Nasty Disposition
By Tamworth Grice
I have to declare a bias, I have read all of the author's other books and love them, so I must declare that I am a die hard Tamworth Grice fan.
Carmen, the main character (see book's cover). by the way the cover is by the brilliant Heidi Sutherlin. Our Carmen exists on the outer edges of society. Frank is Carmen's older brother he is police officer.
Frank is shot, (in the head) in strange circumstances and Carmen is not happy with, what she is being told. We follow Carmen and her sidekick Flash (a dog), as Carmen launches a "Scooby Doo type investigation" into the shooting.
Frank is an organised crime intelligence officer,, (play dramatic sound track) the plot thickens. The Yakuza are early suspects, also in the frame is Frank's ex wife. As our Carmen attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery the plot gets dark and sinister. This book takes the reader into dark places. Rooms inside the mind that you don't want to go into.
(See book cover). That said, the book has it's funny side. I enjoyed reading the rich, humorous and entertaining dialogue, a key ingredient in a Tamworth Grice book.
Then firer up the spot light, as a fantastic character emerges FLASH (the dog) he is the star of the show. Flash, is thrown paws first into the role of Carmen's sidekick. Remember Carmen is cast as the Goth chick outsider slash detective and then add Flash to the mix and you have very entertaining book.
In England we love dog's. So I was thinking, I don't care if they machine gun all the Yakuza gangsters in a single day and cut their heads off with a bread knife.. What has happened to Flash the dog? is he allright? Flash (the dog) is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (obviously) Flash is missing Frank and this is affecting his behaviour. Don't blame Flash.. don't you dare blame him… I kept screaming at the kindle and laughing at the same time… Flash makes the story come to life.
You will know what I mean, by the end of the book you will be gripped with a desire to know if Flash is OK. The ghost of Frank follows Carmen around, then (I think) the spirit of Frank enters Flash in one final act, "Flash takes a leap of faith and vengeance". But does Flash leap into oblivion to be with his old pal Frank ?? We will have to wait and see if Flash is back in the follow up book ?? I hope he is OK.. Flash is brilliant. If Flash is back, I can't wait for the next instalment off Carmen and Flash investigate…
Paul Kendall (Leeds) UK
Read more about Tamworth Grice > http://tamworthgrice.blogspot.co.uk/
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