Neil White (1) (1965–)

An engrossing crime novel set in the fictional Lancashire town of Backley. White has hit upon an interesting twist for his principal characters: Detective Contable Laura McGanity is living with crime reporter Jack Garrett, a relationship that readily lends itself to conflicts of interest.
The characters are very well drawn and entirely plausible, and the plot was very soundly constructed. There were even resonances with Arnold Bennett's "Clayhanger" with Harry Parsons being driven on by his show more memories of childhood struggles, if not in the workhouse then at least in a succession of old and ruthless hostels.
I shall definitely look for more books by Neil White. show less

Neil White is a new to me author, and one that is now on the to be read list. FROM THE SHADOWS is the first in the Dan Grant / defence lawyer series. It appears that there is also a 5 or so book series based around DC Laura McGanity, 3 books in the Joe & Sam Parker series and at least one standalone. Which begs the question why did it take so long for me to notice? Now I'm really kicking myself as if FROM THE SHADOWS, lawyer Dan Grant and his investigator Jayne Brett are anything to go by, show more I've got quite a few books to slot into the impossibly large reading queue in these parts.

Legal thrillers can sometimes be a little hit and miss for this reader, with the reason for a lawyer doing a bit of investigating on the part of their clients not always absolutely believable. The inclusion in this novel of Jayne Brett smooths a lot of that, as is the idea that Grant finds himself handling the case of accused murder Robert Carter at the very last minute. All of the setup items in the plot work well, providing context and motivation without the need for suspension of disbelief.

The two main characters, Dan Grant and Jayne Brett are well defined, flawed and capable of working closely together. The relationship is friendly, the reasons for their working partnership and brand of friendship are feasible, plus there's co-operation with just enough angst to make them believable. Grant might be the good bloke in the scenario but that's not overblown or sanctimonious, his difficult relationship with his disapproving father an ongoing thorn in his side. Brett on the other hand has a more dangerous spectre hanging over her head, with the family of her dead abusive boyfriend out for revenge. The inclusion of a strong supporting cast of different types of people gives the human factors of the plot much to work with - from Grant's business partner, through to the lawyer originally tasked with the defence of Robert Carter, and those close to the victim.

The plot's well done, with a good contrast between the requirements of defending the accused and a search for the truth come what may. Brett is a good investigator - dogged, determined and fearless without being overly reckless, she's able to work her way into conversation with many people, quietly looking for the reasons behind so much reluctance on the part of witnesses to get involved, or if they do, why they are telling so many lies. All the while there's an unknown person lurking and threatening. This aspect isn't overblown, it bubbles along in the background, adding to the tension, without feeling manipulative or staged.

A terrific thriller, FROM THE SHADOWS, is fast-paced and populated by extremely interesting characters embroiled in a clever story plot that twists, turns and sneaks around more than enough to keep the reader guessing until the end.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-shadows-neil-white show less

I have often found that authors with no real experience in crime don’t always write criminals with believable humanity and/or their law enforcement characters come off rigid and one dimensional but the rest of the book is good. Then you have those who spent their careers either as law enforcement, attorneys, etc who write good characters that could, and probably, are seemingly based on real people but the rest of the book shows they should’ve stuck to their day jobs; bad dialogue, plot show more holes, and sentence structure so bad you think they must’ve bribed teachers to pass them through school.

On rare occasions an author like Neil White comes along and creates the whole package. White’s experience as a criminal lawyer shines through in his character development of Dan Grant and Jayne Brett among others. It takes a criminal lawyer to be able to write a good version of one so I often wondered when reading this if there was anything of White himself in how he created Grant. Brett I found very interesting and complex especially from my view point as a woman who has been in an abusive relationship. I felt there was a lot of authenticity in how he described what she felt, how she was dealing with it and the long term impact it can have on her psycho-social development.

There weren’t any obvious plot issues as it kept my attention with intriguing action and a thrilling ending. This was such a fast paced novel I was glued to the pages needing to know how Grant and Brett were going to handle Carter’s case.

White’s writing reminded me a bit of John Grisham’s early days when he used to write those really good legal thrillers that were heavy on needing good characters to pull the story along. So if that’s your thing you really need to check this book out. show less

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in a series with Dan Grant, a defence lawyer, as the central character. The book blurb says 'he hides in the shadows, watching, waiting, until the time is right......' This absolutely sets the scene for a crime book which is part procedural, partly really creepy, filled with plenty of interesting characters and sets up the back stories for what promises to be a really good series. show more There is a good solid storyline and plenty of twists and turns to keep your interest.

Dan Grant has promise as a character to base a series of books around. He is a lawyer and therefore, each book could feature a new case. But Jayne Brett is also very interesting with a complicated background and an attraction to Dan which adds a 'will they, won't they' edge. Jayne's future role is much less clear. She could be in the next episode and equally well could be written out. I think it would be disappointing if she doesn't stick around.

I love a series of books - not to read one immediately after another, but to dip back into familiar characters after a period of absence, often a year. Generally, I think the books get better and better as you anticipate the familiarity of the setup and the characterisation develops and you understand more about the people involved . I look forward to reading number 2 in the series. show less