Tangled Web UK Review December 2000
Dying Embers by
Margaret Murphy
hbk out September 00
Published by Macmillan
at £16.99
Margaret Murphy is such a well-established writer of psychological suspense that it
comes as a surprise to read that this is only her fifth published novel. The first, the
much-acclaimed 'Goodnight My Angel', was shortlisted for the Fresh Blood Award
as recently as 1996 and introduced Murphy's hallmark social realism and ability to
create an atmosphere of chilly menace. Her latest novel is quite possibly her best yet.
It offers a relentless evocation of urban life, including the teenage drug culture that
provokes politicians to threaten zero tolerance but which perhaps demands better
understanding - an understanding that Murphy seeks sensitively to impart.
A boy goes missing. Ryan Connelly seemed to have it all. He was young, good-
looking and popular; he was a gifted footballer and was even due to have a trial with
Manchester United (well, perhaps that is a mixed blessing). Before long he turns up
dead, his body horribly burnt. He is widely supposed to have fallen victim to a glue
sniffing tragedy, but teacher Geri Simpson cannot bring herself to believe that the
golden boy could have destroyed his life in such a senseless way. The reader is aware
from the outset that Geri is right, since a number of scenes depict a callous killer with
a taste for teenage boys and a desperate need to preserve his secrets. Before long, Geri
and her friend Lauren are his targets, as he needs to ensure their silence. The identity
of the culprit is easily deduced, but then whodunnitry is not Murphy's concern.
Rather, she excels at depicting the world of 'Big Issue' sellers, youthful drug pushers,
dodgy mediums and the desperate people who call the Samaritans for help. This is a
bleak read, but a convincing one.
Manchester Evening news 6.10.00
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the Harry Delvin Mysteries)
