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Angels In The Architecture: An Inspector Page Novel
292 pages, Paperback
Published January 21, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 27, 2024
This is a rare thrill. Reading a book written by someone you know is quite something. I started reading this on a plane travelling south. I finished it in the southern sunshine. I was transported back to characterful pubs in Bristol. My home city with an underbelly I've always rather liked.
I have read quite a few crime novels. Many of them authored by the "big hitters" like Rankin, McDermid, Child and Cornwell, for example. Steve's book is right up there. This is a well-crafted tale about murder in Bristol. Like all good crime fiction you are kept guessing until very near the end.
At the heart of the tale is a curmudgeonly DI - Jim Page. His moniker one of many nods to 1970s music. The central relationships in the book to his younger side-kick Louise and to a long-term drinking friend. These are well drawn characters and I want to no more about them. Naturally, the interest to me as a born and bred Bristolian are the places familiar to me since childhood. Some grubby and seedy, some grand. I liked this aspect of the novel very much. It makes a nice change to see Bristol on the map culturally too - as we don't feature much on national TV in terms of drama. I have always thought because of a dislike to the Bristolian accent. Stephen Merchant's excellent BBC comedy-drama, "Outlaws" is a delightful exception.
Our author wears his heart on his sleeve. This comes through in a clear message about links between crime in this sad tale and the wanton destruction of the UK's public services since 2010. Bristol faces challenging times right now. In a prosperous city it remains shameful that too many of its citizens face an uphill battle in trying to realise their aspirations. Crime is known to increase as inequality widens. Steve writes about this well without being "shouty" about it.
An excellent first novel. I hope that more are in the pipeline and I highly recommend this first tale in the Jim Page series. Congratulations mate! Oh, and #UTG.
I have read quite a few crime novels. Many of them authored by the "big hitters" like Rankin, McDermid, Child and Cornwell, for example. Steve's book is right up there. This is a well-crafted tale about murder in Bristol. Like all good crime fiction you are kept guessing until very near the end.
At the heart of the tale is a curmudgeonly DI - Jim Page. His moniker one of many nods to 1970s music. The central relationships in the book to his younger side-kick Louise and to a long-term drinking friend. These are well drawn characters and I want to no more about them. Naturally, the interest to me as a born and bred Bristolian are the places familiar to me since childhood. Some grubby and seedy, some grand. I liked this aspect of the novel very much. It makes a nice change to see Bristol on the map culturally too - as we don't feature much on national TV in terms of drama. I have always thought because of a dislike to the Bristolian accent. Stephen Merchant's excellent BBC comedy-drama, "Outlaws" is a delightful exception.
Our author wears his heart on his sleeve. This comes through in a clear message about links between crime in this sad tale and the wanton destruction of the UK's public services since 2010. Bristol faces challenging times right now. In a prosperous city it remains shameful that too many of its citizens face an uphill battle in trying to realise their aspirations. Crime is known to increase as inequality widens. Steve writes about this well without being "shouty" about it.
An excellent first novel. I hope that more are in the pipeline and I highly recommend this first tale in the Jim Page series. Congratulations mate! Oh, and #UTG.
July 5, 2024
I LOVED IT! I would never have believed that it was Stephen’s debut novel.
It was interesting reading about Bristol and being able to see the places in my mind.
I was not expecting the baddie to be who it was which is great, as you don’t want to guess who it is too early in the story.
The relationship and how it developed between Page and Connor is fascinating and I sincerely hope that there will be a sequel.
It was interesting reading about Bristol and being able to see the places in my mind.
I was not expecting the baddie to be who it was which is great, as you don’t want to guess who it is too early in the story.
The relationship and how it developed between Page and Connor is fascinating and I sincerely hope that there will be a sequel.
May 8, 2025
Enjoyed learning more about my hometown .. I need to check out some of these places ! My neighbour is the author, thanks for a great read Steve :)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews