Michael Marshall Smith

A YouTube host who goes poking around the unexplained mysteries takes a trip with his crew down the Grand Canyon looking for a cave discovered by long-ago explorers then lost. Against all expectation, because it's that sort of show, sincere in its search for the odd, but low-rent, the find a cave and as is traditional with these sorts of things very soon begin to wish they hadn't. Being Michael Marshall Smith this is very well written, psychologically astute, well-crafted prose, atmosphere show more to burn, funny dialogue. It's also a full on horror adventure with a sort of Fortean theme, albeit with a long, slow build-up that really does pay off largely because he builds the setting brilliantly and makes you care about the characters. refreshingly, when the going gets tough the cast don't get all Lord-Of-the-Flies, as is often the case in these sorts of things. They're not prepared or equipped for what happens, but they;re not stupid either, another refreshing change for this sort of set-up. I really hope The Anomaly Files return for more adventures soon. show less

Calling Spares a ‘hard-boiled detective’ story is like calling Ben&Jerry’s Wavy Gravy ‘chocolate swirl ice cream.’
Sure. I guess--if you ignore philosophy, organics, ingredients, and taste.

I mean, the lead is an ex-cop/ex-soldier. It's pretty standard detective; just replace the bottle of Scotch with a foil-wrapped pouch of Rapt. Usually.

“Then on an afterthought I reached behind me and took down a bottle of Jack Daniels. Actually, it wasn’t an afterthought. It had been a first show more thought and an in-between thought. I’d been trying to make it an ex-thought, but something inside me gave up.”

The typical 'damsel-in-distress' are actually six-and-a-half clones escaped from a body Farm, but they’re as innocent and beautiful as the day is long. And the 'corrupt, dirty, big city' setting is a former two-hundred story flying MegaMall that landed in New Richmond, Virginia. Instead of districts or boroughs, we have floors–above 100 is the most rarified air. But the mob scene is pretty standard, as is the drug trade and the street whores, so who knows? Maybe it is really just like Sam Spade.

Practically the same thing.





Except I just never know where Marshall Smith is going to take his stories, and that’s a thing of beauty. As a side note, though Marshall Smith often seems to fall into ‘sci-fi,’ he’s about as sci-fi as Philip K. Dick. He’s more interested in dreaming up concepts for plotting and social commentary, not for actual future-civilization possibility. I admit, I myself stuttered at the clone farm, but you know, it is a bit like a drug trip. You just surrender control and see where the conductor takes you.

The lead, Jack Randall, is a deeply troubled character, a classic Failed Knight. He’s a complex character, often stumbling when you wish he would rise, and often making the choices that keep him running in place. He shows an awareness of his flaws. Some readers may not find him a likable character. But I found him deeply human, albeit a damaged one, with a sense of humor that appealed. I laughed as he questioned a hipster artist.

“Socializing,” I said. “Who did she hang out with?”
“Her friends, of course,” Golson said, clearly baffled. I checked my mental question gun, and found I only had about two patience bullets left. After that, it was going to be live ammunition.
“Okay. You, who the fuck else?” I asked.
“Well, Mandy and Val and Zaz and Ness and Del and Jo and Kate.”
My last patience bullet. “Remember any guys’ names?”

It gets a little strange when the situation requires going into The Gap, a surreal place and the site of the conflict/war that so damaged Randall when he was younger. I felt strongly the echoes of Platoon here, and all the ‘realistic’ Vietnam movies of the 1980s (the book was written in 1996). I won’t say anything more, but that reading requires a tolerance for getting weird. Think Annihilation, with more plot and better self-analysis.

“I believe The Gap is made up of all of the places where no one is, of all the sights no one sees. It comes from silence, and lack, and the deleted and unread; it is the gap between what you want and what you have, between love and affection, between hope and truth. It’s the place where crooked cues come from, and it’s the answer to a question: Does a tree exist when there’s no one there to perceive it?”

This was his second published novel, and you can see the genesis of some of the ideas he likes to play with. A talking refrigerator and the abilities of cats both make an appearance, albeit peripheral. Optioned by Dreamworks, this seems to be languishing in development, which is probably fine. I’m old-fashioned that way.

Overall, very good. I even had a tear in my eye when I finished, which may or may not have been hormones, but is more likely for an intriguing story that went from a noir mystery to a journey of redemption. There’s certainly problems, and as a reader, I’m left thinking about different aspects that were perhaps resolved in untidy ways, but that’s life, isn’t it? show less

Some weeks ago I read The Straw Men by Michael Marshall the first part of a trilogy by an author who has never received the acclaim and recognition that he so richly deserves. I thought The Straw Men was an excellent read and was doubtful if the style, character development, and story could be bettered in a sequel. I need not have worried, The Lonely Dead has exceeded all my expectations, it is quite simply a stunning novel told by an expert author.

Ward Hopkins, ex CIA agent, is a man with a show more secret past, and he is determined to confront the murderers of his parents and trace the whereabouts is his lost brother Paul “The Upright Man” a deranged serial killer. His parents had been murdered by a group that his father had belonged to 35 years earlier...”the Straw Men, and believed themselves the only portion of humanity uninfected by a virus promoting social conscience above the cold-hearted individualism they believed inherent to our species. Whether they genuinely thought this, or it was just a convenient cover for acts of violence and depravity, was not clear.”

John Zandt, former LA homicide detective has his own special agenda for seeking out The Upright Man, an enforcer under the auspices and protection of The Straw Men. His daughter Karen was brutally murdered by him, and he seeks revenge whatever the cost. Adding to the intrigue is Nina Baynum, FBI agent, and former friend and lover to John Zandt.

What makes for a good thriller is the author’s ability to capture the reader’s attention from the first page and to retain that enthusiasm throughout a multi layered tour de force journey straddling the coasts of America. What on the face of it seems like a complex novel is made eminently readable by a very direct and approachable writing style. I found myself richly involved in the storyline whether that was in the cold mountain forests of Washington State, the Verona logettes of Bill and Patrice Anders, or the corridors of the Seattle Fairfew hotel where “Miss Katelyn” the night manager meets an unexpected intruder with murderous intent. This second book in the trilogy also imparts a little history on The Straw Men and it seems their ancestry reached back many hundreds of years..”The Straw Men were here back in the 1500’s? Get real. They were here long before that. They got here first, Ward. They stole America from the locals four thousand years before anyone else knew it was here”.

This is truly a wonderful read, a thriller with elements of the supernatural, and a storyline that pulses excitement and thrills at every page. The ending when it occurs is perfect and leaves the setting poised for the third and final instalment. If you only read one thriller this year let that the story be The Lonely Dead...of course I am presuming you have already enjoyed its predecessor The Straw Men. Highly highly recommended!! show less

MMS is at his absolute best when writing short stories, delivering a new twist on the world with each. His tales are often haunting, and he is unafraid to plumb the darkest depths - the opening story, More Tomorrow, sets the tone perfectly with its unexpected change of tone and pace and killer climax, but my favourite is the less chilling and rather beautiful When God Lived in Kentish Town. Many of the tales scream screenplay, but the power of MMS' prose is its ability to coax your show more imagination into delivering the visual and visceral punches. A firm favourite, but not one for the light-hearted. show less