Long List Part 1
When this years long list came out, although I’d read several of them before, I’d not been able to put the reviews on for logistical reasons at this end, as one of my PA’s is off recovering from a hip operation, so the next few articles relating to Theakston’s will have multiple reviews on.
Doug Johnston – Black Hearts
This year’s Theakston’s list has had an extra challenge with two more books to read, instead of 18, with it being the 20th anniversary. Having previously voted Doug Johnston’s Skelfs series high in the list before, I was gratified to find that the latest one was an option for me to vote for again, and with a tight deadline, 7 hours and 12 minutes was the perfect length to get in there. With an average chapter length of just around 6 minutes, the switching of perspectives between Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah allowed the generational stories to flow.
The impact of the previous books greatly influenced this one. If you’ve not read them, I highly recommend that you do this so that you can avoid spoilers. I’m glad that I’ve been doing this quite a few years now, as I can read series without spoiling it for myself.
Although it was a while since I read no 3, it’s dramatic ending deservedly permeated throughout the entire book. But it wasn’t just the relationships of the Skelf family that made this book a deserved candidate for this year’s list. With a stalker, a ghost and a fight at a funeral, Doug has once again interwoven different plotlines within this totally unique universe to allow you to keep emphasising with everyone and because the stories dramatically come to a close around the same time, the switching of perspectives allows for the tense end to carry on longer than the average book.
I’m not sure what else he could do to the Skelfs, though, but I must admit that I did say that at the end of book 3, too. Knowing how talented Doug is, him and the team at Orenda will be able to shape this universe into another great star.
After reading Imran’s previous books I was gratified to see that this was given as an option in this year’s list, as although I’ve had it for a long time, I’ve been unable to read it due to my own writing commitments, which Imran kindly helped me with, when I submitted to Curtis Brown’s creative’s courses. As a practicing barrister he seemed the perfect person to advise me on a legal book and you can see his skill in this and in his own writing.
With All I said was True being based on an interview with the police and the suspect being a practicing solicitor, it was really fascinating to see how what he said in an interview can be seen from either side of the coin and as the real solution was revealed, how complex you can make it, even in fiction. I’m sure as a former law student myself, there have been similar cases he could write about, because I’ve seen a fair few in court, but often real life can be stranger than fiction. I really enjoyed reading this twisty style and working out whether the title of the book really reflected what was inside it, or not.
For any crime fan looking for a super twisty book with a complex, technical inside not all to do with law, this one may be for you and if you want to understand more about the science behind it, watch the film Dark Water, as this goes further into the industry of polymer chains. A really interesting entry, which deserves to be recognised alongside his other work, which has been highly praised.
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/All-I-Said-Was-True-Audiobook/B0B4X9LWSN?ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_B0B4X9LWSN_0&pf_rd_p=7e7340a8-8768-4798-a0ce-83f879c09110&pf_rd_r=278KAJEN653TMGXQXS9V&pageLoadId=4i20uH52hoRHDwOy&creativeId=14d6a1c2-a3f8-499b-900a-1ae788c317b1
