Those We Left Behind is a book that I grabbed for a bargaintastic £1 at The Works - can't say fairer than that ! The front cover gives off a really brooding, dark feeling that appealed to me, but I didn't know any more about the book or the author. From looking on Goodreads, I have discovered that this is the first book featuring DCI Serena Flanagan and she comes back in a second novel, So Say The Fallen.
The novel focuses on a pair of brothers, Ciaran and Thomas Devine, who have just been reunited after the younger brother, Ciaran, was released from prison. They both spent their formative years in jail after murdering their foster father, having accused him of sexual assault. Ciaran admitted to the crime, but there was still some doubt as to whether he was really the guilty party.
As well as DCI Flanagan, Paula Cunningham, Ciaran's probation officer, is also involved with trying to keep Ciaran on the straight and narrow. Things start off OK, with Ciaran getting a job and making a new start in life, but the brothers have a toxic effect on each other and on those that they come into contact with. Despite everyone's best intentions, they seem to be stuck on a slippery slope going down with no hope of finding a better life.
It is an interesting storyline and the tension mounts in the final chapters, but somehow, I found it was lacking a certain oomph. I found it hard to keep track of who was who and kept mixing up Flanagan and Cunningham's roles in the novel. I think it would have been better to have had a deeper look at the two women and their motivations. Certain things - such as Flanagan's former battle with cancer and the suspicious death of her friend - seemed underplayed, but maybe they will come back in the follow-on novel. There is certainly more that could be said about them. Flanagan's relationship with her husband and kids wasn't really developed either. I'd have definitely preferred a deeper look at the main players in the novel, as even the boys' past is glossed over in a few short paragraphs.
It's an enjoyable read with definite elements of tension, especially in the final chapters, but I thought it could have been further developed. I actually wondered if this was a book in a series, which had already explained the backgrounds of the different characters, but as it's the first in the series, this should be the one setting out all the background information.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £7.99
- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Vintage (5 May 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0099578387
- ISBN-13: 978-0099578383
If I saw this book for a pound at The Works, I'd buy it too. Haven't heard of this series, but know of the author. I was discussing with someone on Twitter not that long ago about the trend of cover design for thrillers - a figure in red, who's turned back to you, against a dark background. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right - I've had a few books with similar covers lately !
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