D M Devine, a Scottish writer who later published under the name Dominic Devine (although his actual name was David Macdonald Devine), was one of the most talented detective novelists to emerge from the Collins Crime Club during the 1960s. His death in 1980 at the early age of 60 cut short an interesting career and one feels that he might well have written a good many more books of high calibre, had he lived.
The Sleeping Tiger was described by the Crime Club on publication in 1968 as 'a tour-de-force of characterisation, plotting and excitement'. Publishers' hype? Well, actually I think they were right. This is a novel that I really enjoyed and in its exploration of middle-class society in the Sixties, I'd say it's at least on a par with some of the books Julian Symons wrote for the Crime Club, such as The End of Solomon Grundy.
At the start of the book we learn that John Prescott is on trial for a double murder. The two crimes were six years apart, but Devine conceals the victims' identities, so this novel can be regarded as a sort of 'whowasdunin' as well as a whodunit. There are extensive flashbacks which describe the creation of the tangled web in which Prescott - a solicitor, but not the brightest I've ever read about - now find himself trapped. Flashbacks are tricky devices, but I'd say that Devine handles them well.
He also shows great skill in constructing the mystery. I was kept guessing and I felt that Devine handled the 'fair play' aspect of the storyline with considerable skill. Although Prescott's behaviour infuriated me at times - his capacity for self-harm is considerable, and even worse, he slaps a woman, albeit under provocation - the author's aim was to show how a man with significant flaws can get a grip on himself, and eventually solve a baffling puzzle. Devine gives us a picture of a vanished era, and more than that, he spins a very good yarn. Luckily, this book is easier to find than some of his others, because it appeared as an Arcturus Crime Classic, an excellent if short-lived imprint with which I had some involvement.
No comments:
Post a Comment