CRIME REVIEWS
Burning Bright by Jay Russell
Published by Robinson at £5.99 on 30 October 1997 
Burning Bright, the sequel to Celestial Dogs, sees American TV star Marty Burns on British shores, promoting his new Detective series. If he'll just submit to the indignities and tedium of PR hell, British style, a break through seems imminent. But things with Marty are never that simple. In a bid to escape his publicity people for a while, he stumbles upon trouble in the form of flying pop bottles, skinheads and strange messages from a shadowy organisation called "Ultima Thule" in the depths of darkest Spittlefields, the killing grounds of the infamous Jack the Ripper. Before he knows it he's made the front page - saving an Asian shopkeeper from thugs - a PR dream come true. He's onto a winner, but not for long. His involvement in an anti-racist march that turns nasty brings disaster and when the tabloids get wind of a sleazy soft porn film that Marty was involved in in his callow youth, they set out to destroy his career, as is their wont.
But the instigators of the violence at the protest march have a far more deadly and wider-reaching purpose. Their aim is to create the ultimate havoc, to destroy society, and they are calling on ancient magic to help them. Unfortunately for Marty, he'd destined to be much more than a mere witness to this conspiracy. He finds himself teaming up with a small but select group whose skills in and knowledge of magical lore make them ideally suited to fight against Ultima Thule. Their task is to pre-empt the Thule's movements before irreversible damage is done. This unlikely combination of individuals travel the length and breadth of the country in an attempt to stop the Thule, with havoc and mayhem dogging their every step. The tension builds notch by notch to a final dramatic confrontation. Jay Russell's previous novels have attracted the highest critical acclaim, and Burning Bright is set to do the same. Russell's ability to blend supernatural horror with, in some ways, even more horrific reality is unique. Couple this with incisive, and witty dialogue, truly convincing characterisation, and heart-stopping shocks, you couldn't wish for more. There's even a bit of steamy sex in there - at least so we are told - Marty has a bit of trouble remembering it himself, but there you go, that's demons for you!
The juxtaposition of British and American tastes, language and behaviour, makes for hilarious and insightful reading, and Russell conveys a feeling for the country, from the grim backstreets of Spittlefields to the magic-drenched plains of Tintagel and the council estates of Liverpool that accurately captures their very different moods. The characters are an intriguing mix of male, female, black, white, American, British, Irish, Jewish, gay, straight - and among them all some wonderfully memorable characters who work extremely well together. There are plenty of strong women characters, which gives the story that special piquancy. My favourite is Siobhan, a tough gun-toting lesbian, who's taken on the job of minder to Uma Dharmamitra, the leader of the group. A woman of very few words (and most of those unrepeatable!) but reliable when the action starts, she's (allegedly) been thrown out of the IRA for bad behaviour! She's not at all impressed with Marty - he talks too much for a start. Such relationships form the back drop to the main story and the characters have a genuine appeal about them. The plot is fast-paced and well developed, with a number of sharp shocks along the way. All very impressive. This is a book to savour.
(EAL)

Fourth Attempt and Fifth Member by Claire Rayner
Published by Penguin and Michael Joseph at £5.99 and £15.99 on 04 September 1997 
Dr George Barnabas is the resident forensic and general pathologist at London's Royal Eastern Hospital, a job she loves. The other loves in her life are her partner, Chief Superintendent Gus Hathaway and, more importantly, poking her nose into the police investigations which result from the findings of her own post-mortems. The latter she does with admirable gusto, despite her unfortunate tendency to make great leaps in reasoning and aim straight for the throat rather than emulate her partner's more methodical, investigative methods. This is not to say that her reasoning is "intuitive",  in fact, it is nothing of the sort, being based on her forensic evidence, its just that the police would need physical evidence of a crime before acting, no matter what their suspicions. George knows no such restraint!
In Fourth Attempt, a series of deaths involving members of staff at Old East Hospital seem straight forward enough from George's forensic investigations: they were either accidents and one possible suicide. But soon afterwards, a member of staff in George's own department is the victim of attempts on her life and the main suspect appears to be George herself. She finds herself drawn into the investigation in order to clear her name and discover who is attempting to frame her. With suspicions of non-qualified staff roaming London's hospitals looking for medical subjects for their research, and with departments made desperate through lack of funding, it appears that anyone could be involved.
The Fifth Member opens with the discovery of the body of a member of parliament which has been horribly mutilated. This discovery is quickly followed by news of another body with similar mutilations. It is George that makes the link between the horrific deaths and the location of the bodies: a link strong enough to suggest reference to the infamous Ripper murders of Victorian London. Heading the local investigation is Detective Inspector Rupert Dudley, a man with an intense dislike of George and her unorthodox methods of investigation. Strictly speaking, George shouldn't be part of the investigation at all, being the pathologist, but she's persuaded Gus that her expertise will help solve the murders. And time is of the essence. If the deaths are indeed following the Ripper's trail, five murders can be expected. George busies herself in following up leads that the police cannot become officially involved in, and in so doing, puts herself in serious danger. The George Barnabas mysteries are full of genuine suspense which is turned up, notch by notch as the investigations gain pace. There are also many interesting insights into life in a London Hospital. If there's any indication of Claire Raynor's background as an agony aunt, it's in the straightforward attitudes of George. She may dislike and be disliked by a colleague, but this does not have a significant impact on her life. She makes mistakes but has the confidence to admit to them and get on with her life instead of agonising about them. That this lack of 'hang-ups' makes her in some ways less than real is a shame, as her attitudes are refreshingly forthright. For example, she loves nothing better than a good puzzle over a death. She's aware that some would say that enjoyment of her work is morbid, but for her the job is exciting, with each new corpse a chance to learn something new about the intricacies of the human body.
If I have one criticism, it's that George's outright interference in police business is at times is too easily forgiven by Gus. But then men do have their weaknesses!
George Barnabas is a modern day Miss Marple. More active, but no less of a meddler. She certainly gives the police a run for their money! Highly enjoyable - I'll be looking out for the next with anticipation
(E.A.L.)

