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Maggie Laird & Wilma Harcus #1
Cross Purpose
Two Women, One Quest, Grave Consequences.
When Maggie Laird's disgraced ex-cop husband suddenly dies, her humdrum suburban life is turned upside down. With the bills mounting, she takes on his struggling detective agency, enlisting the help of neighbour ‘Big Wilma’. And so an unlikely partnership is born. But the discovery of a crudely mutilated body soon raises the stakes... and Maggie and Wilma are drawn into an unknown world of Aberdeen's sink estates, clandestine childminding and dodgy dealers.
Cross Purpose is surprising, gritty, sometimes darkly humorous – a tale combining police corruption, gangs and murder with a paean to friendship, loyalty and how ‘women of a certain age’ can beat the odds.
When Maggie Laird's disgraced ex-cop husband suddenly dies, her humdrum suburban life is turned upside down. With the bills mounting, she takes on his struggling detective agency, enlisting the help of neighbour ‘Big Wilma’. And so an unlikely partnership is born. But the discovery of a crudely mutilated body soon raises the stakes... and Maggie and Wilma are drawn into an unknown world of Aberdeen's sink estates, clandestine childminding and dodgy dealers.
Cross Purpose is surprising, gritty, sometimes darkly humorous – a tale combining police corruption, gangs and murder with a paean to friendship, loyalty and how ‘women of a certain age’ can beat the odds.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
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August 25, 2024
Published in 2017, Cross Purpose is a the debut novel of Claire MacLeary. Cross Purpose in all of its marketing is labeled as “Tartan Noir”, a term coined by the king of noir fiction himself - James Ellroy, and is a sub-genre of noir, which is itself a sub-genre of crime fiction. The genre of “Tartan Noir” is one that I know of but not understand in it's entirety other than it being noir fiction set in Scotland. Maybe it's just a buzzword, capitalized as a marketing scheme or it is a well defined genre in of itself with added definitive tropes on top of those from a normal noir like Nordic Noir. So, needless to say, there might be familiar tropes of the genre that would just went pass by me. Now, despite being in the same section on the shelf as the Ian Rankin’s John Rebus novels or Denis Mina’s Paddy series, Cross Purpose slides slightly on the cosier side of the crime fiction spectrum. This however, does not discount it entirely to the cosy murder mystery camp but only when compared to the body of works from writers such as Rankin and Mina, who are well known figures in this particular genre because it still does offer elements that are well known characteristic of the noir genre; dirty cop(s), seedy criminal underworld and an examination of right and wrong where neither can be define clearly.
The novel follows two middle-age women: Maggie Laird, a mild mannered recently window single mother of two who works as a teacher assistant and Wilma Harcus, Maggie’s loudmouth neighbour from a sink estate of Torry with a bit of clout in the community and a heart of goal. They are polar opposite and the dichotomy, while predictable in how you think it could go and it does, is not one of the weak point of the novel. It is in fact, the best part. Maggie’s husband was a police officer, forced to retired after an allegation of corruption tied to a major crime figure going scot free. He is, after setting up a private investigation agency, found dead in his run-down office, ruled as suicide that then kicks off the main plot of Maggie inheriting his PI business. While hesitant at first, Maggie was encourage by Wilma to take up the business.
Once the business gets going, they are cases to solve. Lots of it in fact, but the cases, especially the ones she took early on aren’t the focus. The focus, at least for a while, was place on both of these characters. Both Maggie and Wilma aren’t professional but they are learning the trade of the occupation through trial by fire or sometimes, from the internet. Maggie is distress, emotionally and financially. She has to do this. She has to be successful and doing the PI thing brought her closer in spirit to her husband. This is the meat of the story - Maggie coming to term with her grief by doing the PI work of her late husband.
The PI business does go further into cases that are important or carries a heavier weight when compared to their earlier cases of corporate investigation and digging dirt of divorce court that would cumulated several ongoing storyline together. Though, this still does not shift away from the character centric focus that these cases reflects back on and in these cases, they reflect back to Maggie’s time as a part time teacher’s assistance and Wilma’s past of growing up in a sink estate.
