The tributaries and byways of American crime fiction continue to spread to this day, and are still capable of producing some mesmerising work, albeit through a variety of filters. A conspicuous example of this trend is In the Silence by M.R. MacKenzie, which — despite its vividly evoked Glasgow setting — conveys a subtly integrated American ethos. MacKenzie’s protagonist, criminology lecturer Anna, returns from an Italian sojourn to a frigid Glasgow and encounters an ex-lover, Andrew. Later the same evening, however, she discovers him bleeding to death in the snow – and is subsequently drawn into the investigation as a star witness. Needless to say (as anyone who will have read crime fiction will not be surprised to learn), Anna is obliged to become an investigator herself, and when another murder victim appears with links to Simon, she is to find herself in considerable danger. This is splendidly written stuff, triumphing in a variety of areas – not least that of its dialogue, which is idiomatic and vivid (overcoming the hurdle at which many contemporary crime novels fall). The author M.R. (Michael) Mackenzie is a producer of DVDs and Blu-Rays and an informed writer on such subjects as the Italian giallo, so it’s hardly surprising that his writing has a notably cinematic edge — the reader always knows exactly where they are, both in terms of locale and incident. Let’s hope for more from Mr McKenzie.
In the Silence by M. R. MacKenzie is published by Bloodhound
