Review of "Beautiful Ugly: A Novel" by Alice Feeney

London writer Grady Green pens thrillers, and hopes today is his lucky day. Grady is waiting for a call from his agent, who'll tell him if he's made the New York Times best seller list.



As Grady hovers near the phone, his journalist wife Abby is driving home, hoping to celebrate the success of Grady's novel.



When Grady learns his book IS a hit, he phones Abby right away. While the couple extoll the great news, Abby slams on the brakes, saying a woman is laying in the road, and she's going to offer help. Grady strongly discourages his wife, citing possible danger, to no avail. Abby gets out of her car and vanishes.

Grady can't cope with Abby's disappearance. He's unable to write another word; drinks too much; and runs out of money. A year after losing Abby, Grady and his black retriever Colombo are living in a shabby room in a cheap hotel, barely making ends meet.





At this point, Grady's agent Kitty makes an offer Grady can't refuse. Kitty has inherited a cottage on tiny Amberly Island, off the coast of Scotland. The last tenant is gone, and Kitty offers the residence to Grady, suggesting the environment might inspire a new novel.



Grady accepts, packs up his and Colombo's few possessions, and they head for Amberly Island. As soon as Grady and Colombo step off the ferry onto the isle, they begin to meet the residents, all of whom know who Grady is, and most of whom refer to him as 'the author.'



The cottage Grady's staying in, called The Edge, looks rustic on the outside but has all the conveniences, minus a television, radio, or phone. The isolated island has no WiFi; no cell phone service; and no working landlines.



To communicate with the outside world, the ferry - which runs sporadically - carries passengers between the mainland and Amberly Island, and brings in supplies as needed.



Grady soon discovers that Amberly Island is no London. There are only 25 residents, and the sole shop with regular hours is a grocery store/post office. The manager of the grocery store offers to order Grady anything he needs, and The Edge contains a good supply of expensive scotch, so Grady feels he can make do.



As Grady and Colombo are settling into the cottage, Grady finds a hidden compartment in the floor. The space contains the bones of a hand, and the unpublished manuscript of the cottage's previous resident, a well-known author. You can guess what happens next: Grady decides to rework the manuscript into his own 'voice' and submit it as his next book.

In between working on the novel, Grady perambulates around the island and hobnobs with the people. Grady occasionally thinks he sees his wife Abby, but it's never her, and Grady worries that he's hallucinating.





Grady's discomfort is heightened by the fact that someone is slipping envelopes with Abby's old newspaper articles under his door - articles that seem to be hinting at something.



After a couple of months, Grady is VERY antsy, anxious for the day he and Colombo can return to London. Of course things aren't quite that simple......

The chapters about Grady's life are interspersed with flashbacks to the past, when Abby is speaking to a therapist. Abby is admitting she's become disillusioned with her marriage, and is thinking of leaving her husband.



Readers may think they know what's going on, but there are significant plot twists and a head-spinner of a climax.

I enjoyed the book, but feel the author's misdirection is a bit clumsy. Still, this is an enjoyable mystery that kept my attention, and I liked the sweet pooch Colombo.



I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Richard Armitage, who does a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Alice Feeney, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.

 Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Head Cases: A Novel of Suspense" by John McMahon

 

 

 

Gardner Camden is an FBI agent with the Patterns and Recognitions Unit (PAR) located in St. Augustine, Florida.



Most agents in the PAR have two characteristics: they made a mistake and were subsequently transferred to the PAR; and they're brainiacs with unique abilities, like eidetic memory, math expertise, etc. Up until now, the PAR agents have been confined to office work, studying the evidence and files from unsolved cases, to look for new clues.



Camden, who's always been socially awkward, observes: "Riddles. Those are my specialty. That is, when I am not studying patterns. Or decoding enigmas. Some might say that solving puzzles is all I'm good for. That leaving my desk in the Jacksonville office of the FBI to interact with real people is not the best use of my time or talent. And I would agree with them."



Now, however, the PAR investigators have been sent to Texas to view a body. Camden recognizes the murdered man as serial killer Ross Tignon. Camden's shocked, and observes 'Tignon is a man I had hunted years ago. I had only stopped hunting him because he supposedly died in a house fire six years ago.' At that time, Tignon's incinerated body was identified by two molars, and the current corpse is missing two molars. Tignon apparently yanked out his teeth to fool the authorities.



In addition to missing teeth, Tignon's body has been defaced by the killer, who cut Tignon open and carved the numbers 5 and 0 into his torso. In addition, it's later discovered the murderer left a clue INSIDE the body as well.



A few hours after viewing Tignon, the PAR agents are re-routed to New Mexico to observe another body. This victim is Barry Fisher, a serial killer who was JUST paroled for 'old age' after serving 31 years in the penitentiary. Fisher's body is terribly mutilated, with his organs excised and placed in plastic bags in the refrigerator and freezer. As is the case with Tignon, the murderer also left a clue inside a body part.



The PAR concludes A SERIAL KILLER IS TARGETING SERIAL KILLERS.

Camden is assigned to lead this multi-case investigation, a first for him at the PAR. Before long, Gardner starts to get phone calls from the killer, who says to call him God. The PAR agents, however, elect to call the murderer Mad Dog, and Mad Dog's conversation shows he has inside information about the investigation. The murderer must have a source in the FBI, and Camden takes steps to expose the mole while proceeding with the inquiries.



Mad Dog's phone calls, and the clues he leaves behind, demonstrate that he thinks of himself as a partner who's aiding the PAR. When Mad Dog is disabused of this notion, he makes threats.....and takes steps to carry them out.

As the inquiries proceed, several possible suspects are identified, the current murders are linked to past homicides, and the PAR agents must use all their skills to solve the cases.



The novel is a page-turner, with plenty of action. My major criticism is that the brilliant PAR investigators sometimes miss information they should winkle out right away. Author John McMahon probably uses this technique to prolong the suspense, but it's not credible (to me) In any case, this is a good thriller, recommended to fans of the genre.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Will Damron, who does an excellent job.

Thanks to Netgalley, John McMahon, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.

 Rating: 3.5 stars