Slaughter, lawyers and Liverpool – it has to be another beautifully crafted novel by accomplished crime writer Martin Edwards. Waterloo Sunset is the eighth book in the long-running series about criminal lawyer Harry Devlin – the man with an in-built danger-magnet. As Harry’s business partner comments: "You set a gold standard in attracting trouble. It’s a wonder we can still get insurance."
Humour is a major reason for reading the Harry Devlin books, and it radiates especially from Waterloo Sunset. Laugh-out-loud one-liners, witty rejoinders and amusing quips stud the pages like diamonds, especially in the early section before trouble comes calling right on Harry’s doorstep and the hero’s mood takes a darker turn.
This is one aspect of Edwards’ writing that always shines; his empathy with his protagonist, as revealed in the tone as the story progresses. Other novelists writing in the fun-and-crime style sometimes overstep the good-taste mark in use of humour; Edwards never does. When bad things are happening, Harry might laugh and joke, but when they’re happening to him he behaves like a proper human being and turns off the banter – though never the wit. This is engaging in its own way and pulls the reader right into sharing Harry’s hairy experiences.
And pretty hairy they are too! In Waterloo Sunset a serial killer of women is on the loose, one with a gruesome trademark. Harry is sucked into the case by a simple act of kindness, and his interest is exacerbated when two of his law firm’s clients – or rather, ex-clients – appear to be involved. Meanwhile, he’s facing his own problems. In the opening pages of the novel Harry receives a sinister notice. Looking as though cut from a newspaper, it announces his imminent death. (Agatha Christie fans will be reminded of A Murder is Announced, which won’t grieve the author at all: Edwards admits to being a dedicated fan of the mistress of murder and says reading her books inspired him to write crime.) The unnerving missive is compounded by further threats and messages, and when his fifth-floor office is trashed, Harry believes there might be substance to them.
As ever with Martin Edwards’ books, there are red herrings and wild goose chases a-plenty, with well-drawn characters and nicely caught dilemmas to give them depth and credibility. In Waterloo Sunset, fans of the series will be happy to meet again Juliet and Casper May, two characters from the last Harry book, First Cut is the Deepest, published nearly 10 years ago. With Juliet on the horizon, Harry’s love life comes into sharp focus. In this novel though, Harry is allowed little in the way of satisfaction, although it’s good to see that he isn’t short of admirers – quite frankly, it’s perhaps an unintended puzzle why a decent guy like Harry, even allowing for his penchant for peril, hasn’t got himself a regular squeeze. But then, he does have a habit of finding himself in situations where his intentions are only too likely to be misinterpreted, and Harry’s mouth is hilariously, sometimes poignantly, just as treacherous and makes bad things worse.
Waterloo Sunset
Martin Edwards
Allison & Busby £19.99
