The Skeleton Man by Jim Kelly
Tuesday, 28 Aug 2007 16:04
The Skeleton Man is Jim Kelly's fifth novel and sees the return of investigative journalist Philip Dryden
Published by Penguin/Michael Joseph, out now, hardback, 343pp, £16.99.
In a nutshell…
Taut, quintessentially English crime fiction
What's it all about?
When Philip Dryden, a local newspaper reporter, joins a Territorial Army exercise in the isolated and abandoned Cambridgeshire hamlet of Jude’s Ferry – a village famous for never having recorded a single crime - he stumbles into a web of mystery and hatred.
Who's it by?
Author and freelance journalist Jim Kelly lives in Ely in Cambridgeshire and draws upon his surroundings when writing novels. The Skeleton Man is his fifth novel and sees the return of investigative journalist Philip Dryden as well as introducing police detective Peter Shaw, a character set to return in Kelly’s next book, Death Wore White.
Last year Kelly was awarded the Dagger in the Library by the Crime Writers’ Association for producing a body of work greatly enjoyed by fans of the genre.
As an example…
"The major’s briefing was brutally short. The Royal Artillery would bomb the two targets – twice – then the company would move in, conduct house-to-house searches, flush out insurgents, secure the target and replace the red target flags with blue."
Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster
The Skeleton Man won’t be showing at your local multiplex anytime soon but there’s no reason why it couldn’t be successfully transferred to the small screen as an ITV two-part drama, starting on a wintry Sunday night.
What the others say
"Critically acclaimed writer Jim Kelly has written his most chilling tale so far." – Bettybookmark.com
"If you are looking for a new crime series with a nicely complicated investigator then this is for you." – Lovereading.co.uk
So is it any good?
Written with a journalist’s keen eye for detail and the minutiae of everyday life, the book enables writer Jim Kelly to imbue this tale with a sense of pipe and slippers cosiness that is subverted by what his characters, through the investigations of reporter Philip Dryden, uncover in the hinterlands of East Anglia.
Kelly is a master of pacing and characterisation, painting in enough intriguing traits and history to make you feel as if you know his cast, and he also makes Cambridgeshire a character in its own right, giving the county a sense of unease that consistently holds the reader's attention.
On the flipside, Kelly's ear for dialogue gets bogged down in some tedious exchanges that are so downbeat as to veer toward parody. However, your desire to dig into the mystery allows for forgiveness of the more dour moments.
7/10
Lee Davis
"I have to agree with this reviewer. It summarised my thoughts pretty well actually. I've read this book recently and found it interesting but not compelling. Occasionally tough going, but worth the effort. I hadn't read anything by this author and will consider his work again." - Kevin Fitzgerald
"Kelly's book are up there with the best, his characters are all so believable. Humph is great! His novel The Water Clock has all the ingredients to make into a one off drama for TV." - Steve Holt
"Two comments on Skeleton Man - which I have not yet completed - I am enjoying the book, however second page 'He turned to face a heavy man with three pips on his jacket... ' Sorry Jim Kelly, that makes the officer a captain not a major, who would have had a crown on his jacket.
One other interesting situation. One of the people who was moved from Jude's Ferry is named Imber. On Salisbury Plain, in the middle of a military exercise area there used to stand a village called Imber. It was used by the military for practicing urban fighting and clearing. Coincidence or was the author sending a message?" - Brian Slemming
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