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It seems like just moments ago that I was wishing you a happy new year, and yet somehow we’ve already arrived in February. Shocking, I tell you. Positively scandalous.
Anyway, quite a bit has happened since we last spoke, which I’ll get to in due course. First, though, I really wanted to take a bit of a break from tooting my own horn to talk about a couple of books written by other people – one I’ll soon be getting stuck into and one I’ve just finished.
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The former is Blood Runs Deep, the debut novel by crime fiction author and all round good guy Doug Sinclair, and the first in a series of books featuring Livingstone detective DS Malkie McCulloch. Though it won’t reach your inbox till Monday, I’m actually writing this newsletter on Friday night on the train back to Glasgow from the book’s launch at the Canon’s Gait pub in Edinburgh. The event was chaired by Mr Gordon Brown (crime writer extraordinaire and definitely not a former prime minister), and if the rest of the book is half as good as the extract Doug read to us (caught in the act below), we’re all in for a treat.
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Grab your copy today:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
(Please note that I earn a small commission on these links.)
The second book I want to sing the praises of – and one which I’ll be astounded if it doesn’t feature in my “best of 2024” list at the end of the year – is Helen FitzGerald’s latest offering, Halfway House. A Glasgow-based author, but originally from Australia, I’ve loved Helen’s writing ever since I randomly grabbed a copy of Bloody Women off a library shelf over a decade ago. They say you should always aim to hook your readers from page one, and I can’t think of a more dramatic way to make a first impression than opening with the protagonist being asked to identify a former boyfriend via his severed penis, laid out on a mortuary slab on its lonesome ownsome.
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Since then, I’ve devoured – and loved – all of Helen’s books (even if you haven’t read any of them, you’ve probably at least heard of The Cry, which was made into a TV drama a few years ago), and Halfway House is no exception.
Twentysomething Australian Lou accepts a job working in an Edinburgh hostel for high-risk offenders nearing the end of their prison sentences. Not long after she’s started the job, with her new life in Scotland already threatening to collapse around her due to a series of (partially self-inflicted) misadventures, she ends up the sole member of staff on night duty, sharing the building with some very colourful characters, and mayhem, predictably, ensues.
What I really love about Helen’s books is that no one else writes quite like her. She has a completely unique voice, and an extremely funny one to boot. Humour is a very subjective thing, but her books, while invariably dealing with seriously dark subject matter, are never less than absolutely hilarious – but hilarious in a way that feels effortless, as if her protagonist narrators are simply telling a story that happens to be funny as opposed to being calculated to make you laugh. It’s a unique skill and one that, as a writer, I’m completely jealous of. As a reader, though? I’m in seventh heaven every time.
Seriously, do yourself a favour and check it out:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
(Please note that I earn a small commission on these links.)
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There’s gonna be a reckoning…
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And now, my big news.
If you’ve been following me on Facebook (and if you’re not, WHY not?!), you’ll know that the long-untitled Anna Scavolini 5 now not only has a title but also a blurb and a release date.
THE RECKONING, the fifth book in the series and my seventh novel overall, will be released on Kindle and in paperback on Monday 27 May 2024. A revised draft is already with my indefatigable editor, Suze, who is going through it with her red pen as we speak. We’ll be meeting to discuss her feedback towards the end of the month, and then it’s on to the finish line!
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Especially when compared to the previous book in the series, Women Who Kill, The Reckoning has come together remarkably quickly – so quickly, in fact, that I have to keep pinching myself to make sure I’m not hallucinating.
But we are indeed where we are, and I’m feeling confident about it – more confident, in fact, than I’ve felt about any of my other books, at this or any point in the journey.
But I’m guessing you want to see that blurb…
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You thought you had power, so let us destroy you.
A series of violent attacks on female students sparks panic across the city of Glasgow. The men responsible call themselves The Reckoning - an extremist movement dedicated to reversing the social gains made by women and re-establishing male supremacy.
For criminology professor Anna Scavolini, it seems obvious the blame lies with her new colleague, Robert Leopold, whose controversial podcast preaches reactionary views to disaffected young men. At first, it appears the attackers are purely drawing inspiration from his misogynist teachings. However, when evidence arises suggesting Leopold’s involvement goes deeper, Anna resolves to hold him to account.
But The Reckoning have no intention of letting her interference pass without repercussions. Soon, Anna finds herself in the crosshairs of a movement that’s prepared to use any tool in its arsenal to silence its enemies - and she’s just the sort of woman they’d love to make an example of.
As passions intensify and tensions spiral, is Anna about to face her own, very public reckoning?
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I know I say this every time, but The Reckoning is going to test Anna like no other case before it. She really gets put through the wringer in this one – so much so that I’m almost glad to be giving her a (short) break while I work on my next book, which won’t be part of her series.
Rest assured, though, Professor Scavolini will be back – hopefully rested and recuperated. Her story is a long way from being done…
You can pre-order The Reckoning on Kindle today, with the paperback edition available to order closer to the release date.
As we get closer to the launch, I’ll be sharing more details, including an early sneak peek at the prologue and opening chapter – and, of course, the all-important cover art.
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So that’s where things stand with The Reckoning. (It feels good to finally be able to call it by its rightful name!) Before long, it’ll be time to dive headlong back into it and tackle my editor’s notes.
For the next couple of weeks, though, I’ll be trying to put it out of my mind as I get to grips with my next project – one I’m really excited to being writing. So, if you’ll allow me to cut and run, I’m going to put my research hat on and get back to it…
Until next time, happy reading!
Best wishes,
Michael
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Currently reading
The Girl in the Loch (Andrew James Greig, 2024)
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Last film watched
You Won’t Be Alone (Goran Stolevski, 2022)
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On the jukebox
Watership Down soundtrack (Angela Morley, 1978)
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M.R. Mackenzie
Unit 29574, PO Box 26965, Glasgow, Scotland
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