|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Linda Regan is an actress who's obviously spent time on the pantomime circuit -- and I'm not sure that I want to know how many of the characters in her debut novel she's encountered on her travels! The world of BEHIND YOU! is seedy and sordid, featuring a panto cast who are scratching along to survive in a suburban theatre. When a suspicious death occurs during a performance, the police are called in. But there are more murders to come in this not at all glamorous world. These deaths and a pushy director insisting that the show must go on are just some of the problems Detective Inspector Paul Banham faces. He's what you might call a sad sack . . . He's still mourning the death of his wife and kid, but can't seem to tell his colleague DS Alison Grainger that he loves her. Alison's not exactly a bundle of laughs either. She's a miserable so-and-so with what sounds suspiciously like an eating disorder. So she and Banham spend most of the book either sniping at or misunderstanding each other. It makes the panto crew seem like good company -- and they're some of the most unpleasant people you've ever encountered! BEHIND YOU! is reasonably diverting reading for a winter afternoon, but the main problem is that the police procedural angle never catches fire. Regan's good on the world she knows best -- the theatre. I'm kind of sorry that she didn't develop a main character from there who could carry a series. Out of the police cast, the two DCs are the only ones to show any spark -- and I have a suspicion that you're not supposed to like them very much! I'm slightly unsure, as well, as how accurate Regan's police procedures are. There seemed to be an awful lot of opportunity for the characters to be in the same room and to get their stories straight before statements were taken. And I do wonder if the show really would be allowed to go on. I hope the casual racism and homophobia that appear as throwaway comments aren't typical of the panto world. And isn't it a touch cheesy to name-check your real-life actor husband on page three of the book?
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, October 2006
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
