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Book Review – The Locksmith, by Jo Ullah

July 31, 2018 by aaabbott

A good read in the gothic tradition

Book Review of The Locksmith Suspense Thriller by Jo Ullah a good read and a page turnerThe Locksmith is a good read for the summer holidays – not just because it’s about a mother taking her children to stay on a farm during the long vacation, but because the light evenings are less conducive to book-induced nightmares. While the book is written in a deceptively simple style, it’s a suspense thriller in the gothic tradition. An air of menace pervades the pages, mounting as twists unfold. Like the boobytraps placed around the farm, it’s evident that tragedy will strike, but it’s only at the last minute that we find out how and when.

Scars of the past

Artist Jude has escaped a violent marriage and found contentment with a new lover, Spider. Together, they have a young baby as well as Jude’s two children from her first marriage. Family life in Bristol’s Bohemian Montpelier district seems idyllic, but cracks are beginning to show. Middle child Immy displays unsettling signs of a sixth sense. Adolescent Ben chafes at the restrictions imposed on him and resents his stepfather’s authority. Spider bears the scars of an unhappy childhood, but refuses to talk about it. Jude decides the answer for her is more physical and mental space. When Spider’s mother invites her to bring the children to stay on the family farm for the summer, the offer is too tempting to ignore.

Page turner awash with surprises

Despite deepening unease, the story abounds with gentle humour, especially in the clash of urban and rural mores. The children discover that nature is red in tooth and claw. There is also a priceless trip to a snobby town near the farm. Jo Ullah strikes the perfect balance between entertainment and edge-of-the-seat fear, creating a page turner awash with surprises to keep you guessing.

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Read it and sleep – if you dare…

Do you like sinister stories with a Bristol edge? If so, try “A Dark Imagined Bristol”, a collection of short tales that are just that. Although I’m a crime thriller writer, I turned my hand to a disturbing supernatural story, “First Blood”, especially for a “A Dark Imagined Bristol”. Read it, and sleep – if you dare…

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: book, bristol, crime thriller, crime thriller writer, good read, jo ullah, page turner, stories, story, summer holidays, supernatural, suspense thriller, thriller, twists, writer

12 Books of Christmas

December 13, 2015 by aaabbott

Christmas is on the way. Even the self-service tills at Tesco’s supermarket jingle their bells and laugh ‘Ho Ho Ho’ as I pay. (What irony! and amazingly annoying for the poor checkout girl standing nearby and hearing the seasonal sounds hundreds of times every day.)

As well as all the fun of seeing family, and giving and receiving presents, most of us have a few days’ holiday at Christmas and a chance to reflect. With that in mind, here are my suggestions for 12 Books of Christmas. There’s sure to be one you’ll enjoy, so grab it for your Kindle. Even better, you could buy it as a gift for your nearest and dearest, and squirrel it away on Christmas Day to read yourself.

#1. Blood Libel by Chuck Loyola. This noirish political thriller (very Blade Runner in feel, although set in 1990s Britain) was my Thriller of the Month in October. Check out my review on Goodreads.

#2. The Bride’s Trail by AA Abbott. It’s my best crime thriller yet! Away with false modesty! Predecessors After The Interview and Up In Smoke are great reads too.

#3. The Cost of Living by David Moody. His publisher, Infected Books, reckons 2016 is the Year of the Zombie. Fans of the undead can’t go wrong with this suspense-filled novella.

#4. Park Life by Katharine D’Souza is a sophisticated, page-turning novel and the book every woman over the age of 40 should read. Two unlikely neighbours find common ground and an answer to their problems.

#5. The Siege of Wrenstock Gardens by Suzanna Stanbury. Wildly over the top South Bristol slapstick comedy. If you know any Bristolians, buy them this! Alreet, my luvverrr.

#6. Shades of Green by Andy Lake. The Green Earth Movement sounds kind, caring and cuddly, doesn’t it? Turns out it has a very sinister agenda indeed in Mr Lake’s compelling political thriller. Andy Lake has worked for the Cabinet Office and understands political machinations perfectly.

#7. Clovenhoof by Heide Goody and Iain Grant. The first in a series of books about saints and devils marauding across the modern world. Terry Pratchett fans should love them. Simon Fairbanks reviews the latest, Hellzapoppin, here.

#8. A Letter From Oggi edited by Richard Jaffa. Olga Franklin was a woman in a man’s world, working as a journalist in the mid-20th century. Her letters to her sister are witty, warm, dark, sweet and the most entertaining slice of history you could possibly read.

#9. No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary. I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with this talented British writer at an event at Foyles this year. Her latest crime thriller is tense and addictive.

#10. The Adulterer’s Daughter by Deenagh Miller. The true story of an appalling childhood. Painter Deenagh Miller clearly survived the agony. Her art, dark and emotional, may draw on the shadows of the past, though.

AND NOW FOR THE LITTLE ONES…

#11. The Wolf from the Ridge by Suzanna Stanbury. The tinies in my family can’t get enough of Suzanna’s children’s books.

#12. The Other Christmas Carol by David Wake. When they’re at that awkward age of just realising Santa doesn’t exist.

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I write full-length crime thrillers for adults and the occasional commissioned children’s story. Check out my crime thrillers tasters, short stories and more here.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 12 books of christmas, bells, blood libel, books, children's books, children's story, christmas, crime, crime thriller, david wake, deenagh miller, jingle, letters, political, story, suzanna stanbury, terry pratchett, thriller, zombie

On the Jury – Day 3

October 28, 2015 by aaabbott

Usher Megan works part-time, so it’s her colleague, Paul, who collects us today. He doesn’t come straight away though. The jury lounge is full of folk sitting around. Andy announces most of the trials have a delayed start. Ours won’t be ready until 11am. I have time for not just one cup of tea, but two, as it turns out. We’re delayed again until 11.30am and beyond. Jurors for other courts are shepherded away. Finally, Andy announces that we’re on. I race over to him, closing down my laptop and then both my mobile phones as the jury follows Paul to the courtroom. It’s just before noon.

Today’s proceedings start with agreed facts, the written statements of facts on which both prosecution and defence agree. They contain several surprises. Each of the defendants saw the CCTV footage when first interviewed by police. More dramatically, Jake Goodman has admitted to being to one of the men seen following Brooks into the bar. Goodman and Drummond are friends. All three defendants have been convicted of multiple violent offences, although Drummond’s convictions are old.

Bastow reads all the agreed facts out and the jurors also have a printed copy each. Once this has finished, it is lunchtime. The Court is adjourned until 2pm.

For a change, we manage to start the afternoon on time. It’s just as well, as more drama unfolds. The next witness to take the stand is DC Hampson, who managed the case and interviewed all three defendants both before and after the identification parade. Hampson is a middle-aged man with a cynical expression. He has been sitting behind Bastow throughout the trial. I’d assumed he was a support lawyer or member of court staff.

Hampson is the first to swear on the bible when called to the witness box. The others have merely affirmed they will not lie. He confirms a few more facts to Bastow. George Drummond was suspected from the start, but was hard to find. Eventually, Drummond heard Hampson was looking for him and made contact. He was interviewed under caution with a solicitor present. Although he exercised his right to remain silent, he gave a prepared statement in which he said he wasn’t there that night, and had not in fact visited any licensed premises in the area since the end of 2013. It later transpires, when Drummond is cross-examined about it by Bastow, that Drummond was on bail for another offence (of which he was presumably found innocent) and it was a bail condition.

“What would have happened if you’d breached it?” Bastow asks.

“I don’t know.” Drummond looks puzzled. “But I didn’t want to find out!” He grins.

Lloyd Wick had given his side of the story to Hampson when interviewed. A transcript of his questions and answers is produced to the jury. Bastow and Hampson role-play it, Bastow taking Wick’s part. Wick says he was not there, he has never met Daniel Hart, and Hart’s identification is mistaken. Wick asserts he is often mistaken for other people.

