Storm Warning: A Review Of Douglas Skelton's Thunder Bay…
April 29, 2019 / indelibleinkblog	/ Leave a comment
A new novel from Douglas Skelton is always reason for cheer so the recent publication of his latest, Thunder Bay (Polygon Books) was welcome news. It's another departure in terms of style and setting from Skelton, a writer who refuses to rest on his laurels, always keen to explore different literary approaches to writing crime fiction. A prolific writer of non-fiction books on crime as well, he is steeped in his subject area and brings all his knowledge and understanding to his fiction. The style may vary but the name Douglas Skelton is a guarantee of quality.
His characters are usually to be found pounding metropolitan mean streets, but the action in Thunder Bay takes place on an island off the coast of Scotland and Skelton manages to make this landscape as equally dangerous and disturbing, understanding that the threat is not in the place, but with those who live there. In doing so he brings to mind many influences including films such as The Wicker Man and When Eight Bells Toll, the Shetland TV series, as well as island novels such as Alan Warner's These Demented Lands, Kevin MacNeil's The Stornoway Way, and Louise Welsh's Naming The Bones.
As with all of the above examples, Skelton understands that island life has a very particular, and, especially to outsiders, an often peculiar feel. Due to the necessary close-knit dynamic of such a community strangers are noticed and viewed with suspicion. Secrets are closely guarded but never forgotten, passed down through generations, and crime and recrimination are often two sides of a very similar coin.
Journalist Rebecca Connolly arrives into just such a community, travelling from the mainland to the appropriately named island of Stoirm in search of a story which will make her name. 15 years previously the island's most infamous native, Roddie Drummond, was charged with the murder of Mhairi Sinclair but, in that singularly Scottish and often unsatisfactory manner, found Not Proven. This is a verdict which splits locals into factions which don't heal despite Roddie leaving. His return for his mother's funeral threatens to stir up all those old resentments and Rebecca is determined to discover the truth. What she finds is more shocking and sensational than she could ever have imagined.
Skelton understands people, both their strengths and flaws. He certainly understands the evil that men are more than capable of doing but manages to avoid making his characters monsters. He doesn't simply divide them into white and black hats, they are more complex than that – sidestepping stereotypes while acknowledging types. He is also confident enough to have more than one storyline unfolding keeping the reader on their toes as to where the narrative is going.
Skelton proves once more that he is master of his craft. I can't think of many, if any, other writers who bring such varied and distinctive styles to their books. With that versatility in mind, as well as his wry humour, a deft way with a cliffhanger, and a barely concealed anger at injustice, with Thunder Bay in particular the writer he most reminds me of is Iain Banks, especially the latter's later novels The Steep Approach To Garbadale and Stonemouth.
From the Clydeside crime novels of his Davie McCall series, through the tales of Glasgow gumshoe Dominic Queste, his action-packed New York novel The Janus Run (a movie adaptation waiting to happen) and now Thunder Bay, Douglas Skelton shows that he is a writer who you can't pidgeonhole or pin down. I, for one, can't wait to see what he gives us next.
Thunder Bay is out now, published on the Polygon imprint of Birlinn Ltd.
That Was The Year That Was: It's The Best Of 2018 Podcasts – Part 1 (Books)…
December 17, 2018 January 9, 2019 / indelibleinkblog	/ 1 Comment
For our Review of the year in Scottish writing and all things bookish Ali was once again joined by Booky Vikki herself, Publishing Scotland's Vikki Reilly, to discuss their favourite books of the year and the state of Scottish writing and publishing. While doing so they try to identify the themes and trends of the last 12 months, look into what's coming in the new year, forget the names of things (mostly Ali, to be fair), talk music, "Mayhem", and explain why 2018 belonged to Muriel. It was quite the year and hopefully we go some way to summing it up and rounding it off for you.
The podcast is the perfect companion piece to our earlier post 'The Good Word: Scots Whay Hae!'s 10 Best Books Of 2018 (+1)…' (see right), where you'll be able to link to reviews of many of the books and writers that Vikki and Ali discuss. There's a lot of love for writers and publishers alike, and although we didn't manage to cover it all, we hope you'll find something to pique your interest. Continue reading →
Begin Again: A Review Of Douglas Skelton's The Janus Run…
October 23, 2018 November 15, 2018 / indelibleinkblog	/ 1 Comment
As regulars to SWH! will know, crime-writer Douglas Skelton is one of our favourite novelists. He has been a guest on our podcast, and his most recent novels, 2016's The Dead Don't Boogie & 2017's Tag – You're Dead both featured in their particular years' 'Best Of' roundups. They were taken from his series of Dominic Queste novels, which feature a Glasgow gumshoe obsessed with film, noir, and film noir. Skelton has Queste speaking and acting as if he roams the streets of Brooklyn rather than Barlanark, so it makes complete sense that he has chosen to set his latest, The Janus Run, (a departure from the Queste books), in New York. This move makes for his most exciting novel yet.
Please don't get me wrong, I am a huge Dominic Queste fan, and I hope we hear more from him before too long, but The Janus Run is a proper page-turner thriller, pure and simple – enthralling from start to finish. It feels as if this Atlantic crossing has freed Skelton as a writer. Instead of having characters pretending to be in the movies, this time they are in them. It's as if he has brought all of his influences to bear – the novels, the films, and the TV shows which he loves are still in evidence, but without the direct references which, while great fun, always felt more than a little knowing. This time round Skelton shows rather than tells. Continue reading →
Crime Time: The Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Talks To Writer Douglas Skelton…
May 24, 2017 July 13, 2017 / indelibleinkblog	/ 3 Comments
In the latest podcast, Ali and Ian met up with writer Douglas Skelton, initially to talk about his Dominic Queste novels, The Dead Don't Boogie and Tag – You're Dead, but the discussion touched upon so much more.