Felix In The Underworld by John Mortimer
Published by Penguin Audio at £8.99 on 02 October 1997 
For me, Felix in the Underworld read by Michael Pennington has to be one of the treats of the year. This is John Mortimer at his unrivalled best, and coupled this with Michael Pennington's skilfully rendered characters - endearing, hilarious, menacing and irritating by turns, you couldn't ask for a more entertaining combination. The story's chuckle-factor ranges from the quiet snicker to the full-bellied guffaw with a good dose of 'oh, no's" in between!
The story opens with Felix Morson working on his new novel (he's been referred to as the Chekov of Coldsands). His train of thought (which, if truth be told, has more to do with the exact alignment of his pens and other paraphernalia rather than with his writing) is slowly impinged upon by someone relating a story involving a couple of plain-clothes men, a police cell and indecent sexual acts in the lavatory! This, apparently from the radio. But when Felix discovers that the source of the strange story is actually a tape which has been sent from a so-called 'fan', Felix's life takes a nasty turn for the worse. With accusations of fathering an unknown (to him) child and suspicion of murder to follow. And while Felix did think it would be rather useful if he had a few new experiences to spice up his new novel - this isn't exactly what he had in mind!
Real-life is full of far-fetched coincidences. But stick them into fiction and you're in for trouble - no one will believe it! In the same way, fictional characters that are odd are often unconvincing. And while there's nowt so queer as folk, there's nowt so difficult to pull off as letting odd characters roam freely around on the page. John Mortimer's ear for dialogue and eye for character are so spot on that the most quirky characters and situations become completely convincing and Mortimer appears to achieve the effect effortlessly.
With incisive insights into the worlds of publishing and the law, he also manages to comment on the state of modern day Britain.
Skilfully avoiding the trap of stereotyping, Michael Pennington's characters take on a life of their own and stay with you for a long time afterwards. The subtle edge of threat present in the dead pan intonation of Gavin, the shady character who makes Felix's life such a misery, is inspired. As are the voices of the solicitor who Felix hopes will extricate him from the charge of murder, and the police sergeant who has a bee in his bonnet: "It's down to kids in my opinion. It's a little known fact that 69% of violent crime in this area is down to the under 12's. Make our job a whole lot easier if they went to school in cuffs and were locked up at night." Now I wondered who Jack Straw had been talking to! Or what about one Jasper Kettering, proprietor of Epsilon book publishers, touting for business: "If you have anything in your bottom draw, sir, anything which may have given Tupel-Smith of Llama cold feet, shall we say, flagellation, bestiality, necrophilia, socialism… We could of course publish you under a suitable pseudonym."
This is 3 hours of sheer entertainment. Top marks. I'll certainly be on the look out for further tales from Mortimer and Pennington - an inspired combination.
E.A.L.

