Now that the Theakston’s list is out, this used to be the point at which my year had started, but it’s now just the countdown to the highlight of the year, where I meet some of my closest friends in the industry and have a good laugh, too. Thinking about laughing, this book was a prime example of how you can change your style to a more comedic tone.
At times, Miller overplayed his hand with the jokes, but I think this is part of the characterisation, but if you’d told me I’d be reading about a ballroom dancing copper and a headbanging sex fan with a motorbike, that would be the last thing I’d normally expect to be reading. But when you’ve been writing for over 20 years, I suppose coming up with something a little different is the whole point. Whilst playing on the few well worn cliches popular in the genre, such as that of a dead spouse, this series will have you laughing, playing closer attention to Strictly Come Dancing and making sure that you keep track of every word that is said, because the clues were there, but we haven’t all got the technology to play it back.
A really enjoyable new series that deals with a number of issues. I’m looking forward to listening to the chapter of the next book when I’ve gotten through the list. Looking forward to seeing everyone there. We’ll all be watching for the detectives and waiting for more clues for the quiz. See you in Harrogate, Mark.
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