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TV journalist Dan Groves is a man with a nose for a story – and an ability to solve bizarre puzzles, as evidenced by his appearance last time out in THE DEATH PICTURES. This time, though, he has to crack a code left by an equally weird criminal. A masked man is breaking into women's houses. All he steals are personal documents, but he leaves taunting notes behind him boasting of a major crime he's about to commit. And it looks like Dan is the only person who can work out what the twisted clues mean. Author Simon Hall is the BBC's south west England crime correspondent, so it's hardly surprising that the newsroom and location scenes are top-notch, although barking mad news editor Lizzie teeters on the edge of parody on occasions. Dan is an oddly endearing character, with his beloved dog Rutherford and his realisation that his mental health is a fragile thing. And in EVIL VALLEY, he's feeling his way cautiously into a relationship with DS Claire Reynolds. Dan's co-star DCI Adam Breen is far less convincing, though. Not only does he tend towards the cardboard, he's also verging on the drama queen – all his dialogue seems to come tagged with snapped, snarled or yelled. The police characters across the board are the weak links in what is generally a damn good read. Claire – who has lots of possibilities as a strong presence in the books – has problems of her own in a parallel case featuring an enquiry into the actions of a police marksman. And Marcus Whiting, the police complaints officer, is clumsily-drawn in places (yes, yes, we know he hisses when he speaks …) In fact, some of the problems, such as the overdone running gags (Dan's inaccurate watch and Whiting removing the change from his trouser pocket every time he sits down) and the repetitive tags could have been solved by some tougher editing. This would have turned what's a very good book into an even more polished product. Hall is a first-rate storyteller with an enviable ability to present unusual page-turners with a twist and who doesn't always take the easy way out when it comes to telling a tale.
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, November 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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