Schrei nicht so laut

Frank Elder #1

by John Harvey

Fünfzehn Jahre sind vergangen, seit Susan Blacklock, eine junge Frau aus Nottingham, spurlos verschwunden ist. Detective Frank Elder, frühzeitig pensioniert, geschieden und selbst Vater einer fast erwachsenen Tochter, geht der noch immer ungeklärte Fall nicht aus dem Sinn. Als nun Shane Donald, damals wegen Vergewaltigung und Mord an einer jungen Frau zu einer langen Haftstrafe verurteilt, freikommt, beschließt Elder, den Fall Susan Blacklock noch einmal aufzurollen.

Kaum hat er mit seinen Ermittlungen begonnen, taucht Shane unter, und kurz darauf wird wieder eine junge Frau ermordet. Hat Shane etwas damit zu tun? Ist er vielleicht auch für Susans Verschwinden verantwortlich? Elders gründliche Nachforschungen scheinen den Mörder jedenfalls zu provozieren – äußerst dreist sendet der Unbekannte ihm Postkarten von überallher. Und dann passiert für Elder das Schrecklichste: seine Tochter Katherine kommt nach dem Lauftraining nicht nach Hause …

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, British Literature, Thriller, Novels

448 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 1994

About the author

aka Jon Barton, William S. Brady (with Angus Wells), L.J. Coburn (with Laurence James), J.B. Dancer (with Angus Wells), John B. Harvey, William M. James (with Terry Harknett and Laurence James), Terry Lennox, John J. McLaglen (with Laurence James), James Mann, Thom Ryder, J.D. Sandon (with Angus Wells), Jon Hart

John Harvey (born 21 December 1938 in London) is a British author of crime fiction most famous for his series of jazz-influenced Charlie Resnick novels, based in the City of Nottingham. Harvey has also published over 90 books under various names, and has worked on scripts for TV and radio. He also ran Slow Dancer Press from 1977 to 1999 publishing poetry. The first Resnick novel, Lonely Hearts, was published in 1989, and was named by The Times as one of the 100 Greatest Crime Novels of the Century. Harvey brought the series to an end in 1998 with Last Rites, though Resnick has since made peripheral appearances in Harvey's new Frank Elder series. The protagonist Elder is a retired detective who now lives, as Harvey briefly did, in Cornwall. The first novel in this series, Flesh and Blood, won Harvey the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2004, an accolade many crime fiction critics thought long overdue. In 2007 he was awarded the Diamond Dagger for a Lifetime's Contribution to the genre. On 14th July 2009 he received an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Nottingham in recognition of his literary eminence and his associations with both the University and Nottingham (particularly in the Charlie Resnick novels). He is also a big Notts County fan.

Reviews

[Whitenoisemaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad at all. Elder is literally an elder (well, from this young man's perspective at least), which seems a bit crushingly obvious, but this isn't some Hetty Wainthrop cosy-murder candy-floss. He even gets it on a couple of times, which didn't exactly leave the happiest of images in my head but certainly gave the character a little edge.

Yes, there's your fair run of crime cliches, the vulnerable single daughter, the nightmares, the charismatic psycho urging on others from behind bars, but there's also a nice line in capturing the scummier side of Britain - stopping short of the author pulling a Rankin and making you suspect every chip-shop owner to be desperate to cut someone's face off.

Actually one of the few books I've read in this genre that'd make me consider reading another in the series.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flesh and Blood by John Harvey is the first book in the Frank Elder mystery series. I have previously read the first book in his Charles Resnick series; Lonely Hearts and enjoyed it. This was so much better. As a matter of continuity, Resnick makes a brief appearance in this story.
Elder is an ex-cop who retired and moved to Cornwall; partly to get away from a broken marriage. The book starts with his daughter Katherine's visit and Elder's attempt to keep a relationship with his teenage daughter. Soon his life is turned upside down when an ex partner, Maggie, advises him that Shane Donald has been released from prison. Donald was involved with a big case of Elder's; he and his mentor had kidnapped and abused and murdered a young girl. They were also assumed to have been involved in the disappearance of another young girl, whose body had never been discovered.
Elder begins to dig into his old investigation, visiting the mother of the girl, Susan Blakelock, and rehashing the evidence. We also follow Donald, now in a half way house and being monitored by a female probation officer.
Events take a quick turn for the worse; Donald runs away from the half way house, a young lady disappears. The question is whether Donald was involved. Things really start to take off; besides the old investigation, the police are desperate to find Emma, the young girl, to find Donald, etc. (I won't get into that story any more as there has to be some surprises for you). It's a tense, well-crafted and described story. It moves along at an excellent pace and keeps your interest at all times. I found the ending both realistic and satisfying. Great story! I was given this as a Xmas present and I'm so glad that I was. (5 stars)

[Ian Mapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read about this author in the daily mail on crime writers. He has a 10 book series of another dectective and this is the first in a trilogy of retired policeman frank elder.

He was involved in a case where two youths kidnapped, raped and murdered a young girl. One was very much the leader and the other was led astray. Mr Led Astray is released and this re-kindles Elders interest - primarily because one potential victim was never found.

What follows jumps between times and characters. More than in other crime books the criminal is given lots of sympathy here and there is a back story on his wretched existence and how he met the main perpetrator.

Elder is typical cynical (ex) cop with a fondness for jamesons and a broken marriage behind him. I'm not sure his reasons for involving himself in this new investigation are ever really explained - least of all how he financed himself as he travels the length of the country.

After the boys release - another girl is murdered in a copycat style and all attention falls on him. It transpires that the murders are committed by someone they met in prison that is trying to impress the main man and elders daughters is kidnapped and subjected to an almost identical fate.

Will be interesting how this is explained in the next one.

Better than the bosch series and with better story writing and backstory than probably both rankin and robinson, this won't be the last that I read.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

FLESH AND BLOOD (Amateur Sleuth – Non-cozy) – VG
John Harvey – Standalone
Retired Detective Inspector Elder is haunted by the unsolved disappearance of sixteen-year-old in 1988. One of the prime suspects, Shane Donald, has been released from prison, and Elder feels compelled to revisit the scene of the crime. When Shane breaks parole and disappears and another young girl is horribly murdered, Elder's involvement becomes crucial. Taunted by postcards from the killer, Elder battles his own demons as he and his family are inexorably drawn into the very heart of the crime
***John Harvey won the first-ever Sherlock Award for the best detective created by a British author, and deservedly so. I was sorry when Harvey retired his Charlie Resnick series, although Charlie makes a very brief appearance here, but Harvey certainly didn’t retire his writing skills. He knows how to draw you into the story and keep you there to the very end. Well-developed characters, good dialogue, tension, a very literate style; these are all hallmarks of Harvey’s writing

[Will Templeton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this. Good start to a series.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 3.75

[Thejelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping, taut thriller, the first in the Frank Elder series. Credible and well-crafted, thoroughly enjoyable

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it, will be happy to read more of the same character

[Lainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 320

Publisher - Carroll & Graf Publisher

Source - bought

Blurb from Goodreads

After his wife's betrayal and his own retirement from the force, Detective Inspector Elder has fled as far as possible to go in England without running out of land. But he is haunted by the past and in particular by the unsolved disappearance of sixteen-year-old Susan Blacklock back in 1988. Shane Donald and Alan McKeirnan, convicted just one year later for the brutal rape and murder of a young girl, remain the prime suspects in Elder's mind, and when he hears of Shane's early release from prison, he feels compelled to leave his safe haven and to revisit the scene of the crime. When Shane breaks parole and disappears and yet another young girl is horribly murdered, Elder's involvement becomes crucial. McKiernan seems to still wield a frightening power over his ex-partner even from his prison cell, and the new murder bears all the hallmarks of their earlier crime. Taunted by postcards from the killer, an increasingly desperate Elder battles his own demons as he and his family are inexorably drawn into the very heart of the crime in this breakthrough novel from John Harvey, winner of the first-ever Sherlock Award for the best detective created by a British author.


My Review

This is book one in the series of Detective Inspector Elder. After a whole host of betrayal he left his job, family and went off to England. There was a case that he could never forgot and one of the killers or a similar case is now being freed. Soon another girl is found dead and Elder is being taunted, will he find the killer, will he ever get answers to his old case that never left him?

The opening chapter has a horrible scene with some cat so maybe if you are a bit like me and it gives you the boak, be cautious when reading. Elder's daughter has tracked him down so he has a lot on his plate and trying to sort through.

One thing I would note is we hear from the newly released convicted killer, his back story and follow him as he tries to get back on his feet after release. It was thought, by some, he wasn't the main culprit and was actually vulnerable. It is interesting to see that side.

Elder gets involved in the investigation and we follow it through with insight into the old case. It is a good opening to a series, I liked it but didn't love it. Sex, emotions, murder, abuse, cold cases, investigation, this is a series loved by so many, I thought it was good but I didn't love it. I will check out the others in the series 3.5/5 for me.

[Colin Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having been a fan of the Charlie Resnick series, until the final story, my expectations were high for this series. Frank Elder is a retired officer and, divorced and living alone in Cornwall, seemingly licking his wounds. An old case sparks his attention and he makes a return visit to the Nottingham area. All seems set fair for a good mystery but somehow it all fell rather flat as events out run him and he is left chasing around with little plan and it all becomes a bit of a muddle. Some rather lurid sex scenes seem to have been added to keep the readers attention but do little for his detection skills.

A good enough story but one but that is all. Maybe I will try the next one as I am ever hopeful that the tied will turn!

3 stars.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flesh and Blood by John Harvey is the first book of the Frank Elder mystery series, set in contemporary England. Frank is a retired homicide detective, estranged from his wife, now living alone on the coast of Cornwall. He cherishes infrequent visits with his teenage daughter Katherine. Frank is tormented by a violent nightmare due to a past case, in which two young men abducted, raped and killed a young woman. Frank was key to their arrest and prison terms. He believed Alan to be the mastermind, Shane an intimidated accomplice.

Susan, a young woman who also disappeared at the time of the murder, has never been found. Frank is haunted by his promise to her parents that he would find her.

When Shane is released from prison on probate, Frank feels compelled to revisit the crime scene and go back over the evidence. Shane breaks parole and disappears. A few days later another young woman, Emma, is reported missing. Frank participates with local police as an expert consultant in a countrywide hunt for Shane (and Emma's body).

Frank is compassionate and intuitive, sensing when interviewees are withholding information, or lonely and in need of a companion, even if just for a short time.

Most assume Shane abducted and killed Emma, as a repeat crime, but Frank is not so sure...his greatest fears are realized when his own daughter Katherine goes missing. Postcards sent from various seaside locations send the police off track on fruitless searches. Finally Frank receives a phone call that sends him on a fevered chase - straight into a trap.

What sets this book apart from many other mysteries is the realistic portrayal of lingering effects on survivors' lives after violent crime tears families apart.

[Carl Brookins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Elder is a retired Detective Inspector and separated from his wife and sixteen-year-old daughter. He had a successful thirty-year career in the Nottinghamshire police force. Elder is retired and living alone with his nightmares in a small cottage on the Cornish coast. Now he’s waiting for a reunion of sorts with his daughter, Kathrine.
Shortly after their reunion and her return to Nottingham, Elder is notified that the young perpetrator in one of his more lurid cases, Shane Donald, is being paroled. Donald spent seventeen years in prison for the abduction, rape and murder of a young woman about Katherine’s age.
The setup for the novel carefully establishes the detective, Elder, and those around him, the environment, down to daily clothing and meals, and many of the future characters in this long and thoughtful story.
The rich narrative travels through dozens of small towns as Elder is drawn into another missing girl case as a consultant. Author Harvey gradually develops a second plot, married to the first in clever ways, which draws readers eve deeper into a morass of depravity and murder.
Although the pace is slower than many readers of this kind of crime novel are used to the measured raising of tension, questions floated and sometimes answered, the gradual reveal of links through logic and careful police work is mesmerizing, Gritty, direct and modern, this British crime novel is, in a word, excellent.

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty decent book. It is a book club book. The story is about a retired cop. Divorced with a 16 year old daughter. He is still bothered by the disappearance of a teenage girl (Susan) that occurred around the time this 2 guys were murdering young girls in the area. One of these guys has just been released from prison and is sent to a probation home. He escapes from the home and murders begin again. The old cop is asked to consult in the investigation. They find out that another ex con has been released from jail and he was good friends with the other murderer who is still in prison. This dude wants to show this guy in prison that he can murder like him. So the hunt turns to this guy. Meanwhile, the old cop starts dating Susan’s mom. He is still trying to figure out if Susan is still alive or was she also murdered. Then, Katherine, the old cop’s daughter goes missing. The ending is suspenseful and fast paced. The Old cop finds his daughter alive but has to fight off the attacker who turns out to be who they thought. You find out also that Susan is in Australia living with her real Dad. And she has no desire to go back to see her mom. Good story. Good writing.

[David Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and extremely well written crime drama following recently retired detective Frank Elder's attempt to resolve the disappearance of a 16 year old girl years ago, a case he had failed to clear up when working. The release of one of a pair of serial killers jailed for torturing and killing young girls - prime suspects for the unsolved disappearance - galvanises Elder into undertaking some further research for his own satisfaction as well as trying to help the girl's mother, whose unresolved grief combined with Elder's family breakdown leads them to an oddly touching relationship. Apart from the rather clumsily obvious plot signal which rather spoiled for me the realism of an otherwise gripping tale (Elder has a 16 year old daughter; the perpetrator targets these; think she may be in any danger from a vengeful ex-prisoner? NB not a spoiler as it is flagged in the blurb of the paperback) I thoroughly recommend it. The book won a Crime Writers' Silver Dagger Award in 2004 and, for those who like their novels set in real locations and have an interest in B roads, it is apparently very accurate in it's geographical descriptions of Nottingham, west Cornwall and Whitby.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always thoroughly enjoyed John Harvey's writing. I've read all the Charlie Resnick books, so I thought I would try the first in the Frank Elder series.

I certainly wasn't disappointed. Harvey always has such great characterizations about believable characters. In addition to the crime(s) being investigated, there is such good interplay between all the characters. We learn about Elder's ex-wife and 16-year old daughter, Kate. I think Kate is a major character in the next book of this series as well.

I couldn't really put this book down. It wasn't available on the Kindle, so I had to read in the old-fashioned way. It's a really good English procedural. I will start on the second in the series very soon.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the Goodreads Blurb: Fifteen years ago Susan Blacklock disappeared. Although Detective Inspector Frank Elder has taken early retirement, the case still plagues his mind. Prime suspects Shane Donald and Alan McKiernan were convicted a year later of the brutal rape and murder of a young girl, and now that Shane has been granted parole, Elder feels compelled to revisit his past.
Then Shane disappears and another young girl is murdered. Elder’s involvement is now crucial. Taunted by postcards from the killer, an increasingly desperate Elder battles to keep his estranged family from being drawn into the very heart of the crime.

Good characters. A bit slow to get rolling on the plot.

This was book #22 on our 2020 Read-alouds List.

[Michael Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding first outing in the Frank Elder series. John Harvey is an excellent author who gets the world-weary police procedural down cold. Frank Elder is a retired detective who took his pension as soon as possible and now lives in Cornwall for no apparent purpose. He has an ex-wife who jilted him and a teenage daughter he seldom sees. When a brutal murderer is paroled from prison, it stirs up memories of a case Frank was never able to solve. He gets tangled in his old world again, with unexpected and devastating consequences. Can't wait to read the next one.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this whilst in hospital and as feeling ill at the time I initially found it a dark brooding tale, like wind swept Yorkshire moors but also a haunting journey of one mans desire to bash horrendous dreams of an unsolved missing person. Emotions are deep, real and searing in their intensity. It left me melancholic but satisfied. Not for some as the story does contain male to female aggression both sexual and physical. Two more in this series.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one, but it was a slower pace than many of the books I have read lately. I enjoyed Frank Elder, like that his relationships felt real, and liked that the author wasn't afraid to have Frank in uncomfortable situations without making him a cliche. I think I'll read the next in the series too.

[hugo van der wildt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zeer goed. Gaat over een cold case, Susan Blacklock. Door een zeer stom voorval lost men deze zaak op na zovele jaren. Spannend vanaf het begin tot het einde.
Frank Gelder is een politieman die op rust is en deze zaak in het verleden heeft onderzocht. Hij kan deze zaak niet los laten en begint later terug een onderzoek met het gekende resultaat.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this author but some of the descriptions are too graphic for me. His characters are always so interesting that it's worth putting up with the violence (which is fairly brief, just too descriptive.)

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe John Harvey is a an excellent author!

The subject matter is quite graphic. The topic concerns Detector Inspector Frank Elder trying to escape his past. Young girls have gone missing and have not been found. Elder tries to solve the crimes and in doing so has destroyed his family.

[Paul Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, last third was riveting and fast and I couldn't put down I liked that it had clear and concise ending, and that there were several interconnecting elements, to mc kiernan, such as keach and Shane Donald, ensuring not knowing who was doing what.

[Amy Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been meaning to get to this series for ages...glad I finally did. As the reviewers say, Harvey belongs in the top ranks of British mystery writers and I will definitely keep on with the other Frank Elder titles.

[Maggie Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this and now a John Harvey convert - will be on the hunt for more of his work to read now. Enjoyed the way he writes and tells his tale.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner!

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered another British detective series!! And I really liked it & will continue following this series!

[Ann Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Read #3 first...tracked down #1 finally!

[Anna Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. Had a problem with a few of the British words though. Had to resort to the dictionary to find out the meanings of some words. Other than that the story was very exciting.

[Liz Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable murder mystery with some false leads.