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A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil | 
 enlarge | Author: Christopher Brookmyre
Publisher: Abacus
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £2.04
You Save: £5.95 (74%)
New (32) Used (11) from £2.04
Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 6115
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.2
ISBN: 0349118809
EAN: 9780349118802
ASIN: 0349118809
Publication Date: April 5, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: **BRAND NEW BOOK - IMMEDIATE DESPATCH
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Of all writers practising what might loosely be called crime fiction today, Christopher Brookmyre is the one who lends himself least easily to categorisation. There are those eccentric titles, for a start: such as the latest one: A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil. This unwieldy title (as often before) gives an indication of the sardonic quality of his writing, and in that, Brookmyre is reminiscent of his great American colleague, Carl Hiaasen. Like Hiaasen, too, Brookmyre favours eccentric and outrageous plots, but there is always a strong grounding in reality, which gives the humour a decidedly bitter edge. Internet contact between ex-school friends these days leads to some disturbing encounters, and Brookmyre's version of the scenario is typically murderous. Brookmyre is interested in whether or not the index to future of violent behaviour might be discerned in the school playground. DS Karen Gillespie is bemused by a cack-handed attempt at burning a pair of bodies; this takes place outside Glasgow (in fact, in the area in which she grew up). And in a nearby lodge, strange attempts have been made to clean up what appears to be the same crime, but (as a pathologist points out), everything here is handled as maladroitly as the murder. Two suspects appear, but when Karen discovers that they were at primary school together (along with one of the murder victims), things begin to look like a grisly version of Friends Reunited. Brookmyre readers will know exactly what to expect from this scenario, and they won't be disappointed. If the level of invention is not as delirious as in previous books, Karen Gillespie is as quirkily characterised as ever. --Barry Forshaw
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
A return to form May 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Just finished this, really enjoyed it. I'd kind of given up on this author, started well, got better (Country of the Blind still his best), carried on for a bit then became very formulaic. But I thought I'd give this a whirl, qualifying my purchase for free delivery as it did. Very glad I did, real cracking stuff from start to end. The memories of school days are spot on, though sadly they have to end at some stage as we catch up with the present. But that's no bad thing, the story of the present is very good too. All in all a great read.
(For some reason, every time I do a review on Amazon there's always a line that comes up asking why people can't rate how helpful they found my review. I'll tell you why, because I can't see where to click to facilitate this feature. Anyway, hope it was helpful, more to the point, hope you enjoyed the book.)
 We've all been there January 9, 2008
This is a book that can very easily divide opinions, perhaps because our own school-days are such an emotive subject.
I loved it, my wife was underwhelmed.
From the descriptions of teachers, break-time football matches, and general (mis)behaviour, I was catapulted back a couple of decades, into the thick of the playground jungle. The feelings shown by the central characters are excellently depicted and embarrassingly harsh in their reality.
Bonus points for the gratuitous use of the word "jobby".
In my mind, the murder mystery was an add-on, and brought little value to the book. Perhaps this should have been written simply as memoirs of life in a Scottish primary school?
Brookmyre's last few books have shown that he is trying to expand in other directions than the Hiaasen/ Bateman genre in which Jack Parlabane so firmly rests. More power to him!
takes me back November 29, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Reading Brookmyres description of the Scottish school system of the late seventies and eighties, I found myself transported back in time. Rarely have I read a book which sparks such vivid memories. Couple this with some cracking humour and a decent thriller plot, and it is a book i would thoroughly recommend.
Happiest days of your life....... October 8, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is my fourth Brookmyre and definitely my favourite so far. The last one I read was 'The Sacred Art of Stealing' and although I enjoyed it I found I was wilfully having to suspend my disbelief on virtually every page because the plot was so outrageous. But this was just perfect!
DS Karen Gillespie has a double murder on her hands, and one the victims and both the suspected perpetrators were school-mates of hers. The unravelling of the crime is interwoven with the story of Karen and her peers as they negotiate their way through their school years - from the first day in Primary 1 to the senior school leaving dance. Anyone who experienced a British state education will recognise the shockingly accurate descriptions of the feral nature of many aspects of school life but luckily there is plenty of humour to lighten the darker elements of the tale. If you are roughly the same age as Christopher Brookmyre you will love the references to TV programmes and pop records that will instantly take you back to the 70's and early 80's. Brilliant stuff.
The Playground as a Wildlife Documentary September 8, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
What are your memories of your school days like? Are they happy ones of children playing in the school yard with life-long friendships formed and enlightened teachers who gave you a love of learning? Or were you a loner? Not really part of any group, perhaps bullied?
Christopher Brookmyre's A TALE ETCHED IN BLOOD AND HARD BLACK PENCIL is like a wildlife documentary. The playground is a hunting ground for the predatory looking for any weakness to exploit. Wear the wrong clothes and you're a target. Fall behind in the latest slang words and you're a figure of fun. The teachers offer no refuge. Most of them are psycho, and those who aren't don't listen to you. They make snap judgements and deliver summary justice without listening to your side of the story.
Chrisopher Brookmyre is mad, bad, tacky, tasteless, politically incorrect and laugh-out -loud funny. If you like your humour on the slightly sick puppy side then you'll love A TALE ETCHED IN BLOOD AND HARD BLACK PENCIL.
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