Skip to main content

THE GOOD SON - Review

About a year ago I heard that Russel McLean's first novel had been released in paper in the UK. The Scottish born author keeps a fairly entertaining blog, and has until now been known for his short fiction. His first book THE GOOD SON has now been released here in the States.

McNee was a copper. His wife, his father-in-law, and McNee were in a car accident 9 months ago. McNee seriously hurt his leg, but his wife lost her life. The father-in-law blames McNee, but then again so does he. In McNee we follow him as he picks up the pieces of his life and sublimates his desire for redemption in unraveling the misery of others. McNee has gone private, and as THE GOOD SON begins James Robertson asks McNee to look into the recent suicide of his brother who Robertson hadn't seen in 30 years until he discovered his body with a noose around his neck.

So what works especially well about THE GOD SON is the lived in quality of Mr. McLean's prose. A big problem with much of the Crime Fiction I have read over the last few years is the heavy handed approach to plot, character, and setting . Things are happening, but only because the writers says so. Yes, it is fiction and everything is a construct, but a good author should be able to draw you organically into the story. To Mr. McLean's credit he has a gentle hand. Of course this praise is tempered with the feeling that THE GOOD SON suffers from a lack of reach. Yes, THE GOOD SON is well written, but I've read something like this before. The story feels worn and lacking in inspiration. The prose is never lazy, but never soars. It is a first novel, and I hope the next one just takes a few more chances.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Very Best of Mr. Dennis Lehane

I thought this post would appear in October. Ya, know when SHUTTER ISLAND: THE MOVIE was supposed to be released. And then it wasn't. Something about Leo not being able to do 'press' for the movie. Doesn't really matter the reason, a February release date has one of those fancy Hollywood meanings: Not Good. Look I'll be honest, I didn't connect with SHUTTER ISLAND. I loved the fifties setting, the haunted house atmosphere, and impending doom of the Hurricane. Even the set-up of the story was intriguing but how it played out just didn't work for me. Some interesting characters, a bunch of great set pieces, but the ending announces itself with an expected, thud that went nowhere. Am I still going to the movie? Its Lehane, Scorsese, Leo, and Ruffalo of course I am. Anyway the list. 8. Prayers for Rain - 1999 The last Kenzie-Gennaro book follows our heroes as they investigate a guy who is terrorizing women into committing suicide. The book played like an episo
4 comments
Read more

A Fogotten Post: A Remembrance

[Editor's Note: Started this missive, never came back to it. Still relevant, I suppose.] I am reading MURDER IN OLD BOMBAY by Nev Marsh. This was... technically still is... on my to buy pile. In the before time... the overwhelming to be read pile time... I would have bought this and thrown it on the shelf to read in the near or more likely distant future. I hope I like it enough to buy the second in the series. Buying a book is fun, buying a book that is good is better. [Editor's Note: Abandoned this book, unfinished.] BLACKTOP WASTELAND - S.A. COSBY So glad I didn't buy this last summer. Good decision to put off buying and reading what would have certainly been one of the best books of the year. New goal for the remaining 2021 calendar. Don't be dumb. Buy Mr. Cosby's follow up and read day one! [Editor's Note: I did buy a signed copy of RAZORBLADE  TEARS, meanwhile B.W. won every award, except the Edgar where it wasn't even nominated!? Also Signed firsts of
Post a Comment
Read more

Small Mercies - The Return of Dennis Lehane

 A time honored tradition at The Hungry Detective HQ is to perform the twice annual, and largely ceremonial, 'Dennis Lehane New book 20XX" Google search. Nothing comes up on his long abandoned Website, except notification of the script work for his television and film projects.  Grousing aside, 2022 was a big year for Mr. Lehane. BLACK BIRD, a show he created, played on Apple+ to solid acclaim. The show's star, Paul Walter Hauser, won a Golden Globe. But despite that I have yet to watch it. Not for any other reason than I am a movie person more than a TV person. The TV I do watch is watched in an arcane order that is difficult to decipher and even more baffling to explain. Short story, I need to watch ANDOR [Editor's Note: Slow going on ANDOR despite everyone telling me it is amazing.] And then BLACK BIRD, or maybe SLOW HORSES. I'll get there...  Anyway at the dead end of 2022, I did the search. Found out he wrote a book. SMALL MERCIES . I was excited to hear it. I
Post a Comment
Read more