Review DARK, GRIPPING AND UNEXPECTED (LINWOOD BARCLAY)An Argentinian DCI in the heart of middle England brings a thoughtful outsider's viewpoint to a murder that has troubling links to unsolved crimes from the past. Guillermo Downes'sintelligent, intuitive policework keeps the pages turning (Sunday Times)An intriguing debut . . . the plot [has] a strength and texture that help set it apart . . . Taut and told with panache, it ushers in a suitably spiky police hero (Daily Mail)Marrison's tense debut expertly evokes a sense of place . . . the highly unusual denouement will catch most readers by surprise (Publishers Weekly)A gripping thriller . . . a readable, complex tale, astutely paced . . . If the mark of a good whodunnit is that you can't actually guess whodunnit, then The Drowning Ground does its job well. Despite following the plot closely, I was still taken aback by the denouement (The Herald)Move over Morse (Oxford Times)With an intricate plot with numerous twists and an intriguing cop with a complex history, Marrison rivets the reader straight through to the novel's chilling conclusion. An author to watch, he scores high with this impressive debut (Richmond Times Dispatch)An assured début which promises much for the future (crimefictionlover.com)So many characters with so many secrets and deviant behaviours make this début mystery by James Marrison a real winner. The author's complex plotting, haunted characters, and gorgeous descriptions of winter are an absolute joy to read even as the action takes one suspenseful turn, then another and then another to an unexpected denouement. When it seems as though all the clues have been resolved, Marrison saves one last shocking revelation for the final chapter.. . . Expertly setting us up for the next chapter in the series ( I can't wait!), Marrison writes lovingly of his new hero, Guillermo Downes, a detective plagued by demons both internal and external yet determined to expose murder most foul whenever and wherever he can (curledup.com)A masterful novel . . . The protagonists are wonderfully portrayed. Downes is a bit of a mystery, a man born in Buenos Aires of a Argentinian mother and an English father. What led him to leave his homeland and make a life for himself in this small English town? Perhaps the answer will be revealed in the next novel in the series, something I'm eagerly anticipating (marilynmystertreads.com) About the Author James Marrison is a journalist whose writing has appeared in a number of national newspapers. James Marrison now lives in Buenos Aires, which provides the inspiration for his lead character, Argentinian-born detective Guillermo Downes. The Sleepless Ones is James's second novel, following on from his début novel The Drowning Ground.
K**R
5 stars
What a sad story! I wasn't sure when I started this book but was hooked and just had to keep reading. Guillermo Downes has a history which drives him but also makes him difficult character to warm. A lone!y farmhouse and 2 bodies begin a sequence of questions for which there are few answer until the dots eventually join up. A good read. I look forward to reading more by this author.
S**S
The Sleepless Ones Will Keep You Awake at Night...
The keenly-anticipated follow up to The Drowning Ground, The Sleepless Ones is a far darker tale of murder and corruption that really starts to dig deep into the character of our Argentinian hero, Guillermo Downes. The parallels of Downes' own torrid past with his latest case involving child abduction (and worse) are cleverly woven together by Marrison, and we begin to see the roots of - and beneath - his cold exterior. Likewise, he has begun to fill out the character of Sergeant Graves, Downes' erstwhile sidekick and their own relationship has the potential for the foundation of many a novel.Marrison's simple, snappy writing style - modelled on his own literary heroes of Chandler et al - lends itself not only to the genre, but also to the thought processes of Downes himself; for me it works perfectly. The vulnerability of both Downes and Graves - both emotionally and physically, these are not two hard-nut cops - makes a nice change as well from the all-action hero so popular in fiction.Less of a whodunnit than his debut, and more of a why- or howdunnit, Marrison takes his readers on a journey to the very depths of what humans are capable of. No wonder he left the Cotswolds for the relative peace of Buenos Aires! I just hope Downes doesn't follow suit - this series has plenty of legs left yet.
N**3
Good second book
Another excellent book by Marrison that has you hooked. I was slightly confused by the amount of different characters and how they all slotted into the story. Hope he writes more if these.
R**H
Great thriller
Dark thriller, great characterisations. Enjoyed it very much
S**E
Four Stars
Good storyline .
S**G
even better than I'd expected
Have been waiting to read this - only just arrived and so far, even better than I'd expected. More later!
J**A
A real page turner
Loved it, the characters are great, love the plot. Just wish Judge Goddard had had such success in real life
K**R
An engaging entertaing read
Once again I am indebted to Goodreads for providing this book to read and review.This is the second book by James Marrison to feature DCI Guillermo Downes, and whilst there are some references to the previous book and his recently deceased sidekick it in no way spoilt my enjoy of this very good book, that I was new to this series.This is an excellent police procedural gripping from the first page with plenty of twists and turns to keep me engaged, before a gripping final showdown, as our hero battles the floods to bring the case to a conclusion. The writing is descriptive and characterisations good.The case starts with our hero being called to the scene of a double murder, one a renowned though somewhat unscrupulous journalist, the second the homeowner a recently released from prison career criminal, who has been brutally tortured before death, Why? What did he know that his tormentors needed so badly?Apart from the floods this is also a topical story involving teenage boys abducted as playthings for wealthy, well to do men at parties from which some did not return. This involves the police investigating long lost historical cases to try and find the links to several previous suspicious deaths and bring the criminals to justice.A book that is well worth a read and I heartily recommend.
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3 weeks ago
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