Russell Day

I'm not usually drawn first to a book by its cover but Needle Song has one of those covers that you can't take you eyes off. It strongly reminds me of Sons of Anarchy and apart from the lead guy having a motorbike, that's where the similarity ends. Needle Song is something else entirely with Doc reminding me of Sherlock Holmes; a modern day whodunnit with clues just waiting to be found.

The story is told from the point of view of Yakky (real name Andy, which he hates) who is an apprentice tattooist working with the very unconventional Doc Slidesmith, kind of like Anakin and Obi Wan. Doc isn't just a nickname, as he has a PhD in psychology so he knows how to read people which helps with his tarot card readings. When Chris Rudjer, one of Doc's customers, is arrested for murdering his girlfriend's husband, Doc is determined to prove that Chris is innocent. With Chris's girlfriend, Jan, turning to Doc and his tarot cards, this gives Doc the perfect opportunity to winkle out everything that Jan knows about the events surrounding her husband's death. I was so sure that she definitely knew more than she was letting on!

Although Doc is a great character with a lot of dry humour and Holmes-like deduction skills, I really liked Yakky. Yakky is an ex-nurse and doesn't have the happiest life now that he's living with his dad, who absolutely cracked me up at times. He is a master game-player and can play the sympathy and helpless card when he wants but I think he knows exactly what he's doing. Yakky's dad reminded me of my Grandad who had to turn the TV up to earsplitting levels but could hear the phone ringing before any of us.

With such colourful characters in play, you could be forgiven for forgetting that there's a crime to investigate and what a criminal masterpiece that is. Doc sniffs out the truth like a bloodhound and I really didn't know what was going to come next from page to page. Hopefully this won't be the last we hear about Doc and Yakky, this modern day Holmes and Watson.

Needle Song is as unconventional as it is brilliant, Russell Day has played an ace and said to the crime genre: I'll see you and I'll raise you. This is a riveting and completely astounding debut that I highly recommend.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.… (más)