All The Empty Places by
Mark Timlin
hbk out October 00
Published by No Exit Press
at £14.99
Sometimes a book just clicks. Pick it up, start reading and before you know it you’ve missed Corrie, putting the kids to bed and a good night kiss from the missus (mine showed an almost Sharmanesque propensity toward violence when her patience finally ran out around midnight: Will you stop reading that f***ing book!). And so it is with this one, the 16th in the Nick Sharman series. I (almost) read it in one go and loved it.
The plot involves…well, what the plot always involves: women, two-timing women, a great double cross (prizes for those who, like me spotted it coming!), money, violence and small furry animals. But before you can say “they’re all the same” the conclusion involves a tunnel, rats and a pair of handcuff’s (For possibly only the third time in the series I went oooh, yuk!). On top of all this there’s also a very neat bank robbery, some serious GBH and loads of action all lovingly done in that inimitable Timlin style. Hell, what more do you want? You either love it or want to write to the Daily Mail about it. (If I was to add a bit of weighty ‘analysis’ to this review I’d point out that Sharman is way out on the edge of legality here and reading this makes you wonder where he’s heading and the tunnel theme revisits the ‘dark’ themes of recent books - but in reality that sounds boring even to me).
Anyway, it’s all great fun and probably one of the best of all the books in the series. Obviously the swop to No Exit has been a good one as this follows the equally wonderful Quick Before They Catch Us. Long may it continue.
All The Empty Places by
Mark Timlin