I've mentioned previously my enthusiasm for the books of Martin Russell, and one of the nice things that has happened to me this year is that I've had an enjoyable correspondence with Betty Telford, who knew him well and liked both the man and his novels. I've learned quite a bit about him from Betty and I've been seeking out his books with even more zest as a result.
Backlash, which dates from 1981, is a good example of his strengths (and perhaps also one or two weaknesses). The story is narrated by Steve Cassell. He is a partner in a property business with a chap called Albert Hall, who seems quite a nerdy, fragile character. When Albert contacts Steve in a panic, he does his best to help. And it seems that Albert has murdered someone.
However, in a Martin Russell book, things are never what they seem. This develops nicely into a 'vanishing body' story, and the plot twists and turns relentlessly as a sequence of baffling events occur. I have to say that Martin Russell, not for the only time in his career, does test his readers' suspension of disbelief to the limit, but I think he just about gets away with it here, even though I suspect astute crime fans will figure out what is going on some way before the end of the book.
An entertaining story, then, and one that thankfully doesn't outstay its welcome. My Collins Crime Club first edition runs to a mere 167 pages. In recent years there has been no shortage of psychological suspense novels twice as long as this one and with plot twists that are rather less satisfactory than those on offer here. Sometimes, when putting together a crime novel, you need to remember that less is more. And Martin Russell's crisp and pacy writing is effective partly because it is concise and is wholly devoid of padding.
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