Number 85 - Luther The Calling - Neil Cross

 

Neil Cross is known primarily these days for his tv writing.  He wrote two episodes of Doctor Who for Peter Capaldi's doctor (and very good they were too), he was a lead writer on the spy show Spooks, he wrote a recent serial called Hard Sun and of course, he wrote the whole of the show Luther.

He's also an excellent novelist. His book Holloway Falls was one of my highlights last year. This of course, is a novel based on his show Luther.  I'm not sure the star of the show is the most unbiased source they could find for a cover quote, but that's what the marketers went for.

It serves as a prequel to the tv show, with an early case in his career that paved the way for the unpredictable character the viewers know and love.

A young couple have been murdered in their home, both of them cut open and mutilated. The woman was 9 months pregnant. The baby is missing. Luther is assigned the case to find the murderer and to try to recover the baby if it's still alive. Are there links between this and some cold case kidnappings from many years previously? He also has to help an old man being victimised by local heavies and try to save his precarious marriage.

This is fast moving, brilliantly paced, violent and shocking throughout. Subtlety is not a strong point in this book.  It's  written in a no-nonsense, very immediate and tension inducing present tense.

The opening line, "John Luther, a big man with a big walk, crosses the hospital car park, glistening with the rain." sets the tone perfectly for what's to come. Tough guys doing what they do best.  Having said that, he does have his sensitive side and we keep full sympathy with  him throughout.  His build up of rage is understandable. When Luther bends the rules it's because someone deserves it.

This man is not a good policeman.  He can solve a crime.  He's great at that part of the job, but he's distinctly lacking in the following the right channels part of the job.  As such he's the classic renegade cop.  Pretty much all that's missing in this is the "you've got 24 hours or you're off the case" speech from his boss. Without leaving spoilers I hope, there's actually a neat reversal of that oh so familiar trope in the middle of this book.

There are twists and turns galore. It's not entirely unpredictable - I did see one of the biggest reveals in the story about 150 pages before it happpened - but it's never boring, it's never tedious and it keeps you turning the page. Also, I do have a talent for spotting plot twists before they happen.

 The villain is spectacularly evil. One of the main weaknesses of the book is the partial explanation given for this... I'd say more, but spoilers. This book also breaks the rule of making the villain the hero of his own story.  The most interesting villains don't think they're bad people. They think they're good people forced into doing bad things.  The bad guy here knows he's in the wrong and doing it for entirely selfish reasons.  As such, he's definitely scary, but not particularly credible.

Having made that criticism, it must be said that the tension in the closing chapters is almost unbearable. Knowing he doesn't care about anything other than himself does raise the stakes immensely.

I've raced through this one in a couple of days.  It might not be the strongest of Neil Cross's books, but it's still damned good and well worth getting hold of, especially if you're a fan of the tv show.

7.5/10

Content warning - there is some cruelty to animals and children. this is not for the faint hearted.