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Thursday, 29 June 2017

‘Murderabilia’ by Craig Robertson.



Published by Simon & Schuster,
23 March 2017.
ISBN: 978-1-4711-5659-5

The morning train from platform 7 leaves the station to begin its daily journey. As is usual, a few minutes later it enters a tunnel but emerging out the other end the passengers are screaming. Hanging from the bridge in front of the tunnel is a naked man, a pile of clothes on the ground by his body.

DI Rachel Narey is given the case, but heavily pregnant and fainting, she is taken off and sent home for bed rest. Her partner, Tony Winter, an ex- scene of crime photographer, and now journalist takes on the role of following the case with her. He photographs the pile of clothes and the picture makes headlines.

Meanwhile Rachel Narey is restless and bored and starts surfing the web. She discovers a dark and grisly site of murder memorabilia for sale, where the buyers pay the highest prices according to the worst of the murders. Be it bricks from the houses where the crime took place, to pieces of hair, or clothes and jewellery belonging to the victim. Here she discovers a cold crime with links to the case she had to abandon. She and Winter dig deeper into this muderabilia site to follow the buying and selling of souvenirs relating to real life murders. Unknown to them, while they are doing this, someone is also following them, someone who has been buying memorabilia relating to Sharon Tate, the victim who made headlines when murdered while heavily pregnant!

This is a very different kind of crime story. Unbelievably gritty and gruesome, told by an author with an unusual and breath-taking imagination. It is meticulously researched, and stylishly written. If you like strong crime, then you will love this book.
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Reviewer: Linda Regan.

A former journalist, Craig Robertson had a 20-year career with a Scottish Sunday newspaper before becoming a full-time author. He interviewed three Prime Ministers, reported on major stories including 9/11, Dunblane, the Omagh bombing and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. He was pilloried on breakfast television, beat Oprah Winfrey to a major scoop, spent time on Death Row in the USA and dispensed polio drops in the backstreets of India.
His gritty crime novels are set on the mean streets of contemporary Glasgow. His first novel, Random, was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA New Blood Dagger, longlisted for the 2011 Crime Novel of the Year and was a Sunday Times bestseller. He is also the author of a series of novels featuring crime scene photographer Tony Winter and Detective Sergeant Rachel Narey; Snapshot, Cold Grave and Witness the Dead.
Craig also has a weakness/fascination/obsession with black pudding and has travelled across Europe in search of the perfect pud. This admittedly strange pilgrimage included being a judge at the world black pudding championships in France.  




Linda Regan is the author of six police procedural crime novels. She is also an actress. She holds a Masters degree in critical writing and journalism, and writes a regular column, including book reviews, for three magazines. She also presents the book-club spot on BBC Radio Kent. She is an avid reader, and welcomes the chance to read new writers. 
A review of her recent book Sisterhoods can be read here.  http://promotingcrime.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/sisterhoods-by-linda-regan.html


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