Piano Factory by
Jonathan Davies
hbk out September 04
Published by Little Brown
at £17.99
This is the fifth novel based around the experiences of Jeremy Scott, defence
counsel. Davies himself is apparently a criminal law barrister and Crown Court
Recorder. The legal background is therefore impeccable. Which makes this story all
the more spine-chilling.
Jimmy Reilly has always protested his innocence, and Jeremy Scott is equally
sure the case against him will collapse. And there is a lot at stake. Reilly is accused
of paedophilia. In court, his accuser, Jason, breaks down under video cross-
examination by Scott. But despite that, and the opinion by a psychologist, expressed
out of court, that the boy had been coached in what to say, Scott is frustrated by the
law from pursuing the matter. The accuser is protected, and Reilly is found guilty.
Jeremy Scott is so incensed by the injustice, that he digs around in the murky
world of child abuse, and people who are prepared to manipulate the facts for money
or through a perverted sense of justice. DC Mike Reynolds is on a crusade to wipe
out child abuse In his opinion, anyone even suspected of abuse must be guilty. And
anyone who helps a paedophile, can't be far from being one himself. As Scott wades
through the dodgy world of Charlie Pope, former barrister's clerk, and now fixer of
stories and evidence, he makes himself a suspect to Reynolds. When he meets Billy
Burns, ex-con and 'carer' of a disabled grandchild, his world gets turned upside down.
The only stabilising factor is Dr Grace Karenin, child psychologist.
The plot is highly topical, and frightening too. It is so easy to imagine oneself
becoming entangled in a false accusation. That it is something as odious as
paedophilia in this case, renders it doubly alarming. Once that sort of Pandora's box
has been opened, no one can ever rid themselves of the taint. Are there policemen out
there so convinced there is no smoke without fire that a desire to uncover the truth is
stifled in them? Can the justice system be so hampered that a child is always
presumed to be telling the truth? Is Jonathan Davies playing on our unfounded fears
of the legal system, or hinting at the real cracks that exist in it? You'll have your own
views on that. Whatever the truth of the matter, this story crackles with tension, as
Scott walks the tightrope of probity, with each step ready to throw him into the
shadowy pit of smear and abuse.
(
Ian Morson
Author of Falconer books and short listed for 1999 Ellis Peters Historical Crime Dagger)
Piano Factory by
Jonathan Davies
