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Freezing
A nameless girl has drowned in the Thames. Her body is brought to the London morgue where Stewart Park works as a photographer.
Stewart's own appearance is off-putting and, even worse, he stutters so badly that those he meets cannot discover his good nature, sensitivity and intelligence. He has had a lonely life, burdened by a father who is bizarre and predatory, a sister who is in an abusive relationship, and his nephews Lee and Lenny, whom he loves and tries to protect from the terrors of their home. His solace has been the elaborate fantasy computer game he plays whose hero is named Dustraiser.
Now, obsessed by the need to discover the identity of the beautiful victim and the reason she met with an untimely end, Stewart finds his life changing.
Stewart's own appearance is off-putting and, even worse, he stutters so badly that those he meets cannot discover his good nature, sensitivity and intelligence. He has had a lonely life, burdened by a father who is bizarre and predatory, a sister who is in an abusive relationship, and his nephews Lee and Lenny, whom he loves and tries to protect from the terrors of their home. His solace has been the elaborate fantasy computer game he plays whose hero is named Dustraiser.
Now, obsessed by the need to discover the identity of the beautiful victim and the reason she met with an untimely end, Stewart finds his life changing.
287 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 1, 2025
Kein Wunder wieso niemand diese Scheiß liest
January 15, 2018
I was reading Len Deighton's "Winter" during a recent foray to Harrisburg & when I came across a used copy of this book at Midtown Bookstore during a recent cold snap, I thought that it would make an apropos double-header.
Review quotes on the cover include verbiage such as: "Quirky"; "Strange"; "weird" & "haunting" so I knew that I was going to be in for something different. I thrive on different.
It is set in London, but the characters seemed like they would fit right in in Irvine Welsh's Edinburgh. Stuart, the protagonist, is a morgue photographer (!) with a stutter and although I hesitate to refer to him as an "unreliable narrator" (yes, I was an undergrad ENGLit major with departmental honors), he fits the bill. His family is likewise a group of oddballs, including his father, with whom he lives; his sister and her two sons, his nephews.
Stuart is into an online fantasy game and often the line between fantasy & reality becomes blurred. He also becomes fixated on one of his morgue photo subjects, which is what drives the plot of this one.
It was certainly strange, but again, I thrive on strange.
Review quotes on the cover include verbiage such as: "Quirky"; "Strange"; "weird" & "haunting" so I knew that I was going to be in for something different. I thrive on different.
It is set in London, but the characters seemed like they would fit right in in Irvine Welsh's Edinburgh. Stuart, the protagonist, is a morgue photographer (!) with a stutter and although I hesitate to refer to him as an "unreliable narrator" (yes, I was an undergrad ENGLit major with departmental honors), he fits the bill. His family is likewise a group of oddballs, including his father, with whom he lives; his sister and her two sons, his nephews.
Stuart is into an online fantasy game and often the line between fantasy & reality becomes blurred. He also becomes fixated on one of his morgue photo subjects, which is what drives the plot of this one.
It was certainly strange, but again, I thrive on strange.
December 5, 2020
Very unusual. Liked it a lot. Toward the end one scene drug out a little too long but otherwise the tempo was great. Very imaginative.
February 13, 2009
Very good mystery / suspense novel set in modern day London. Evans is a great writer and I was completely bemused by and impressed with her main character, Stuart Park, a morgue photographer and an atypical, deviant sleuth who seems to perpetrate more crimes than he solves. He was both sympathetic and horrific. His judgement, or lack thereof, reminded me a little bit of a high-functioning Karl Childers (Slingbade). I was delighted with the story until the last two or three pages; I found the ending quite disappointing.
May 24, 2011
The review is misleading - I wouldn't say his "real life" is lived while playing a computer game, nor is the game "sinister". It's intriguing because we get a glimpse into what it's like inside a different person's head. And I mean different, because Stewart isn't an average guy.
I enjoyed it a lot, though it's certainly not a breezy, happy read.
I enjoyed it a lot, though it's certainly not a breezy, happy read.
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January 19, 2015I haven't rated this book because I only read about a quarter of it. I didn't like it, but not because it wasn't well written - what I read was very well written. I just found it too creepy. I think it would be described as a psychological thriller, and I find them very difficult to read. For people who enjoy that kind of book it's probably a really good one.
December 29, 2016
A dysfunctional morgue attendant sets off to discover the identity of a beautiful unclaimed female cadaver.
I really wanted to like this offbeat book, but the plot is threadbare and the character development forced. One feels the author is deliberately trying to make the story as quirky as possible in order to compensate for its almost total lack of suspense.
I really wanted to like this offbeat book, but the plot is threadbare and the character development forced. One feels the author is deliberately trying to make the story as quirky as possible in order to compensate for its almost total lack of suspense.
May 30, 2011
Quite creepy. Because the reader sees the whole story through Stewarts eyes and because he has somewhat altered perception most of the twists and turns came as a complete surprise. I felt sorry for him and repulsed by him in equal measures, yet on the whole he wasn't a bad man, just damaged.
January 16, 2017
A surprising book. Not necessarily a good surprise, mind. But got me to question my own assumptions, presumptions, and that 's never a bad thing
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews