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Rex Tracey #2
The Tottenham Outrage
A family of Hasidic Jews dies suddenly while picnicking in Finsbury Park, and the finger is quickly pointed at a gang of Islamist youths. Too quickly, thinks local reporter Rex Tracey. Rex starts to investigate. But when his long-time colleague and friend is also accused of murder, the sleuthing journalist with a fondness for Polish lager and dry one-liners is catapulted out of his depth, into a disturbing world of religious fanaticism, false prophets and century-old secrets.
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First published July 15, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 2, 2017
I was excited to read this book as it had great trustworthy reviews pasted over the cover and was about a topic I'm both interested about and would like to learn more about. While it wasn't necessarily a bad book, there is no doubt in my mind that the reviews on the front cover were wildly hyperbolic.
The author is trying to be too many things for too many people. Rather than focusing on the job at hand and trying to write a convincing crime novel he has tried to make this a historical novel, a mystery, an expose on modern life, religious fanaticism, innate bias, romance, family dramas, legal dramas etc.etc.etc. I could go on and on.
At no stage is there a singular thread to follow along as the story jumps from one crime to another, one character to another, one modern day issue to another. Less would definitely have been more in this case. There are far too many strands of storyline, from his friend's MS (which makes a sudden appearance with no pre-amble), to an arbitrary ancestry search (which is all rounded up and resolved far too simply and conveniently). In addition, the number of characters adds an amount of confusion, and while being an almost entirely male cast of characters the only two female characters with any form of dialogue are key players in the book to such an extent that it feels like the author is just adding in "token strong females" to avoid any criticism of sexist character development or writing.
Finally, and not to give away any spoilers, the killer's confession at the end is so cliché as to be laughable, not to mention the irritating, obvious and cringey epilogue.
In summary, it has two stars (rather than one) as the topic of the novel is an interesting one, but the writing is far too clunky and amateur to be given any more stars.
The author is trying to be too many things for too many people. Rather than focusing on the job at hand and trying to write a convincing crime novel he has tried to make this a historical novel, a mystery, an expose on modern life, religious fanaticism, innate bias, romance, family dramas, legal dramas etc.etc.etc. I could go on and on.
At no stage is there a singular thread to follow along as the story jumps from one crime to another, one character to another, one modern day issue to another. Less would definitely have been more in this case. There are far too many strands of storyline, from his friend's MS (which makes a sudden appearance with no pre-amble), to an arbitrary ancestry search (which is all rounded up and resolved far too simply and conveniently). In addition, the number of characters adds an amount of confusion, and while being an almost entirely male cast of characters the only two female characters with any form of dialogue are key players in the book to such an extent that it feels like the author is just adding in "token strong females" to avoid any criticism of sexist character development or writing.
Finally, and not to give away any spoilers, the killer's confession at the end is so cliché as to be laughable, not to mention the irritating, obvious and cringey epilogue.
In summary, it has two stars (rather than one) as the topic of the novel is an interesting one, but the writing is far too clunky and amateur to be given any more stars.
November 22, 2015
I quit reading half way through this book. In the beginning it seemed interesting. Then, suddenly, came pages of first person ramblings that made no sense to me. I could not tell who the speaker was, nor what the speaker was talking about. The book reverted to third person and the storyline again, but I became more confused with the addition of more characters and ideas that didn't seem to connect. The main character isn't very likeable, nor could I relate at all to him.
February 20, 2026
This novel isn't actually set in Tottenham, more in Stamford Hill, where I used to live (hence my interest). Detective stories need to have a strong sense of place whether it be Rebus's Edinburgh, Wallander's south Sweden or Erlendur’s Reykjavik, and this is no exception as we move from Turnpike Lane to Wood Green to Stamford Hill and back again, up and down the marshes, in and out of the Hasidic chambers, as Rex, a would be investigative journalist, more of a local website clickbait writer, tries to solve two murders, one of a Jewish family, the other a local historian, who just happens to be the annoying next door neighbour of his best friend-slash-driving instructor.
Throw in a mysterious blonde (all detective stories written by men must have a mystery blonde/brunette/redhead), a whole lot of Hasidic lore and law, some of Rex’s doomed love life, (wife in a hospice, girlfriend in a grave, woman he ran off to Cambodia with ran off with a Swede), some history (about the original Tottenham Outrage in 1909) - and you've got an uncosy crime that is reasonably easy to solve given that in between Rex’s chapters, Baylis also writes the fictional history of a third man involved in the money heist: the gelt-man, who was supposed to take the money back to Riga.
Throw in a mysterious blonde (all detective stories written by men must have a mystery blonde/brunette/redhead), a whole lot of Hasidic lore and law, some of Rex’s doomed love life, (wife in a hospice, girlfriend in a grave, woman he ran off to Cambodia with ran off with a Swede), some history (about the original Tottenham Outrage in 1909) - and you've got an uncosy crime that is reasonably easy to solve given that in between Rex’s chapters, Baylis also writes the fictional history of a third man involved in the money heist: the gelt-man, who was supposed to take the money back to Riga.
January 14, 2021
Rex works for a local paper and he and his photographer friend Terry have been sent to report on a local man's book into a historical robbery known as the Tottenham Outrage. As they are in the park, taking photos for the piece, a family of Hasidic Jews are found dead at a picnic table nearby and an investigation ensues.
If you want the full back story to Rex' troubled character you can start with the first book, 'Death At The Palace,' which is also very good, but there is enough here for you not to read these chronologically if you prefer to just dive in.
I enjoy these books because they are really well plotted with sufficient twists and turns for me to get to the end without having a clue what's going to happen or who did it. I love the London aspects and in this book I was particularly fascinated by the delve into the Hasidic Jewish community.
I've had a tough couple of days and throughout, this book kept me sufficiently immersed in a fictional world to be able to escape for a bit.
If you want the full back story to Rex' troubled character you can start with the first book, 'Death At The Palace,' which is also very good, but there is enough here for you not to read these chronologically if you prefer to just dive in.
I enjoy these books because they are really well plotted with sufficient twists and turns for me to get to the end without having a clue what's going to happen or who did it. I love the London aspects and in this book I was particularly fascinated by the delve into the Hasidic Jewish community.
I've had a tough couple of days and throughout, this book kept me sufficiently immersed in a fictional world to be able to escape for a bit.
November 19, 2018
I struggled with this. I have read the first book, Murder at the Palace and really enjoyed it, but this story was a bit all over the place and made it a little hard to follow.
March 21, 2021
Accurate and fun depictions of North London though aside from that, not for me Clive.
December 3, 2016
Picked up this book in the library purely based on the title as I was about to go down and stay with my friend in Tottenham. Not the best reason for a book choice but not the worst. I ordinarily don't really chose crime novels- just not my genre. So for a genre I don't particularly like this was ok, not the best ( that would be Kate Atkinson's crime series for me) but not the worst by any means.
I gave it a 3rd star as I really liked reading about all the places in Harringey Borough, in North London where I used to live. It's also not often you read a novel set in modern day Hasidic community so I liked it for that too.
Surprisingly large number of typos though so maybe need a better publisher!
I gave it a 3rd star as I really liked reading about all the places in Harringey Borough, in North London where I used to live. It's also not often you read a novel set in modern day Hasidic community so I liked it for that too.
Surprisingly large number of typos though so maybe need a better publisher!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews