CHARLIE SAVAGE - RODDY DOYLE

In these times of uncertainty I'm very thankful for a good book. I usually find myself enjoying and reviewing a lot of crime fiction novels. Well today I thought I would change tack and review a fantastic uplifting read.

Meet Charlie Savage: a middle aged Dubliner with an indefatigable wife, an exasperated daughter and a drinking buddy who has realised he has been a woman all along......

Charlie Savage is a small book but the stories within are huge. This is a laugh out loud glimpse at the life of Charlie and his family. From the opening story of his three year old Grandson who wants a Tattoo for Christmas,  to the final reminiscence and significance of New Year this book is an absolute joy. I have not read a Roddy Doyle book for a very long time and I had forgotten how beautifully he writes the humour and heart of the Irish people. It's the heartfelt story of an ordinary man in ordinary circumstances and I adored it.
When I am in need of a pick up over the next challenging few months it is to Roddy Doyle's humour I will turn to.

For further reading check out the Barrytown Trilogy ( The Commitments, The Van and The Snapper) and the Two Pints collection of Stories.

DEAD GONE - LUCA VESTE

A serial killer is stalking the streets of Liverpool, gruesomely murdering victims as part of a series of
unethical and psychological experiments. It is up to DI David Murphy and his partner DS Laura Rossi to unravel who is behind the chilling murders.

I have not read any of this authors work before and was pleasantly surprised to learn Dead Gone was a debut novel. Why surprised? because the writing was so good and I felt like I was reading work from an already well established writer. The story rolled along at a cracking pace without losing any of the tension. The story has just enough Psychological unpredictability, creepiness and plenty of tension to keep you reading well into the night. I loved the relationship between Murphy and Rossi who are a fabulous fit, and I look forward to following their partnership in future books. I will definitely be reading more of this series and other works from this talented and fantastic writer.

As a side note Luca Veste is one half of "Two Crime Writers and a Microphone" podcast along with the equally talented Steve Cavanagh (see previous review of Thirteen). I did a review of the podcast in another post late last year and still continue to laugh out loud when listening.