MacLeary’s prose are short, though never to the point of truncated or staccato in the style of writing yet still packed with details and never to the point of being the style of a windowpane prose. It helps greatly with painting a picture of Aberdeen and its dreariness. Her dialogues are fun, filled with Scots dialect, which adds authenticity and immersion to the characters but it does not slow it down at all. It’s full of banter when it’s between Maggie and Wilma that acts as a counterbalance to some of its heavier moments perfectly and ensures that this is never a bleak depressing foray into Aberdeen. If there’s a critique that could be made, however, is that sometimes it changes pov/head-hopping in between the characters in the middle of the chapter and that sometimes could cause confusion as to who’s head I’m in.
For a debut, Cross Purpose is a fantastic start. It features two protagonists that are unusual when compared to the traditional archetypical noir lead but still embodies the flawed and trapped in an uncaring world characteristics that can be found in noir stories. The crimes, the later ones, the ones that “mattered” are just window dressing to provide reflection to the people that are involved with it, no matter which side these people fall into.
The novel follows two middle-age women: Maggie Laird, a mild mannered recently window single mother of two who works as a teacher assistant and Wilma Harcus, Maggie’s loudmouth neighbour from a sink estate of Torry with a bit of clout in the community and a heart of goal. They are polar opposite and the dichotomy, while predictable in how you think it could go and it does, is not one of the weak point of the novel. It is in fact, the best part. Maggie’s husband was a police officer, forced to retired after an allegation of corruption tied to a major crime figure going scot free. He is, after setting up a private investigation agency, found dead in his run-down office, ruled as suicide that then kicks off the main plot of Maggie inheriting his PI business. While hesitant at first, Maggie was encourage by Wilma to take up the business.
Once the business gets going, they are cases to solve. Lots of it in fact, but the cases, especially the ones she took early on aren’t the focus. The focus, at least for a while, was place on both of these characters. Both Maggie and Wilma aren’t professional but they are learning the trade of the occupation through trial by fire or sometimes, from the internet. Maggie is distress, emotionally and financially. She has to do this. She has to be successful and doing the PI thing brought her closer in spirit to her husband. This is the meat of the story - Maggie coming to term with her grief by doing the PI work of her late husband.
The PI business does go further into cases that are important or carries a heavier weight when compared to their earlier cases of corporate investigation and digging dirt of divorce court that would cumulated several ongoing storyline together. Though, this still does not shift away from the character centric focus that these cases reflects back on and in these cases, they reflect back to Maggie’s time as a part time teacher’s assistance and Wilma’s past of growing up in a sink estate.
MacLeary’s prose are short, though never to the point of truncated or staccato in the style of writing yet still packed with details and never to the point of being the style of a windowpane prose. It helps greatly with painting a picture of Aberdeen and its dreariness. Her dialogues are fun, filled with Scots dialect, which adds authenticity and immersion to the characters but it does not slow it down at all. It’s full of banter when it’s between Maggie and Wilma that acts as a counterbalance to some of its heavier moments perfectly and ensures that this is never a bleak depressing foray into Aberdeen. If there’s a critique that could be made, however, is that sometimes it changes pov/head-hopping in between the characters in the middle of the chapter and that sometimes could cause confusion as to who’s head I’m in.
For a debut, Cross Purpose is a fantastic start. It features two protagonists that are unusual when compared to the traditional archetypical noir lead but still embodies the flawed and trapped in an uncaring world characteristics that can be found in noir stories. The crimes, the later ones, the ones that “mattered” are just window dressing to provide reflection to the people that are involved with it, no matter which side these people fall into.
June 27, 2017
Cross Purpose is both wittily funny and quite dark, with a couple of characters I loved very much and a twisty tale of murky dealings in Aberdeen.
First of all the set up was brilliant – Maggie and Wilma are the ultimate odd couple who apart may be fairly usual but together are a total scream. Claire Macleary’s eye for involving dialogue really made this book for me, that plus the fact that all the characters are beautifully drawn and ever engaging.
The plotting is cleverly obtuse, the setting is completely authentic – and also this is an excellent concept taking as it does unlikely and less cliched main protagonists and throwing them into an unusual situation. There are some grim realities within the pages but always that sense of dark, ironic humour to offset the more horrific elements. It works really well and genuinely makes for a page turner.
One of the best things is that it seems likely we will meet Maggie and Wilma again and I for one can’t wait. The grounding for a long and (Mostly) happy collaboration is to be found in Cross Purpose, lets hope they run and run. Although probably not literally.
Clever, involving and beautifully done. Highly Recommended.
First of all the set up was brilliant – Maggie and Wilma are the ultimate odd couple who apart may be fairly usual but together are a total scream. Claire Macleary’s eye for involving dialogue really made this book for me, that plus the fact that all the characters are beautifully drawn and ever engaging.
The plotting is cleverly obtuse, the setting is completely authentic – and also this is an excellent concept taking as it does unlikely and less cliched main protagonists and throwing them into an unusual situation. There are some grim realities within the pages but always that sense of dark, ironic humour to offset the more horrific elements. It works really well and genuinely makes for a page turner.
One of the best things is that it seems likely we will meet Maggie and Wilma again and I for one can’t wait. The grounding for a long and (Mostly) happy collaboration is to be found in Cross Purpose, lets hope they run and run. Although probably not literally.
Clever, involving and beautifully done. Highly Recommended.
June 23, 2017
Cross Purpose gives us Maggie Laird and her neighbour and unlikely business partner , “Big Wilma”. The two women are thrown together following the death of Maggie’s husband, George. He had been a policeman before being “forced” into early retirement from Police Scotland and had set up his own PI Business. Maggie finds herself in dire straits financially and Wilma convinces her to keep George’s business running. Desperate to clear her deceased husband’s name, Maggie is soon embroiled in some dark and dangerous investigations. Set in some of the least desirable areas of Aberdeen, Cross Purpose is a fast-moving, humorous, yet dark read which leaves you feeling slightly grubby at times, yet rolling around laughing with the two women at others. I loved the doric slang which gave it a real authenticity and having lived in Aberdeen for a short while myself, I found my inner doric voice reading in my head!
Maggie and Wilma are poles apart – Maggie is a petite and quite refined woman who seems to have lived a very sheltered life while “Big Wilma” is as her name suggests, a larger than life, down to earth character who has been around the block a bit but has a heart of gold. On the surface they are an unlikely pairing but strangely they work well together and compliment each other superbly! Their off the cuff humour had me giggling and their determination brings some very unsavoury characters to the fore throughout the book.
This is Claire’s debut novel and much is spent building the relationship between the two woman and laying the groundwork for their new business venture, which means there is more to come from this delightful duo! A couple of times throughout the book, I felt that things were wrapped up just a little too quickly in the circumstances and would prefer to see a bit more depth. However, this does not detract from the fact that it is a stonking debut novel and comes highly recommended. Claire MacCleary is a fresh new voice in Scottish Crime Fiction and this quine is one for the watching!
Maggie and Wilma are poles apart – Maggie is a petite and quite refined woman who seems to have lived a very sheltered life while “Big Wilma” is as her name suggests, a larger than life, down to earth character who has been around the block a bit but has a heart of gold. On the surface they are an unlikely pairing but strangely they work well together and compliment each other superbly! Their off the cuff humour had me giggling and their determination brings some very unsavoury characters to the fore throughout the book.
This is Claire’s debut novel and much is spent building the relationship between the two woman and laying the groundwork for their new business venture, which means there is more to come from this delightful duo! A couple of times throughout the book, I felt that things were wrapped up just a little too quickly in the circumstances and would prefer to see a bit more depth. However, this does not detract from the fact that it is a stonking debut novel and comes highly recommended. Claire MacCleary is a fresh new voice in Scottish Crime Fiction and this quine is one for the watching!
March 12, 2017
A terrific crime debut - could not put it down.
May 24, 2017
Really enjoyed this book set in my home city, fantastic debut, looking forward to the next installment.
June 26, 2017
Set in the Granite City, Cross Purpose introduces us to Maggie Laird and her neighbour ‘Big Wilma’. After Maggie’s husband dies, Maggie is left on her own with a teenage son, debt and no idea how to get herself out of it. In steps ‘Big Wilma’ and an unlikely friendship develops.
Maggie and Wilma are completely different characters, Maggie is quite reserved, quiet and timid where as Wilma is far from shy, she’s quite confident and has a heart of gold. This pair are like chalk and cheese but they develop a lovely friendship and both are brilliant characters. I loved Wilma’s humour, she really is a character.
The story see’s Maggie taking on her husbands business with the help and a little bit of persuasion from Wilma. I enjoyed seeing how they grew in confidence and strength through out the story and seeing how the friendship grew between the neighbours.
Cross Purpose is a real page turner, I was totally hooked from the beginning. MacLeary has created a story that takes us into the depths and murkier side of Aberdeen, down in the sink estates where there’s dodgy dealings, drugs and murder and MacLeary really brings the characters to life sometimes really giving me the shivers. As Maggie and Wilma investigate I was trying to be my own little investigator but with quite a few twists and turns it really turns out that I am rubbish.
This really is a fantastic debut novel by Claire MacLeary that had me guessing until the end, it had me giggling at the banter between Maggie and Wilma and desperately wanting more from the duo and after living with an Aberdonian for 18 years I love the Doric dialect that’s included. I could honestly see this being made into a TV series, it would be brilliant on screen as well as in book form. Full of tension and beautifully written, I absolutely loved Cross Purpose and I can see why it’s been longlisted for the McIlvanney Award. I will definitely be recommending it and can’t wait to read more from this dynamic duo soon.
Now I’m awa ben the hoose for a fly an a piece and to caumie doun.
Maggie and Wilma are completely different characters, Maggie is quite reserved, quiet and timid where as Wilma is far from shy, she’s quite confident and has a heart of gold. This pair are like chalk and cheese but they develop a lovely friendship and both are brilliant characters. I loved Wilma’s humour, she really is a character.
The story see’s Maggie taking on her husbands business with the help and a little bit of persuasion from Wilma. I enjoyed seeing how they grew in confidence and strength through out the story and seeing how the friendship grew between the neighbours.
Cross Purpose is a real page turner, I was totally hooked from the beginning. MacLeary has created a story that takes us into the depths and murkier side of Aberdeen, down in the sink estates where there’s dodgy dealings, drugs and murder and MacLeary really brings the characters to life sometimes really giving me the shivers. As Maggie and Wilma investigate I was trying to be my own little investigator but with quite a few twists and turns it really turns out that I am rubbish.
This really is a fantastic debut novel by Claire MacLeary that had me guessing until the end, it had me giggling at the banter between Maggie and Wilma and desperately wanting more from the duo and after living with an Aberdonian for 18 years I love the Doric dialect that’s included. I could honestly see this being made into a TV series, it would be brilliant on screen as well as in book form. Full of tension and beautifully written, I absolutely loved Cross Purpose and I can see why it’s been longlisted for the McIlvanney Award. I will definitely be recommending it and can’t wait to read more from this dynamic duo soon.
Now I’m awa ben the hoose for a fly an a piece and to caumie doun.
May 11, 2017
Great plot! Great characters! And paints a very fine picture of the criminal underbelly of the Granite City at the same time as you understand exactly where those characters are coming from. And it makes you feel huge sympathy for the struggles of Maggie and Wilma. You want to dive right in there and help them! It's full of dark humour too. I loved it and I seriously hope there'll be a sequel to this one. A great read!
April 13, 2018
I wasn’t quite sure what this book was trying to be – a comedy? A noir crime novel? Something a bit more titillating? A buddy movie? Whatever it was, the pieces did not sit easily together for me, and the pacing was odd: sometimes apparently quite quick, sometimes it seemed weeks had gone by with all kinds of irrelevant action referred to in passing. There was a body at one point but what had happened to it was just a bit peculiar and not wholly convincing. The plot seemed to be solved half by accident and half with a sort of resignation, and beyond one of the main characters the others seemed a little flat. And it could have been set, really, in any largish city. Still, I finished it.
June 30, 2017
When Maggie’s husband dies after being forced out of the Police, she is set upon clearing his name.
Neighbour Wilma is determined to help. A unique detective duo is born!
| Introduction |
Move over Thelma and Louise, Aberdonian Maggie and Wilma have taken the floor! The neighbours could not have been more different: Maggie is shy and dependent, Wilma has seen it all and is nobody’s fool. They never interacted before, Wilma felt she did not fit in the neighbourhood and Maggie could not be bothered with her common, sometimes even vulgar, neighbour. But when Wilma’s husband dies some time after being forced out of the police force, only one person cares about Maggie: Wilma. Overnight they become Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum and her not-to-be-messed-with sidekick, Lula, continuing Wilma’s late husband’s Detective Agency.
| Storyline |
Maggie is devastated when her husband George drops dead. She feels left alone, with their daughter at University and their son “at thon glaikit stage, nae use to man nor beast,” according to next-door neighbour Wilma. The latter has known rough times before settling down with her new husband next door to Maggie. Even though Wilma lives in a ‘posh’ neighbourhood, by no means she feels she belongs. However, all her instincts tell her to reach out to her bereaved neighbour. There is more to Maggie’s loss: she feels guilty for having dissuaded her husband from facing the disciplinary hearing. When the bills keep adding up and the Police Pension does not pay out, Wilma has the brilliant (insane in Maggie’s eyes) idea that Maggie should continue her late husband’s ‘wee’ Detective Agency. Why Maggie agrees she could not say: perhaps for a chance to clear George’s name.
Meanwhile, Fatboy enrols a young boy, Willy, as a drug courier. It is the start of a strange sort of friendship. Willie provides Fatboy with the perfect address from which to conduct his business, the seventh floor flat where his little brother Kyle is with babysitter Kym. No one will suspect children, for the runners are no more than that, going in and out an apartment building every day. Whilst Kym is only too happy to drink away her sorrow and leave the children with Fatboy, the latter feels the children start to grow on him. Simultaneously, the unlikely pair Maggie and Wilma, the elegant but skinny size 8 and the dubiously styled voluptuous size 16 (at least), try their hand with their first investigation. With a young woman found dead in the graveyard, a new Detective Inspector to deal with, a former colleague of George’s with a crush on Maggie, children as drugs runners, and a connection with Aberdeen’s dark underworld things are getting steadily getting out of hand…
| My Thoughts |
Cross Purpose is an entertaining and engrossing thriller featuring Aberdonian’s own Thelma and Louise: Maggie and Wilma. I love this unique combination and the way the author’s main characters set aside their prejudices and slowly start trusting each other and working together. You have got to love the flamboyant Wilma whose feelings of empathy initiate a series of events turning not only her own life upside down. Both Maggie and Wilma are rounded characters and the author has lovingly created two wonderful women! What makes this thriller so special is that it has an intricate plotline with well-created characters woven into a dark and yet uplifting story, written with a touch of humour. The Scottish phrases are plain to see (not so easy to pronounce!) and show us Aberdonian street speech, even if I had difficulty at times to understand every single word, the outline of what was being said was perfectly clear. An impressive debut thriller and, dare I say, a great start to a new series featuring Maggie and Wilma, Aberdeen’s unique detective duo!
Only after writing this review, I read the author’s info – and am thrilled to say that indeed, Cross Purpose will have a sequel: Burnout.
Read the review on my website https://www.bitsaboutbooks.net/cross-...
