A new David Gemmell is released into the world and I am over excited. But this was weird. I don't really understand what happened in this book and I'm not keen to go back and think about it.

I wish we could have known what was in the memento box that Sutcliffe gave Ethel.

This was excellent. Obviously it would be because it was written by David Gemmell. I am a David Gemmell fan. I was sad to learn about his passing in 2006 and intrigued to find that some of his work was being published posthumously. My intrigue became curiosity when I realised that this story is actually a thriller/murder mystery.

My curiosity is now satisfied. This story is brilliant! The story is set in the eighties amid the racial tensions of London and non-existent community relationships with police. It is a time of 'political incorrectness', community divisions and dividing lines. Into this tension appears the seemingly random murders of a number of women who were married in 1975.

Jeremy Miller a young arrogant journalist is drawn into the murders when he interviews a psychic who says she can help solve the crimes. Ethel can see things by touching objects and the police though initially sceptical, realise that she may indeed be able to help them. What Ethel doesn't realise is that this will eventually put her into the path of the murderer.

Jeremy realises that this is exactly the kind of story he wants to report and as he gets to know Ethel (and her friend the mysterious Mr Sutcliffe) he gets to learn a bit more about himself and the work colleagues who usually shun him, but he doesn't know that this new friendship with Ethel may end up costing him dearly.

This book is 264 pages of reading bliss. I loved the way the story whisked me back to London of the eighties and the back drop of community tension provides a dark and gritty backdrop for a puzzling thriller.

The characters are brilliant and so well developed they could step off the pages into real life. The mystery was both so simple and yet very complex reaching deep into the darkness that can exist with the human mind. Together with the frisson of mysticism this book is superb and a good reminder that I still have a few David Gemmell books to catch up on.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

When I saw "David Gemmell" on Netgalley, I mashed the "request" button very quickly. Before I really registered that this was a completely unfamiliar title, and certainly before I read the book description, I assumed this was a reissue of one of his books, since unfortunately he's been gone from us for a time. But no: it's brand new, at least to the world; it's not a fantasy, as are most of his works, nor historical, as so many of his fantasies are, but instead an honest-to-goodness mystery novel set (contemporaneously?) in 80's London. So I was excited when I saw "David Gemmell", and then bemused but excited about the plot. I've been reading David Gemmell's books for more years than I choose to think about, though I haven't gotten back to them for a while now.

I chose this one from my list of Netgalley books kind of at random, and it kept me up past my bedtime. It's taken longer than it should have to pound out this review, and I'm ashamed of that. I loved it. It sucked me in completely and dragged me along a roller coaster of a story. It's a marvelous evocation of the period (when did my childhood become a "period"?), and a marvelous hunt for a serial killer, with undertones of fantasy. The main character and narrator is almost an anti-hero – he's not a nice guy, though he becomes more self-aware as the story wears on, and it's wonderful to watch.

Now I just need to go back and read everything else David Gemmell ever wrote.

<I>‘The rain has stopped and my star is shining.’
‘Your star?’
He waved me over and pointed to a bright light below the Plough. ‘That is my star. My father gave it to me, a long, long time ago.’
‘I hope he also gave you the mineral rights.'</I>

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

Here’s something I didn’t expect to be typing about in 2017 – a new David Gemmell novel! The background is that the manuscript was found in David’s papers by his widow, Stella Gemmell. It is a book that I believe was written early in his writing career but never published, until now. David died eleven years ago, in 2006.

Before readers get too excited, though, it must be said that this is not the usual fare from Mr. Gemmell. Set in the 1980’s, it is a crime novel, where our protagonist, journalist Jeremy (Jem) Miller, spends his time in a grimy London, surrounded by a grim world of poverty and racial tension.

Whilst working for a local newspaper (no online Internet here!), Jem seems to be pretty miserable, getting on badly with his co-workers and spending his work time on what he sees as the minor stuff – heart-warming tales of people who have overcome challenges, and so on.  Jem feels stuck writing these basic human interest stories whilst there are much bigger items he could be writing about. There’s a serial killer on the loose, killing women. He, or she, mutilates the bodies horribly but leaves little other evidence behind and the police are appropriately perplexed.

He finds himself involved in the serial killer case by accident when one of his usual interviews reveals something more. When Jem interviews Ethel Hurst, an elderly lady with a psychic gift, Jem finds that he may have a connection to the multiple killer after all. Ethel believes that she may be able to offer help to the investigation. And when the killer reads about it in the newspaper, Jem finds that both Ethel and himself are at risk…

&nbsp;

As a crime novel, <em>Rhyming Rings</em> fits the usual profile. The text is precise and direct, almost to the point of bluntness. There’s not a lot of flab here, to the extent that it is a rather short novel, filled out a little with an introduction by Conn Iggulden and an afterword by someone who knew David (and one of the creators of the <em>David Gemmell Legend Award</em>), Stan Nicholls.

With that in mind then, don’t go expecting Druss and his ilk here. Instead this is a more contemporary perspective of London, albeit a dated London of the 1980’s /90’s, dealing with issues of racism, sexism and homophobia. The book is clearly based on David’s own life as a journalist (write about what you know!) when he worked in South London before moving to Hastings.

