William A. Graham (6)

I liked this book. It is set in Dundee Scotland and I often looked up places on Google Maps to get a feel for the setting. Allen is a reporter turned private investigator. A well dressed nervous gentleman hires him to find a missing school girl and the mystery begins. The characters are likeable if a bit one dimensional. The main character, Allan, is the only one we get to know well. He is a good detective but not a great one but he has a lot of friends willing to help him out. He solves cases and earns the loyalty of those he helps. I liked this book but think the other characters need a little more polish. I never got a sense of what went wrong with Allen’s marriage or what the story was with his business partner. It just seemed a little lacking in detail. The story is mostly told in first person and it jumps back and forth in time. I know that it’s to explain relationships but it is a bit choppy and drags in some places. I was almost put off the whole book entirely when the first paragraph began describing a man farting at a dinner meeting but the rest of the book made up for that unnecessary detail. Overall, I liked it and would like to see more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.… (plus d'informations)

Excellent first novel

I must congratulate Mr. Graham on this, his first novel. It is very well written and a pleasure to read.

Allan Linton's career as a crime reporter was truncated, cut short, strangled, or some other negative verb, by the takeover of his newspaper by modern types who could not understand why a reporter did not spend all his time at his desk. After not very much thought he took a buyout and reinvented himself as a private investigator. We join him several years later. The firm is now called "Allan Linton and Associates" although there is only one Associate, an enigmatic but highly effective fellow called "Niddrie". First name? Last name? TBD. Niddrie is an unusual associate for a detective in fiction because he isn't a bruiser, although one thinks he could be in the right situations.

The story revolves around a missing person case. A mysterious client hires Allan Linton and Associates to find a young woman known only by her fake name and a photo of her in a fake school uniform. Allan's reporter's instincts and a career of shady contacts stands him in good stead.

I look forward to reading more of these.

I received a review copy of "Vermin" by William A. Graham (Black & White Publishing) through NetGalley.com.… (plus d'informations)