They talk about Douglas's 'Davie McCall' series of novels, his non-fiction, the importance of secondary characters, Glasgow's fascination with crime, the influenc e of the novels of Ed McBain, Shane, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and the greatest TV show of all time (TM) – Hill Street Blues.
As you would expect, if you have read Skelton's recent work, there are plenty of cultural references and enough "film buffery" to keep everyone happy, or at the very least the people in the room.
Douglas knows of that which he writes as he has done the hard research for real-life crime books such as Glasgow's Black Heart and Dark Heart, and as such the podcast is a must hear for anyone with an interest in crime writing, but will also appeal to a much wider audience, just as Douglas Skelton's novels do. Continue reading →
Return Of The Craic: A Review Of Douglas Skelton's Tag – You're Dead…
May 3, 2017 July 13, 2017 / indelibleinkblog	/ 2 Comments
Among the more welcome returns in 2017 is that of Glasgow detective Dominic Queste in Douglas Skelton's new novel, Tag – You're Dead. If you read last year's The Dead Don't Boogie (which was one of our Books Of 2016) you'll have been looking forward to this since turning the last page. If you didn't that won't affect your enjoyment of Tag – You're Dead which works equally well as a stand-alone thriller. But you should.
That's not to say that this novel is simply a retelling of the first. Genre fiction has some recognisable tropes which are expected, and which are part of the appeal, but Skelton manages to play with those themes and ideas while at the same time adhering to them. However, where The Dead Don't Boogie was, at least in terms of plot, a detective and gangster novel, here Skelton introduces no little amount of horror, with a faceless killer on the loose with a taste for mind-games, torture, classical music, and possibly steak pies.
There are clues as to where Skelton is taking a story with the references he uses. In the previous novel they were mainly there to establish the character of Dominic Queste, with plenty of nods to Philip Marlowe and other noir fiction and movies. Those are still present, but the references are widened to include (amongst many others) Halloween, Scream, Silence Of The Lambs and Fallen to prove that Queste is as much pop-culture nerd as he is tough-guy gumshoe – in fact the former has a direct influence on the latter. He is creating his own persona in a manner not too far from The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, except Dominic Queste really commits to the role. Continue reading →
Literally Literary: A Preview Of Aye Write! 2017…
March 5, 2017 May 20, 2017 / alistairbraidwood	/ Leave a comment
For 10 days in March there is only one place to be as Glasgow's Aye Write! takes up its annual residency in the Mitchell Library between 9th-19th to cement its reputation as one of the best book festivals around. Pedants will point out that there are also events at the CCA, Kelvin Hall and Royal Concert Hall, but it is only right that Glasgow's most famous library is the focus point for a book festival which is international in scope, but has its roots firmly planted in this city.
Here are a few selected highlights to give you something to think about, but you can peruse the full programme at your leisure here. They are all at the Mitchell unless stated otherwise. Continue reading →
The Good Word: Scots Whay Hae!'s Best Books Of 2016…
December 4, 2016 / alistairbraidwood	/ 2 Comments
It's the time for 'Books Of The Year' lists and we like to think that Scots Whay Hae!'s selection for 2016, while small, is beautifully formed and well worthy of your attention.
These are the books which stood out against a lot of stiff and perhaps better known competition. The list could have been longer but we like to stick to a traditional Top Ten. Consisting mostly of novels, with one remarkable collection of short stories, and one unforgettable musical (auto)biography, these are the books which have left their mark. Here's what we thought at the time:
Young Soul Rebels – Stuart Cosgrove
Stuart Cosgrove writes as he broadcasts – eloquently, forcefully and at pace, and as such he makes persuasive and forceful arguments. If you have a music fan in your life, then I would suggest this book is the perfect gift. If they are a soul fan, then it is a must. Anyone who has ever pored over liner notes, obsessed over b-sides, searched out limited editions and rarities, or cued hours for tickets or entry will recognise themselves at least in part on the page, no matter what their musical tastes. Stuart Cosgrove is here to remind you that while music may not be a matter of life and death (and there are poignant reminders of that in Young Soul Rebels) it certainly makes the former worth living. Continue reading →
Dance Macabre: A Review Of Douglas Skelton's The Dead Don't Boogie…
September 6, 2016 / alistairbraidwood	/ 4 Comments
Last year we recorded a podcast with Graeme Macrae Burnet and Graham Lironi, both of whom had written novels which could be described as crime fiction, but which were vastly different from one another, or anything else published last year. During the discussion both spoke about the problems they had with their work being labelled as in any way 'genre'.
If this subject interests you, you can still listen to the full podcast here, but the short version is this; on the one hand, if you can be categorised as a genre writer it will arguably help booksellers to market you, and perhaps gets your books into the hands of those who otherwise may not have read them. On the other hand, you risk assumptions being made about your writing which are unfair, or just plain wrong, and which may put off another group of readers. Although you would hope the quality of work would speak for itself, there are prejudices at play, married to the economics and practicalities of selling books, which can be hugely frustrating for writers.
Saraband Books have embraced this apparent dichotomy with their 'crime/thriller' offshoot, Contraband. They are the publishers of both Macrae Burnet's His Bloody Project and Lironi's Oh, Marina Girl, accepting both novels for what they are; brilliantly written, beautifully crafted, and original. Other authors published by Contraband include Neil Broadfoot, Matt Bendoris, and Shelley Day, and it is clear that what they have managed, in a relatively short time, is to become known as a place to find offbeat, interesting and quality fiction no matter how you label it. The fact that His Bloody Project has made the Man Booker Prize longlist this year suggests that how we categorise genre and literary fiction can, should, and perhaps is changing. The only question that should matter is, 'Is the writing good?', and this is what Contraband puts first. Continue reading →