The Power to Harm: Mind, Murder and Drugs on Trial by John Cornwell
Published by Penguin at £7.99 on 31 July 1997 
One morning in 1989 Joseph Wesbecker walked into the Standard Gravure printing plant in Louisville, Kentucky and shot twenty of his fellow workers, killing eight and severely injuring 12, before killing himself. The Power to Harm is John Cornwell's compelling account of Joseph Wesbecker's life, death and the subsequent compensation case.
Joseph Wesbecker, a man with a history of mental illness, under extreme emotional, economic and work-related stresses had been prescribed Prozac in the time leading up to the shootings. The victims and their families were determined to publicise the role of Prozac in this and a worrying number of other incidents. Through their lawyers they attempted to show that Prozac was a significant causal factor in the incident and thus sought compensation from the manufacturers.
The Power to Harm not only investigates some of the most intricate issues involving the role of drugs in behaviour, but in a blow by blow account, clearly highlights the inadequacies and injustices of the legal system itself.
In both medical and legal circles, too often, vested interests, be they financial, political or involving professional reputations conspire to damage legitimate cases. There are worrying trends in the funding of liability cases, where taking a case on appears to be a matter of the lawyer's willingness to gamble for huge fees, rather than a desire for justice. And the legal profession's acceptance of claims regarding the biochemistry of the brain and its relation to behaviour (a subject which involves complex issues with warring factions amongst the experts themselves) can lead to dubious rulings. Cornwell makes mention of the "The Twinkie Defence" used in 1978, in the trial against Dan White, a former police officer who walked into City Hall in San Francisco and shot dead Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. White was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter because the jury accepted that his actions were caused by eating an excessive number of Twinkie cupcakes on the morning of the incident. A change in his brain chemistry resulted in his acting on an "irresistable impulse" and this meant that he could not be held responsible for his actions. This trend towards attributing the "cause" of the defendent's behaviour to outside influences is in marked contrast to the more traditional concept that individuals should be held responsible for their actions if they understand the difference between right and wrong.
In many cases, the subtleties of 'expert' arguments are lost or deliberately misrepresented in court, and John Cornwell's account of the trial is surely one of the most compelling arguments for insisting on not only expert juries, but expert judges and lawyers. Big business rides rough shod over compensation law suits. Standards of practice and drug assessment which most of us take for granted are shown to be seriously flawed. And in a final attempt at damage limitation, the claimants are just another group to be bought-off, even the judge himself is finally duped.
Having attended the trial himself, John Cornwell writes with clarity, impartiality and good judgement. The issues have been extremely well researched, and with painstaking care, he reveals the flaws in the arguments put forward in court and asks whether the issues themselves were given a fair trial. How, for example, does a "not guilty" verdict for Prozac influence the public's perception of the safety levels of the drug or others of its kind?
A fine and important achievement. A book not to be missed.
(E.A.L.)

Governing Body by Anne Wilson
Published by Women's Press at £6.99 on 09 October 1997
Too many people seem to hate Tony Thornley. The staff and fellow governors at Arkwright High, the ex-mistress, wife and son. But when he's found dying from multiple stab wounds in the school car park, after a particularly spiteful governors' meeting, no one wants to believe that Mona Pearson, the school's headteacher, could do such a thing. Mona is a popular head, well known for her conciliatory approach to problems, slow to provocation, even under extreme duress, and certainly not capable of cold-blooded murder. But she's the one found holding the knife.
As community counsellors, Sara Kingsley and her colleague Robin have recently attended a governors' meeting to try to diffuse the atmosphere of animosity and intransigence among the governors. There have been violent disputes about school policy.
When Robin finds out about the murder he is particularly upset, admitting to a crush on Mona in the past. And although he swears that he has no current emotional involvement with Mona, he and the rest of the team bamboozle a reluctant Sara into visiting Mona, to see if they can help.
Mona's tale of sexual harassment and bullying unfolds, and guilty or not, she has the right to fair representation, something she certainly won't get from the notoriously high-handed and bigoted investigating police officer in charge of the case - he's already made up his mind.
On top of this turmoil at work, Sara's having trouble in her own personal life. Sick of constant soul-searching and examining relationships in minute detail, both in her professional and personal lives, she jumps head first into a purely sexual relationship with a beautiful man, 10 years younger, who she meets in a pub. The difficulties of hanging on to a relationship where he wants to talk and she doesn’t provides an intriguing aside to the major action.
A story in which bullying and psychological brutality have far-reaching consequences, Governing Body is well written and entertaining, with an attractively complex heroine, well worth a read.

Burning Issues by Maggie Kelly
Published by Onlywomen Press at £5.99 
When a former member of Mig's creative writing group is found dead, having apparently swallowed a bottle of bleach, suicide seems the only explanation. Dulcie had been a difficult student. Suffering from a schizophrenic illness, she was a pitiable reminder of the inadequacies of the "care in the community" policy of the government. A laudable idea, reduced to absurdity by sending "clients" out into a community that provided little care, a policy abused by those seeking to reduce the financial burden on the taxpayer. Dulcie lived in a local hostel for the homeless and talked of leaving it all to marry her boyfriend who'd saved enough money to buy a bungalow by the sea.
Having been slightly unsympathetic to Dulcie's predicament, Mig decides that the least she can do is pass on the bundle of writing of Dulcie's she has accumulated to Dulcie's boyfriend, who also lives in a hostel for the homeless. But the obstructive behaviour of the hostel's owner provokes Mig's stubborn streak, and the obstruction begins to take on a decidedly suspicious overtones. This, coupled with Dulcie's strange ravings which Mig previously attributed to the illness, but which now seem a deal more sinister, draws Mig into uncovering a network of deceit where abuse of power and pornography of the worst kind are rife.
This is a cracking tale of life on the grimy backstreets of Brighton. The characters are well drawn and convincing. Maggie Kelly gives us pause for thought about the vulnerability of the homeless, the young "hopeless" and the mentally ill. It's the sort of tale that needs to be told.
Highly recommended, an exciting and thought-provoking commentary on a society that too often takes too little care of those who need it most.
(E.A.L.)

10lb Penalty by Dick Francis
Published by Michael Joseph at £15.99 on 11 September 1997
10lb Penalty features young Benedict Juliard, in love with horses and intent on becoming a professional steeplechase jockey. The trouble is, he's not quite up to the top-class standards, and although he is quite content with things the way they are, his father has other ideas for him. Following the death of the sitting MP, George Juliard, a charismatic newcomer to politics, has been selected as candidate in the Hoopwestern by-election. He wants Benedict to become his assistant and help him win the election before going on to university in Exeter. And so, with no prior consultation, Benedict is rudely ejected from his position at the local stables, to take his place at his father's side. Far from resenting this high-handedness on his father's part, Benedict comes to relish the idea of helping his father win, giving him a chance to get to know more about this rather distant man. He happily settles down to his new role, despite the inevitable backbiting that goes with the territory. But then things start to go dramatically awry. Is someone trying to kill his father, or at least seriously injure him? With two apparent attempts on George Juliard's life, the whole campaign is thrown into mayhem.
Smear campaigns in the press and behind the scenes manoeuvring become serious obstacles to George Juliard's success. And when the campaigns against the man himself don't have the desired effect, Benedict, and his past (alleged!) indiscretions are used in a final attempt to destroy George Juliard's career.
The party faithful are well drawn and all too familiar - the ambitious party activists, clones to a (wo)man: from hairstyles, costumes, right down to party line; the behind-the-scenes manipulators who wield the real power in the party. And among these George Juliard, hanging on to his basic dignity and principles. Benedict himself is the most attractive of the lot, and for a young man, has compassion, understanding and sense. Interestingly, the book is dedicated to Francis' eighteen-year old grandson.
On the occasions when the storyline strayed back to the world of racing, rather than politics, my imagination was caught to the extent that I couldn't help wishing that Francis had incorporated more of his usual subject-matter. But we all need a change once in a while, and Dick Fancis has been writing racing novels since 1960. This excursion into politics is a decided change - and not a bad one at that.
(E.A.L.)

The Inner Sanctum by Stephen Frey
Published by Michael Joseph at £15.99 on 07 August 1997
In the new thriller by Stephen Frey, irregularities in the tax returns of a senate candidate are uncovered by the branch chief of Baltimore's Office of Internal Revenue, Neil Robinson. Shortly afterwards, his body is found, an apparent accident. But on the morning of his death, Robinson's colleague, Jesse Hayes receives a time-delayed message via e-mail which tells her something of his suspicions and asks her to visit his house and pick up the evidence.
When she is tracked by the killer, as she escapes from Robinson's house with the all-important file, Jesse becomes convinced of the seriousness of Robinson's accusations, and the race is on for her to find out what the secrecy is all about before she is silenced... permanently.
What she finds is evidence for an 'Inner Sanctum': a secret organisation whose membership comprises both top level government officials and some of the most powerful names in the financial sector. The objective of the group is to control the $300 billion a year defence budget. Through back door deals and insider knowledge, they wield immense power over the country's finances and political manoeuvring. And they will do anything to retain this control and to prevent their dealings from becoming public knowledge.
Jesse's allies include David Mitchell, an bright young Investment Broker who works for Jesse's prospective employers, Sagamore Investments, and Todd Colton, a childhood friend who helped her through her own troubled past. The two men take an instant dislike to each other, each having their own agenda, but both wanting to help Jesse as much as they can.
But as the drama unfolds, Jesse becomes unsure who can be trusted. Her every move seems to be anticipated… The Inner Sanctum is intense and thrilling. The tension is at times heart-stopping. The plot is well-developed and convincing to the point of paranoia! Tax fraud investigation may not seem the most exciting of subjects, but Frey's new thriller will have you hooked.
(E.A.L.)