Neighbour Wilma is determined to help. A unique detective duo is born!
| Introduction |
Move over Thelma and Louise, Aberdonian Maggie and Wilma have taken the floor! The neighbours could not have been more different: Maggie is shy and dependent, Wilma has seen it all and is nobody’s fool. They never interacted before, Wilma felt she did not fit in the neighbourhood and Maggie could not be bothered with her common, sometimes even vulgar, neighbour. But when Wilma’s husband dies some time after being forced out of the police force, only one person cares about Maggie: Wilma. Overnight they become Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum and her not-to-be-messed-with sidekick, Lula, continuing Wilma’s late husband’s Detective Agency.
| Storyline |
Maggie is devastated when her husband George drops dead. She feels left alone, with their daughter at University and their son “at thon glaikit stage, nae use to man nor beast,” according to next-door neighbour Wilma. The latter has known rough times before settling down with her new husband next door to Maggie. Even though Wilma lives in a ‘posh’ neighbourhood, by no means she feels she belongs. However, all her instincts tell her to reach out to her bereaved neighbour. There is more to Maggie’s loss: she feels guilty for having dissuaded her husband from facing the disciplinary hearing. When the bills keep adding up and the Police Pension does not pay out, Wilma has the brilliant (insane in Maggie’s eyes) idea that Maggie should continue her late husband’s ‘wee’ Detective Agency. Why Maggie agrees she could not say: perhaps for a chance to clear George’s name.
Meanwhile, Fatboy enrols a young boy, Willy, as a drug courier. It is the start of a strange sort of friendship. Willie provides Fatboy with the perfect address from which to conduct his business, the seventh floor flat where his little brother Kyle is with babysitter Kym. No one will suspect children, for the runners are no more than that, going in and out an apartment building every day. Whilst Kym is only too happy to drink away her sorrow and leave the children with Fatboy, the latter feels the children start to grow on him. Simultaneously, the unlikely pair Maggie and Wilma, the elegant but skinny size 8 and the dubiously styled voluptuous size 16 (at least), try their hand with their first investigation. With a young woman found dead in the graveyard, a new Detective Inspector to deal with, a former colleague of George’s with a crush on Maggie, children as drugs runners, and a connection with Aberdeen’s dark underworld things are getting steadily getting out of hand…
| My Thoughts |
Cross Purpose is an entertaining and engrossing thriller featuring Aberdonian’s own Thelma and Louise: Maggie and Wilma. I love this unique combination and the way the author’s main characters set aside their prejudices and slowly start trusting each other and working together. You have got to love the flamboyant Wilma whose feelings of empathy initiate a series of events turning not only her own life upside down. Both Maggie and Wilma are rounded characters and the author has lovingly created two wonderful women! What makes this thriller so special is that it has an intricate plotline with well-created characters woven into a dark and yet uplifting story, written with a touch of humour. The Scottish phrases are plain to see (not so easy to pronounce!) and show us Aberdonian street speech, even if I had difficulty at times to understand every single word, the outline of what was being said was perfectly clear. An impressive debut thriller and, dare I say, a great start to a new series featuring Maggie and Wilma, Aberdeen’s unique detective duo!
Only after writing this review, I read the author’s info – and am thrilled to say that indeed, Cross Purpose will have a sequel: Burnout.
Read the review on my website https://www.bitsaboutbooks.net/cross-...
August 19, 2019
Claire MacLeary’s crime novel (the first in a series) is a disjointed affair whose plot skips about with little tension or connection, plot strands end in an unsatisfying way while the partnership between the two women is underdeveloped. I liked MacLeary’s use of Scots dialect, which gives authenticity but the writing is technically lacking (including head-hopping between characters within scenes) such that I’m not interested in reading on.
December 14, 2020
The first in a new series 0f crime novels set in the granite city of Aberdeen where beneath the glittering granite and the old town a whole underworld is conducting its business. The main characters Wilma and Naggie are well drawn and the contrasting settings of Aberdeen well portrayed. However I found some of the material distasteful in the extreme and the plot though well constructed a little contrived. Interested to read the next in the series though and see how it developed
April 6, 2018
Not the most original premise ever (recently widowed woman investigates the circumstances behind her husband's death) and there were some odd narrative gaps that jolted me out of the book. However the characters are engaging, the plot bowls along happily, and the seedy Aberdeen setting helps it to stand out from the crowd.
June 4, 2017
Enjoyed it partly because of the local flavour
October 27, 2017
Could not get beyond page 14 - dreadfully twee.
