Peter Manuel
Manuel was convicted of killing seven people across southern Scotland in the 1950s, and was hanged at Glasgow's Barlinnie Prison in 1958. The trial scenes in the novel are based on transcripts of Manuel's actual court proceedings.
Barlinnie Prison
*****
As the book opens in December 1957, a man named William Watt is accused of killing his wife, sister-in-law, and 17-year-old daughter in Lanarkshire, Scotland - but the evidence is too thin to keep him locked up.
William Watt
Nevertheless, Watt - who owns a string of bakeries - is desperate to clear his name. Thus Watt takes the bait when Peter Manuel contacts Watt's lawyer, Laurance Dowdall, and says he 'wants to help.' Manuel says he knows who murdered Watt's family, has the gun that was used, and is willing to produce the evidence.
Attorney Dowdall is very skeptical since Manuel is a known criminal, having been convicted of a string of burglaries, thefts, and sexual assaults. In fact it's very likely that Manuel killed the three women himself and then hid the gun.
Reluctantly, Dowdall sets up a meeting in a restaurant between Watt, Manuel, and himself. Dowdall warns Watt NOT TO PAY Manuel, as this would undermine any evidence he has. Moreover, Dowdall plans to hang around to make sure no cash changes hands. However, Watt and Manuel soon get rid of Dowdall, and set off on a night of drinking and carousing, during which each man tries to get something from the other.
The book alternates between the night of December 2, 1957 - when Watt and Manuel go on their pub crawl; and May, 1958 - when Manuel is on trial for killing eight people.
Composite of Peter Manuel's victims
During the night of December 1957 Watt tries to wheedle out the location of the gun (for the police), but Manuel makes it clear he won't talk without compensation. So Watt agrees to pay Manuel, but doesn't want the criminal to see where he hides his loot - which complicates the situation.
And Manuel has a big dilemma as well. Crime boss Dandy McKay - who's as tough as they come - wants to see Manuel ASAP.....to tell him exactly what he's going to say and do. Manuel and Watt try to avoid McKay, but the criminal leader sends out his goons to round up the duo.
As things turn out, Manuel is soon arrested - and put on trial - for committing a series of murders. He's accused of killing Watt's wife Marion (45), daughter Vivienne (17), and sister-in-law Margaret Brown (41).
Marion and Vivienne Watt and Margaret Brown
Manuel is also charged with murdering a teenager named Isabelle Cooke (17) and a family called the Smarts - father Peter (45), mother Doris (42), and son Michael (10). Manuel apparently re-visited the Smart house several times (before the bodies were discovered) - to eat food, steal cash, take the car, and (oddly enough) feed the cat.
In actual fact, Manuel probably killed at least fifteen people, but was tried for only eight murders.
Manuel seems a bit dim-witted during his drunken revelry with Watt. However, partway through his trial Manuel takes over his own defense, and demonstrates that he can be clever and strategic.
There are some surprises in the book, which are probably Denise Mina's 'author's licence.'
I thought the story was interesting, but the sections about the pub crawl were a bit slow and repetitive - and I got a little bored with all the drinking, drunken staggering, and drunk driving. The chapters about the trial, though, were riveting - and it was interesting to see psychopathic Manuel get too clever for his own good.
I'd recommend the book to fans of murder mysteries and true crime stories.
Rating: 3 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment