A Review of A Pauper's Shroud by Leon Steelgrave

A Pauper's Shroud follows a police investigation into the murder of an eight year old girl in Inverness, Scotland, focusing primarily on the three officers involved in the case: a newly promoted female Detective Inspector, an 'old school' Detective Sergeant and a new recruit to CID prone to panic attacks.

I must begin by saying that I am not used to reading detective/murder novels so this was quite a first for me. I saw an interview with the author on a blog and thought he came across as such an interesting chap I would check out his work!

The author has gone to great lengths in providing the details of how the police force in Inverness conduct murder investigations. There is almost a documentary feel to some of the scenes which is a testament to the depth of knowledge the author has on the subject which adds greatly to the sense of realism of the novel. The main characters, and indeed the more minor ones, are very well drawn and certainly reveal very human flaws regardless of their profession, rank or background.

With regard to the writing itself, the descriptions of various locations is very impressive, whether it be Loch Ness, the local dives, the grounds of an abandoned hospital or the various rooms and offices of the Police Station. These detailed descriptions along with the three-dimensional characters certainly draw the reader into the novel and go a long way to explaining its appeal.

In terms of the plot, I won't be giving anything away in this review. Suffice to say the strands are cleverly woven together to produce an ending that, in keeping with the raw realism of the rest of the novel, is satisfying.

So any negatives? These are of course purely my personal opinion and must be understood in the context of my not having been drawn to reading detective/police novels before. I found the pace very good to begin with in terms of getting to know the characters, the background story, the area etc but this pace did not really change throughout the whole novel. There was no quickening towards the final denouement hence when the killer is revealed it is done in quite a matter of fact way. I have mentioned several times how realistic the novel appears to be so perhaps the ending is very much part of that realism and should not be seen in a less than positive light. Detective work, by all accounts, is not as exciting as it appears in films or on the telly, and this fact is mentioned at times by some of the characters. My only other minor criticism would be that at times the reader is told how characters feel about society, each other, their jobs etc rather than shown by way of a scene or a piece of dialogue - when these scenes/dialogues do occur they are sometimes backed up by clarification in the narrative that does sometimes feel a little clunky and didactic.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I was very much impressed by both its structure and the care the author has taken in presenting a thoroughly realistic world in which to set his story. The characters are believable and do not at any time fall into caricature.

I highly recommend this novel to readers of this genre.

You can download the novel from Amazon here:

UK Amazon - A Pauper's Shroud

US Amazon - A Pauper's Shroud

A Review of Tales From The Longcroft Estate by Darren Sant

A Review of Darren Sant's Tales From The Longcroft Estate:

Tales From The Longcroft Estate consists of three tales: A Good Day, Community Spirit and Rowan's Folly.

A Good Day is the first of these tales and starts wonderfully with a description of a seagull swooping down into the estate - a very clever device, almost like a camera being lowered down from above. The story is about man on the estate who is heavily into his drugs and thinks only of the next high and how he is going to get the money to attain it. And his favourite song is The Car Alarm Blues - brilliant! He is not a bad man, just likes his 'skag.'  And when he stumbles across a situation he has to make a choice with wide-ranging consequences. A great short story about a complex character that really sets up the other two tales.

Community Spirit tells of a week in the life of a single mother who recently moved to the estate. The use of language is harsh and smart - the word 'slammed' being used twice in the same paragraph to describe a woman being thrown against a wall and a door shut moments later by the offender. People and objects are not so dissimilar it seems. The main protagonist is being pursued by a loan shark and she feels entirely alone in her plight despite there being posters around for a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme and 'curtain-twitchers' everywhere. This tale has a lovely uplifting twist at the end.

Rowan's Folly is the longest of the tales and goes deeper into the characters of the wider estate. There are several interweaving threads to this tale and there is some beautiful writing here. This is a really cleverly written story that is extremely visual. The writing is tight and the characters eminently believable. And the final line is fantastic.

In summary, Tales From The Longcroft Estate is a collection that gives an insightful snapshot into the lives of people who struggle each day to get through. It is inventive and witty and has a wonderful combination of original description, great dialogue and an overwhelming feeling of empathy for the characters. I can't recommend this collection highly enough.

Tales From The Longcroft Estate is published by Byker Books and is available on Kindle here - TALES FROM THE LONGCROFT ESTATE