April – a new month and I’m determined to try out some new authors rather than rely on old favourites. My kindle has also been shamefully neglected and usually only gets dusted down in advance of a plane trip. The trouble is, I like the feel of books and the e-reading experience is never completely going to do it for me. However, I downloaded The Loyal Servant by Eva Hudson because I liked the premise of the book – a political thriller set in the Department of Education involving the death of a politician.
Civil Servant Caroline Barber discovers Martin Fox, a junior minister and her former lover, dead in his office one evening. She had been called to his rooms after he had left a cryptic message on her voicemail which subsequently disappears. Unconvinced by the official explanation of suicide, Caroline pairs up with investigative journalist Angela Tate and soon both her job and family are at risk as secrets emerge that others wish to be covered up.
The book was the winner of the 2011 Lucy Cavendish Prize for fiction and I liked the fact that the two lead protagonists are strong women. Caroline, the lowly civil service is the best realised of the two, generally happy in her dull job but trying to juggle work and family pressures. Her family were particularly well portrayed, especially her militant mother protesting against various government measures. The journalist Angela Tate was also a strong character, her job continually under threat from cost-cutting measures and desperate to get that all important scoop.
The descriptions of the Department of Education were particularly strong and the writer clearly knows the world well with its bureaucracy that can be circumvented by those in the know. As the plot reached its climax I found it a little rushed and wanted the narrative to continue to the (hinted) conclusion. But overall it was a good read and it was nice to see a political thriller written by a woman and featuring two strong female leads.
Sarah – This does sound like an interesting political thriller. And good on you to try new authors. Sometimes one’s disappointed but this time it looks like you found a good ‘un. Oh, and one more thing: I’m always glad when authors do their homework and present convincing contexts. A context that doesn’t seem authentic is off-putting for me.
LikeLike
Thanks Margot. Apparently the author worked in the civil service so she’s put her experiences to good use.
LikeLike
Sounds good – I might well try this one, thanks Sarah. (I’ve never heard of it before, so thanks for spotting and reviewing it). It reminds me a bit of a book I reviewed some while ago for Euro Crime, The Sky Blue Parcel by John Nightingale. http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/reviews/The_Sky_Blue_Parcel.html . I recall that as starting well but the second half not being as good.
LikeLike
Yes I can see the similarities too Maxine with the Nightingale book. Thanks for the link.
LikeLike
I’ve just finished that book. I also liked the strong female leads… I thought Bechdel would approve!
As an ex-civil servant, and a south Londoner, I was impressed with the realistic detail Hudson gave both.
Great read, the story really gallops towards the end.
Richard
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Richard. Eva became a friend of mine through her writing. Unfortunately she died recently. I’m so glad her writing is still gaining followers.
LikeLike