Gypsy

by David Menon

When Danny Holdsworth returns to Matlock, the Derbyshire Peak district town of his birth, after being away for thirty years, his intention is to find the killer of his best friend, Nigel Slater, who was murdered back in 1982, a crime for which Danny was once a suspect but which still remains unsolved. Now a respected international journalist, Danny decides to use his temporary position as editor of the Derbyshire Times to campaign to finally bring Nigel's killer to justice. But almost as soon as he's back he runs into his old flame, Caroline, who's very unhappily married to Danny's childhood nemesis, Ben Reynolds. Caroline would like to rekindle her romance with Danny but he's interested in someone else, someone much closer to Caroline than is comfortable for either of them. Ben's haulage business is in deep trouble and he resorts to desperate measures with shady Russian businessmen to try and save it, risking the lives of himself and his family in the process, until Danny suggests a way out. Against this background, Danny believes he's getting close to finding Nigel's killer when he discovers a connection between the crime and his own identity that shocks him to the core and makes him wish he'd never come home. Some secrets should be left buried with the past.

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2012

About the author

David was born of an English mother and an Indian father, neither of whom brought him up. He spent his childhood in Derby but has since lived all over the UK, and also for several very happy years he lived in Paris. He loves to travel, loves Indian food closely followed by French, he’s into politics and current affairs and all the arts – books, films, TV, theatre, and music. He’s a seriously devoted fan of Stevie Nicks who he calls ‘the voice of my interior world’. When he’s not writing he teaches English to Russian students for a school in St. Petersburg.

Reviews

[Tammy K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok this story was really not my cup of tea.
There was no suspense. Too much drama. Its way to easy to figure out who the murder was and frankly I didn't much care.
The author failed to provide an emotional hook for us to bond either to the murder victim or the main character. Yes bad things happened to the MC but it read more like a shopping list of bad things. No matter how hard I tried to like the main character, I could not relate to him. His life was too unrealistic. The emotional trauma he felt was pale.
The dialog in this book is way too much and yet not personable. I could care less about the things they were saying to each other, because it had nothing to do with the murder nor was it endearing me to the characters. It was more like ease dropping in on a conversation, rather then including the reading into mindset and personal relationships of the characters.
Too many details told in the settings, and events. If an event, or fact does nothing to promote (develop) the plot or its resolution, then there is no need to put it in the story. Do not tell me about the coffee shops floors, the coffee beans they sale and the coffee you ordered. Seriously, it has no relevance to the story and it's a waste of my time, as a reader.
DO not fade away to black in the romantic scenes. My goodness this is where we can bond to the characters and you fade out to the next day?
Do not cut out the good in the main characters life (24 year relationship) and tell me about the death of his boyfriend after the fact.
Writing only about the bad that happens in ones life will not motivate me to read more. Mix it up, give your story light and dark (scene), happy and sad.
Give your characters substance and definition. DO not describe them as if you were talking about a wall.
I could go on and on, but to put an end to this review I will say.. this story needs editing, for content and spelling. It needs to livened up. the characters need to be filled out, the dialog needs to be relevant to the solving of the plot or the development of the characters.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I read in a day. I got so caught up in the story it simply wouldn't let me put it aside.
This is a great story. I find myself being drawn to this kind of book more and more. My usual read tends to be Police Procedural type murder stories, but I seem to be leaning towards the more amateur sleuthing that this book portrays.
A murder originally unsolved, a man returning to his home - returning to avenge the death of his friend many years previously. A cast of characters spanning generations sometimes intermingled. Love and loss, death and intrigue, lies and secrets - this book has them all.
This book ticks all the boxes I need. An escape from the banalities of my life into the lives of people so well characterised that they all appear totally real. An ending that neatly ties up all the loose ends but puts the reader through a rollercoaster of a ride along the journey.
I see that Mr Menon has also turned his hand to my usual police procedural type books with his DCI Sara Hoyland series. I think I will go check them out too.

[cherine tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeps you guessing

Enjoyed this story , however line spaces should've been considered. You read one sentence about Danny then next sentence about something totally different. Good story though, you'll never guess who Dunnit mainly cos .... well can't say or it'll spoil it for you, felt like the writers personal political views were in this or maybe i am wrong and just part of the general story, make you're own mind up there, hope you enjoy this book and I will definitely read more from this author.

[LLona Cunningham]

I'm not rating this one because I returned it for credit.