It’s rather like watching an old TV police programme, something like <em>Life on Mars</em>, quite watchable (or in this case readable) but rather out of step with what we would see today. (Mentions of old cars like the Ford Mondeo and a lack of the Internet and mobile phones are a definite giveaway, for example.) There has been no attempt to modernise the story, which I think is a good idea, but it does make the novel feel a little out of sync with modern police procedurals.

But here’s the bottom line. Ignoring that it is dated (for acceptable reasons), and that it’s written by David Gemmell, does it work as a crime novel? Of that, I’m not so sure. It is quite violent, yet not as violent as some contemporary reads. There is an undertone of violence and menace that works today perhaps as much as it did in the 1980’s, but to me in the end as a crime novel it seems rather unsophisticated for contemporary tastes. I pretty much got who was the killer straight away once his/her name was given.

On the positive side, the point that it is a crime novel means that, in most cases, you can pretty much recognise what characters we’ve got – the kindly elderly character with a certain steel to their mettle, the well-meaning yet stressed police officers doing a difficult job in difficult circumstances – besides Jem, there’s not a lot of time spent developing detailed character outlines. Usually their actions and motivations are clear and what happens to them and because of them not too unrealistic.

Weirdly it is aspects of the lead character I’m unhappy with, which is a surprise considering that characterisation is something usually seen as a Gemmell strength. However, Jem is a character who at times I found to be actually quite unpleasant, although I accept that this may be deliberate. Strangely, by comparison, some of the characters around Jem, such as Ethel, her loyal neighbour Mr Sutcliffe, the policemen on the case and Jem’s workmates I liked as characters much more.

My concern was that, worryingly, I rather got the impression that many of the rants Jem spouts and the attitude he presents were lectures to the reader, rather than something to propel the character or the plot. They gave the impression that this was less of a character trait and more of a chance to allow the author to express beliefs that were unnecessary. Surprisingly, such asides felt rather clumsy or worse, didactic diatribes rather than something of benefit to the book. It felt forced or, at best, inappropriate.

That is a big issue. It must be said however that such lapses are not entirely throughout.  Jem redeems himself to become a better person and set things right at the end of the book. This tempered my reaction a little, though it could be said that such actions are nothing new - it was often the essence of a Gemmell fantasy novel, for example.

This does sound rather negative. However, it must be said that despite my issues I kept reading. At the core of <em>Rhyming Rings</em> there is a readable, if short, novel, By the end the strength of the prose is such that, even with my other reservations, you want to know how the plot ends, although I personally found the end rather troubling.

I applaud the attempt to try something new, though, even if it isn’t entirely successful for me. Unusually for David’s work, there’s a supernatural aspect to <em>Rhyming Rings</em> which may mean that the novel will appeal to readers of that sub-genre. (See also lovers of TV series such as<em> </em><em>Afterlife, The Dead Zone</em>, and<em> </em><em>The Ghost Whisperer.)</em> Again, though, don’t go expecting full-on horror stories, though – it’s not what David was about.

In summary, <em>Rhyming Rings</em> is an interesting but not totally successful attempt to try something different from a talented author. Despite my own issues, based on this, it is quite possible to see that, given time, David could have ended up with an author’s alternative career. (It has happened to others – see also Christopher Fowler and Stephen King, for example.) But <em>Rhyming Rings</em> isn’t quite there, for me at least. Worth a look, but not for everyone.

Epic,Gripping,gritty,honestly people do yourself a massive favour and read this novel,bloody brilliant.
Highly recommended this regardless of personal preference, absolute page turner of the highest order.

The author was a well known writer of fantasy and historical fiction who died in 2006. This novel was recently discovered and is a crime thriller set in 1980s London. Gemmell uses his lifestory and profession as a journalist for the main protagonist. It depicts a London seething with racial overtones, desperate poverty, sexism, homophobia and a city undergoing change. A young cynical and ambitious journalist, Jeremy Miller, longs to cover the major story of a serial killer mutilating and murdering women. The crime scenes have uncovered no clues and the police are baffled.

As Miller writes his usual fare of disabled teenagers and elderly psychics, he finds his stories begin to merge with the murder investigation. Ethel Hurst, his psychic, thinks she can make a real contribution to the murder case. Miller writes an article on this, and the killer's attention is drawn to him and Ethel, putting their lives in danger. There are supernatural elements to the tale. Miller is not a particularly attractive character but this did not prevent my enjoyment of the book. We follow the multiple characters as they endeavour to uncover the ambidextrous killer. This is a short novel with an introduction by a fan of the author, Conn Igguldon. An entertaining read. Thanks to Orion for an ARC.

I found this book a delight to read. It tells the tale of Jem, a cynical young journalist as he investigates a spate of murders with the help of a psychic. The story is set in 1987 and it perfectly sums up the time. There is casual racism and homophobia on display frequently, which is distasteful but unfortunately accurate. The prose is concise and efficient and the plot moves at a great pace. This is not at the expense of character, however, I must confess that Jem, despite his questionable political views, is a wonderfully appealing character. He is socially awkward, which manifests as extreme arrogance and Gemmell has him absolutely pitch perfect. Much of the story is told from Jem's perspective and there is a touch of 'American Psycho' in his tone, in that he narrates trivialities with depth and a wry wit. The plot is a little predictable, but this did not defer my pleasure in the story and I think it's a shame that this book was never published in Gemmell's lifetime. A really fun read.