March 4, 2019
I liked the characters and the Aberdeen setting. Not too convinced by the plot but willing to suspend my disbelief and go with the flow. Will read more in the series
March 24, 2019
Two great new detectives to add to Scottish crime, I will definitely need the next one in the series.
July 29, 2024
A clever storyline with an interesting route to the end. I look forward to reading book number 2.
January 13, 2025
There is a good idea here, but it's defeated by too many points of view, a lack of pace, poor characterisation, and extraneous chapters that don't have anything to do with the main storylines.
September 29, 2022
What a brilliant debut novel. When Maggie Laird's ex policeman husband George dies she forms an unlikely partnership with a neighbour, Wilma Harcus. The two ladies take over George's Private Investigation company and soon find themselves involved with some rather unpleasant characters from the seedier side of Aberdeen. I loved the banter between the two women who gradually come to like and respect each other despite their differences. The various plot strands are topical and cleverly woven. It's a tense and clever page turner. I'm off to read book two now.
May 11, 2018
Scottish businesswoman turned crime novelist Claire MacLeary mixes light and dark in her debut effort, set in the northern seafaring city of Aberdeen. It's an interesting blend, with some laugh-out-loud moments rubbing up against mutilated bodies.
There's plenty to like about MacLeary's first effort, which was longlisted for last year's McIlvanney Prize (the Scottish crime writing award). Chief among them is the unusual but very engaging friendship between the chalk-and-cheese neighbours Maggie and Big Wilma. There's something very charming about how the two women come together, clash and connect.
Maggie is more of a straight arrow, refined and maybe a bit meek (at least to begin with) whereas Wilma is larger-than-life, a huge personality which masks some vulnerability. They're an odd-couple investigative duo that plants the seeds for lots of future adventures. I could definitely see them being the spine of an ongoing series, the kind of characters readers remember and fondly return to.
The plot unfolds at a medium sort of pace, with quite a few things going on. Maggie is trying to keep herself and (at the urging of Wilma) her husband's former detective agency afloat. She also wants to clear his name if she can, and help out some local kids who she's begun to worry about (she's a part-time teaching assistant). Debt collectors and shady characters hover. There's a teen drug dealer, and the body of a young student. There are times when it feels like the focus on the building relationship between the two leads (a strength) may be interfering with the pacing and narrative drive a little.
Another area where MacLeary does well is how she draws us into the grimier parts of the Granite City, and the drab everyday of some of its citizens. High-rise flats, a lack of opportunities, broken families, and kids who've missed out on a lot and lost their way by the time they get to their teens.
A good first effort from a writer who shows plenty of promise.
There's plenty to like about MacLeary's first effort, which was longlisted for last year's McIlvanney Prize (the Scottish crime writing award). Chief among them is the unusual but very engaging friendship between the chalk-and-cheese neighbours Maggie and Big Wilma. There's something very charming about how the two women come together, clash and connect.
Maggie is more of a straight arrow, refined and maybe a bit meek (at least to begin with) whereas Wilma is larger-than-life, a huge personality which masks some vulnerability. They're an odd-couple investigative duo that plants the seeds for lots of future adventures. I could definitely see them being the spine of an ongoing series, the kind of characters readers remember and fondly return to.
The plot unfolds at a medium sort of pace, with quite a few things going on. Maggie is trying to keep herself and (at the urging of Wilma) her husband's former detective agency afloat. She also wants to clear his name if she can, and help out some local kids who she's begun to worry about (she's a part-time teaching assistant). Debt collectors and shady characters hover. There's a teen drug dealer, and the body of a young student. There are times when it feels like the focus on the building relationship between the two leads (a strength) may be interfering with the pacing and narrative drive a little.
Another area where MacLeary does well is how she draws us into the grimier parts of the Granite City, and the drab everyday of some of its citizens. High-rise flats, a lack of opportunities, broken families, and kids who've missed out on a lot and lost their way by the time they get to their teens.
A good first effort from a writer who shows plenty of promise.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews