A serial killer stalks the streets of Newport and the police are
powerless as neatly arranged corpses pile up like the flotsam on the
River Usk. At times like these a hero is needed. Ed Wall, Newport's
answer to Philip Marlow, finds his time has come. Can he prevent the
serial killer striking again? We Go Down Slowly Rising, is the first
novel by Welsh writer John Gimblett and on this showing, it is hoped
that it's not the last.
The author follows a well-worn path taken
by many writers of detective fiction. The story is played out against a
backdrop familiar to the author and therefore written about with
confidence. The decaying post-industrial sprawl of Newport becomes as
important a backdrop to this novel as the gothic-noire Edinburgh of John
Rebus, the dreaming spires and cosy pubs of Morse's Oxford or the bleak
Scandinavian scenery of Wallander's Ystadt and this is one of the
novel's great strengths.
Although it's not the first time South
Wales has been used as a location for a crime novel, most notably with
John William's Cardiff Trilogy, it's certainly the most convincing piece
of work in the Welsh-noire sub-genre so far. We are taken on a journey
through a city infused with familiar scenery, so often clearly visible
in any modern British city. Urban decay, bawdy nightlife, civic artwork,
the secret enclaves of diverse ethnicity and a grudging sense of
community will resonate with the reader. In fact, they are the
touchstones that underpin our love/hate relationship with urban life, a
point well illustrated throughout this novel via the watchful eyes of Ed
Wall. When seen from this perspective, the author has pulled off a
remarkable feat, composing a love letter to an unlovely, but not
unlovable city striking a chord with those of us who see the urban
landscape of the modern city as a thing of both joy and sadness.
My
interest was sustained throughout with a wealth of arcane facts which
had me frequently turning to the internet to widen my knowledge on
matters that ranged from the ley lines that cross this country to
Newport's Jewish cemetery with much more in between. Whilst the
narrative concentrates on Wall's quest to solve the murders, the
author's attention to frequently quirky detail gives the novel a sense
of individuality missing in more `by-the-numbers' crime fiction.
Like
all private detectives Wall's love life is troubled. His relationships
with the opposite sex teeters between the potency of desire and his
inability to act, reflecting the paradox faced by many men of a 'certain
age'. Wall's flesh might be all too willing, but his spirit is
certainly weak. Sometimes he just appears to be exhausted. However,
`love conquers Wall' and in one of the book's most satisfying subplots,
Wall and Monica, a Polish forensic scientist, fall for each other over
shots of industrial strength vodka and the quest to unmask the killer
before another death by wren's feather takes place As with all the best
hard-boiled fiction, there is always a soft centre.
The author's
portrayal of Wall's nemesis is convincing, introducing us to a full
blown sociopath who quotes poetry as he stalks the mean streets of
Newport with a pocket full of wren's feathers and murder in his mind. It
was interesting to note how alike Wall and the killer were: two
outsiders who distanced themselves from the life going on around them as
they prowled the city at all hours of the day and night. At times, Wall
seems to be chasing a shadow of himself and on more than one occasion, I
had to re-read a passage to check whether these were the thoughts of
Wall or the killer. We get to know a lot about the killer's likes and
dislikes, his formative childhood experiences and even his name.
Intriguingly, his name is revealed long before the conclusion of this
novel, a brave step which does nothing to diminish the suspenseful
climax of the book. In fact, such was the convincing portrayal of the
killer that I was left wanting to know more. At no point did we find out
what the killer's motives were and I was slightly disappointed that we
were left without a clue as to what made this killer act. Perhaps the
author wanted to leave this deliberately vague to allow the reader to
speculate.
We Go Down Slowly rising is an enjoyable read and I
would recommend it to anyone who likes their crime fiction populated
with cynical private detectives, clueless police, sinister killers and
the redeeming power of love. It's what your Kindle was invented for!
