The White Gallows by Rob Kitchen.
It's been a while since I've read a 'police procedural' and I really don't read too many of them. There are millions of them out there, it seems. Myabe, too many to choose from. But there are some good uns!
Mark Billingham, Ian Rankin, Reginald Hill - born in Hartlepool, so obviously good - are are few of the writers who've produced books that I've liked, and sometimes liked a hell of a lot. With the splendid The White Gallows, Rob Kitchin has easily joined that list.
Okay, it has one of my favourite themes: rich people being twats. But I also has a cracking spideweb of a story and a very likable hero in Superintendent Colm McEvoy, a good man who has had it rough - his wife died of cancer a short time before the book begins -but is keeping his head above the muddy water.
The White Gallows opens up with the corpse of a young Lithuanian being found and we are quickly dragged into post boom ,recession hit Ireland. Very shortly after that a rich business man dies and McEvoy is lumbered with digging into the more at both ends of Irish society. And, of course, there's more.
This is a quietly political and very human book which is paced just right and pebble dashed with lots of believable scenes and people.
The White Gallows is the second part of a series, it seems -The Rule Book, which I haven't read was the first -and I hope it will be a success. I can see Colm McEvoy making it to the small screen, too.
Here's the trailer for The White Gallows
3 comments:
The White Gallows seems to be out of print?
I saw your comment on Barbara Martin's review of CUT SHORT (which was subsequently a runaway success with 3 reprints in its first year). You may like to know that my 2nd thriller, ROAD CLOSED, is out and already attracting reviews - "fast-paced, keeping you captivated right to the end... refreshingly compelling and original narrative" (New York Journal of Books) “Keeps you guessing and packs some powerful surprises” (Bookersatz) "tense and gripping" (Eurocrime)
Hi Leigh, The White Gallows isn't out yet, the copy I got was from a friend at Pen Press who thout that I'd like it. And I did.Congrats on Cut Short. I'll be catching up on your books this summer, I hope.
I have not read the second yet (saving it for my holidays), but I was very impressed by Rob´s debut, and I am looking forward to meeting Colm McEvoy again.
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