Published By: Bedford Square Publishers
Pages: 320
Released On: 20/06/2024
“Ask anyone on Atbara Avenue how well they know their neighbours, and they’ll answer ‘well’. After all, they see each other across the vast distance afforded by close proximity, and that is probably for the best…”.
For the best, because Atbara Avenue is a street where, all too often, murder feels like the solution.
With a delicious cast of characters, dazzling plotting, and an utterly unique voice, Gay Marris’ first book is remarkably accomplished. If you’ve been longing for a fresh and compelling new voice in the world of crime fiction, your wait is over.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square Publishers for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I’ve read a lot of cosy crime novels, especially over the last few years, and some have been better than others. There’s always a worry when a genre is this popular that it will never sustain, and soon books will stop being good. But so far that hasn’t happened, and I include Marris’ book in that.
I was part of the cover reveal for this book and so was really excited about it. This is her debut novel I believe, which is such an accomplishment as it’s really rather good.
There are too many characters to get into here, and I think the joy comes from the surprise when you’re reading about them, but you’ve got a wide spectrum of people, each one with their own quirks and are marvellous. Some are quite caricature-ish in how they’ve been written which I don’t usually like but it works in this. We’ve got all ages and they all bring something new. There were even some twists and surprises regarding them that I wasn’t expecting.
Each character gets their own chapter, with some interweaving, which makes it read like a collection of related short stories. I would say that the Vicar Desmond and his wife Deirdre are the links through out the stories, always popping up, intervening. They are what happens it all part of one big story.
It is darker than I thought it would be. For the most part, the books of this genre I have read, whilst they do have their murders and whatnot, they’re usually quite light and fun and unserious. This is fun, don’t get me wrong, but I wasn’t expecting just how dark it went. And I think that helps freshen it up amongst the others in this genre. But yeah, there are some chapters that are really quite shocking. It was a surprise but a good once, once I got my head round it not being your typical cosy crime.
What I will say – and I’ve seen some other reviews that say similar – is it isn’t the best opening. I found the first few pages a little slow and stilted, but I always give a book 20-25% before I decide if I’m going to continue or not. Gladly I can say this picks up very quickly, and once I was into it, I was into it! It’s really eye-catching writing, and an enjoyable read. Even though I have pointed this out, I still wouldn’t dock any stars from it, and it’s still a 5-star read for me as the rest of the book more than makes up for that slower beginning. It’s an absolute triumph and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Unsurprisingly, there are some difficult topics raised including death (premeditated and accidental), grief, injury, disability, mental health, murder, suicide, jealousy, missing people.
It is very original, brought something new to the party, and I would definitely recommend it to others. Even with its darker tones, it was an absolute joy to read, and I was thinking about it long after I’d finished. It was entertaining, funny, thrilling, dark and engrossing, and I’m very keen to see what she comes up with next.
Books By Your Bedside 