Loving Geordie by
Andrea Badenoch
hbk out August 02
Published by Macmillan
at £16.99
So soon after the Soham case and the discovery of Milly Dowler's body, it is unusually
difficult to read a book which has at its core the deaths of two young girls -
in this case Muriel and Maureen Robson, the 13 year old 'Angel Twins', daughters
of a local councillor. Andrea Badenoch is, however, a highly skilled writer and
she treats the delicate subject matter and her characters with sensitivity and
insight. As with her last novel, 'Blink', she has chosen to locate her story in
the past - 1960 - and to have a teenager as a protagonist, in this case Leslie,
whose younger brother Geordie falls under suspicion of killing the girls. This
is a highly evocative novel, enhanced by a Dansette soundtrack including the likes
of Shirley Bassey and the Shadows. Corruption in local government plays a part
in the story - indeed, the legendary T. Dan Smith is one of the characters. A
depressing reflection is that, 40 years on, child murders continue to occur, as
often as serious political chicanery. In her ability to cast light on the darker
places of the human psyche, Andrea Badenoch has established herself as one of
our most notable crime novelists and this book confirms that reputation.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