Miss Barry asks if a solicitor was present and Hampson says no, Wick was advised he could have one, but chose not to.

Hampson tells us more about identity parades. Apart from the photos of the suspects, each batch of nine images is drawn from a huge computer database. The computer deliberately seeks out similar faces to that of the suspect, and the suspect’s legal advisers vet the images and may object to them before they’re shown to witnesses. The process is known as VIPER: Video Identification Parade Electronic Recording.

“We no longer drag members of the public off the streets,” the judge smirks.

All three defence counsel cross-examine Hampson. Beyond getting Hampson to confirm Goodman pleaded guilty to all but one of his previous convictions, Smith has little to say, but Misses Shah and Barry have plenty. Miss Shah points out that George Drummond has an alibi for the night. He was with his friends Bradford Dean and Nathan Judd all evening. Their names and phone numbers were handed over to the Crown Prosecution Service three weeks before the trial. Hampson says he received them a week later. It would be normal procedure to try to find Messrs Dean and Judd (which it turns out is not difficult) or phone them. Hampson admits this and says he didn’t do it; he can’t recall why.

Hampson is the last prosecution witness, and now the defendants may have their say. Goodman, however, declines to take the stand. Drummond is asked to do so. He, too, affirms that he will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

George Drummond is tall and broad-shouldered. The men seen on CCTV appear slimmer, and I wonder at the identification evidence. He is a confident, but not aggressive, witness. Miss Shah is now the soul of gentleness as she sympathetically draws out his story. Drummond says he too pleaded guilty to all but one of the offences of which he was convicted. Most took place when he was a boy. He was in care and found it hard to settle; he simply lashed out.

“I know that doesn’t excuse my behaviour,” Drummond says. “I feel remorseful. I knew I’d done wrong and must make amends, so I pleaded guilty.”

He feels he’s put all that behind him now. After a period of homelessness, he’s secured a college place and somewhere to live.

Miss Shah asks him about the alibi. Drummond has been through his social media messages and saw he’d made arrangements to see Bradford and Nathan that night. We are given screenshots.

“Can you translate for us?” Miss Shah asks, seemingly perplexed at his textspeak.

Drummond grins while Goodman and Wick fall about laughing. Patiently, Drummond talks her through the messages. He asserts that he spent the evening with his friends and stayed overnight with them.

Now it’s time for Bastow to cross-examine and he lets rip. “You have a temper don’t you, Mr Drummond?”

“No more than anyone else,” Drummond says. “I know I did wrong when I was younger. I was under pressure then, in care or homeless. I’m a different person now.”

“You lose it when you don’t get your own way.”

“I don’t do that now,” Drummond repeats.

Bastow is deeply suspicious that the alibis were so late in being forthcoming. He says it took Drummond a long time to persuade his friends to lie to him. Why weren’t they mentioned before?

Drummond says his solicitor advised him to say nothing in police interviews.

“Mr Goodman is your friend too, is he not?” Bastow asks.

Drummond says yes, but not like Dean and Nathan.

“Not someone who would lie for you?” Bastow suggests.

“No.” Poor Drummond is damned however he answers that question.

“And Mr Wick? Do you know him?”

“I know OF him,” Drummond says. “I mean, he’s a friend of a friend. But I don’t know him.”

Bastow asks if Drummond has spoken with his alibi witnesses. He claims he hasn’t, saying they were both busy and Bradford had no phone. The judge points out that Drummond has provided a phone number for Bradford. Drummond says it didn’t work when he tried to ring it.

At 4.30pm, with Bastow still raring to go for Drummond’s throat, the judge calls a halt. The court will resume at 10am tomorrow.

My jury service took place a month ago. Read more about it here – I posted a blog every day this week:

Introduction

The Trial – Day 1

The Trial – Day 2

The Trial – Day 4

The Trial – Day 5

Afterwards….

Note – all names have been changed

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: case, court, crime, drama, judge, jury, jury service, story, twelve good men, violence

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