under a new identity, so she buries herself in work.  She is also upset because he has left without a word of goodbye or forwarding details.  Nobody is sure where he is, but rumour has it he is in London working undercover.

Ian has gone under cover, deep cover, to infiltrate one of the capital’s major criminal gangs.  He is after more than just ‘collars’ though.  He hopes to use the infiltration to his advantage to get word to the drug dealer who blighted Geraldine’s sister’s life and warn him off.  That way he believes that the sisters can contact each other again and his relationship with Geraldine reconciled and their love healed.

Meanwhile Geraldine is investigating the mysterious death of a sex worker who is found in woods near York.  Initial suspicions are that she has murdered but the forensics prove this was not in situ, so she had clearly been moved.  But why?  A second victim is then discovered on waste ground, but she is not a sex worker.  Geraldine wonders if they can be connected and the investigation is widened.

My thoughts

I have read the first few in the Geraldine Steel series but must confess that I haven’t picked one up for some time.  We are so lucky to have a seemingly endless choice of great books to read and we cannot read them all.  Looking at the author’s catalogue it is clear she is very prolific and I know she has a large following, so now seemed a good time to revisit the series to see how it has developed.

Geraldine has moved up North to York which is an interesting choice of location.  I’m sure there must be a crime author who bases their character in York, but I can’t immediately think of one and the city is not the obvious setting for a gritty procedural set in Yorkshire.  It would make a great setting though with the 2,000+ years of history and picturesque views, though they are not drawn out in this episode.

The plot is two distinct strands and investigations which don’t bisect.  The multi-strand approach is increasingly common and the skill of the author is put to test pulling all the loose ends together into a cogent story.  ‘Deep Cover’, is effectively two novellas running alongside each other like an episode of ‘The Bill’ but in which both are concluded by the epilogue.

Geraldine’s investigation into the death of a sex worker is a nicely put together story of unintended consequences.  I think we enjoy the schadenfreude aspect of someone making a bad choice and then by trying to make things better succeeding in digging themselves in deeper and things getting progressively worse for themselves.  Thomas is not a particularly likeable character so is fair game, perhaps if he had been a little more likeable then it may have been a little more challenging for the reader. It’s also a bold writer who lets the reader know who is responsible for the crime and as able to continue to engage their interest. 

Ian’s investigation was more unconventional.  The motivation for him to go undercover to contact the drug dealer to warn him off didn’t ring true to me.  The undercover aspects were fine, but it just felt as if it was a little bit rushed; Ian played his cards to the crime boss almost straightway which didn’t feel right.  Credit for trying this sub-genre though.

Both threads were good, but I was left feeling that they were both a little bit short changed and perhaps would have been better served as full stand-alone novels.  More could have been made of the pressure Thomas was under and ultimately his breakdown into temporary madness under all the pressure.  Similarly, more could have been made of the danger that Ian was in and the steps he needed to take to stay safe.  This would have made both themes darker, and it was noticeable that there was little by way of real violence.  I assume that this is a case of the author understanding their audience and me reading too many noirs and gritty Northern stories. 

The main characters, Geraldine and Ian, are already well developed and likeable enough.  The writing is unfussy and the plot certainly doesn’t dawdle.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I’m sure Leigh’s many fans will love it and after all it is giving readers what they want that translates into sales.  I will be following the progress of Geraldine Steel and I won’t wait quite so long next time.