A Book of Scars: Breen & Tozer 3

Although this is the third novel in a series by William Shaw, and I hadn't read the other two, I soon caught up with Breen and Tozer, and would describe it as a 'standalone' book.

I was very soon caught up in the story and found Breen to be an interesting character. Shaw's descriptions of the period where the story takes place were very realistic and, despite the cruelty and violence that occurred, the way he wove in the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya was particularly captivating, showing clear signs of research into a time in history that Britain seems to have 'turned its face from'.

The intense cruelty of the last few chapters forced me at times to put the book down, but the constant suspense and twists in the plot soon had me picking it up again. Although not a book for the faint-hearted reader, I thoroughly enjoyed 'A Book of Scars' and plan to read more of William Shaw's works.

Sarah.

This book is the third in a trilogy and despite many references to the previous novels, it stands alone well. If anything, it has made me want to read the earlier books to find out more about Helen and Paddy.
It is 1969. Cathal (Paddy)Breen, a police detective at the Met and Helen Tozer, who previously worked with Paddy as a police officer are the main characters. Paddy is recuperating from injuries suffered at the end of the last novel, at the Devon farmhouse where Helen grew up. Helen has been forced to give up her career to return to help her parents on the farm and is resentful and angry. They make an unlikely couple, he is rather conservative, and she is feisty and confrontational and tied by outmoded family and society’s expectations. Another thread from the previous novels is Hibou, a young hippy befriended previously by Tozer. Both her parents have taken to Hibou, especially her father, who never recovered from the trauma of his other daughter’s murder, but finds Hibou a willing helper in the farm. Helen’s sister, Alexandra, was 16 when she was found murdered on the farm in 1964. Breen is bored and begins to discover more about the dead girl; where she was found, the effect of her death on the Tozers, Alexandra’s life and character, her relationship with her sister and possible murder suspects.
Helen encourages him to take a fresh look at the unsolved crime and, his curiosity piqued and with a wish to find something to do, Breen finds he is more and more involved and begins his own unofficial investigation, which Breen soon finds may have opened up a whole can of worms. Before long, he becomes fascinated by three men, who knew each other long ago in Kenya, during the Mau Mau uprising.
I found it well written, well paced and thoroughly enjoyable. Set in the '60s, the book is well researched with nostalgic period detail. These were memorable years for me and it all feels authentic, especially the attitudes of the older generation and the police to the emerging youth and hippy culture, the arts, fashion, sexual freedom and the casual use of drugs. These were uneasy times of protest and revolution, of open casual sexism and racism, of social upheaval.
I liked the contrasts between quiet Devon and bustling, energetic London, with a new generation looking forward contrasting with Britain’s colonial past. The case unearthed some bitter truths about British imperialism at its worst - Britain’s changing society overshadowed by past events that are now difficult to justify.
This police procedural is a first rate, well written mystery. The characters of Breen and Helen are well rounded and believable. I liked the interaction and rivalry between the police divisions and the portrayal of old school mores and class prejudices. The plot has many twists and turns and explores the dark side of man’s inhumanity as well as a sensitive exploration of family relationships; Helen’s, Paddy’s and Hibou’s; all this alongside a taut and suspenseful thriller with a rather gruesome and frightening climax.