Long List Part 3
Now it’s several days since the long list has been released, it is now time for the annual reading of Mick Herron’s book that has appeared on the list something like the last seven years in a row and having won last year, it seems the quality of his books mean that he has become a permanent fixture. The only question is, will he manage to emulate his fellow nominee, Mark Billingham, who won it twice consecutively near the start of his career?
Herron’s sense of humour and finger on the political pulse gets more and more ironic with each book, as this book revolves around the idea of political advisors and is obviously a piss take of Cummings. The way that Herron manages to deal with the recent political zeitgeist in each of his books in a poetic way makes me wonder what will be in the next one and is it this skill that means he gets nominated on a regular basis, as the jokes become darker and darker and the reflection of reality becomes more and more prosaic.
I love his books and he deserved to win after a number of years where he was consecutively shortlisted, but with more competition this year, who will win, I don’t yet know.
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Bad-Actors-Audiobook/B09JX2DRQN?ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_B09JX2DRQN_0&pf_rd_p=7e7340a8-8768-4798-a0ce-83f879c09110&pf_rd_r=2XVNJF03DGEP39TSZ4HY&pageLoadId=t3UgcZIOrjOqjA01&creativeId=14d6a1c2-a3f8-499b-900a-1ae788c317b1
Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place Wrong Time is the second author new to me on the list, or at least I thought so, but I first came across her when I was on my Curtis Brown writing course and was looking for legal writers, but decided in the end that in order not to replicate hers, or the style of others, not to finish her book until later.
Having just finished Wrong Place Wrong Time, I’ve just been reminded of this. Her earlier book will be the first I shall finish after reading the long list, as Gillian’s approach to the legal plot is distinctive to herself and I’m really impressed by what I’ve read in both books.
In Wrong Place Wrong Time, Gillian’s main protagonist, Jen, gets involved in a time loop and has to solve something that has a major impact upon her own life, but with no knowledge of how time loops work, how will she do this?
A really original entry to this years Theakston’s and I can see why it was chosen by the judges for you to vote on.
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Wrong-Place-Wrong-Time-Audiobook/1405951826?ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_1405951826_1&pf_rd_p=7e7340a8-8768-4798-a0ce-83f879c09110&pf_rd_r=5249RAKE8E6R43GG61SC&pageLoadId=tfs1rY9PIEVo78Y4&creativeId=14d6a1c2-a3f8-499b-900a-1ae788c317b1
The festival party.
McCormack’s second Outing
