Runaway

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The settings are finely drawn. The characters believable, three dimensional and empathetic. I love their mission, and the ending has more than a few twists. This is more than a work of crime fiction, this is more than just a contemporary narrative, this is more than the sum these elements … so much more. This is a story of life, of death, of adventure, of the potential of youth and the potential of older age and mostly this is the story of enduring friendships. And this is about pain, without pain you have nothing. In a show of distain for his reader, no sooner do our protagonists arrive at their destination, for example, do they bump into not one, but two icons of the era - one of whom happens to be in the process of committing to celluloid the most iconic moment of his career. Are we really expected to swallow that as plausible, let alone likely? Similar events that occur throughout the book feel like unwarranted indulgences on the part of the author to relive his youth and demonstrate his musical chops. But this is lazy. Where he could have evoked London of fifty years ago through careful description of the mundane and profane, he has instead chosen to slap on a massive sign saying "Look, the Rolling Stones are on the Dancette, it must be the sixties!" Caricatures and lazy stereotypes in the lives of the characters persist throughout the book: the altercation between the main character and his love interest over her use of Heroin and her subsequent, almost effortless, cold turkey; the tripped out kid who thinks he can fly; the improbable job offer; the adoption of the characters into a bohemian collective mere hours after their arrival in London; the abandonment of the Glasgow end of the storyline half way through the book; the arrival of an antagonist out of nowhere to precipitate the event that is presumably the whole point of the story but which feels like an afterthought; and even the denouement, ultimately all ring false. The two journeys, 50 years apart, allow May to show the changes across the country in that time, and he does so very well. Both journeys take the form of road-trips, punctuated by accident and disaster, but lifted by a healthy dose of humour. Along the way, the boys rescue Maurie's cousin from her drug-dealing boyfriend and she becomes one of the gang as they finally arrive in London and start looking round for the streets paved with gold. And at first, when they are given lodgings and a job by a man who promises them a chance to cut a demo disc, it looks as though they have landed on their feet. But it's not long before things go wrong and start to spiral out of control. Runaway’ is described in the blurb as a crime thriller but is really a road trip adventure that happens to encompass a crime. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. What’s it about?

runaway, by Peter May | Crime Fiction Lover When I was a runaway, by Peter May | Crime Fiction Lover

Five of us had run away that fateful night just over a month before. Only three of us would be going home. And nothing, nothing would ever be the same again." I enjoyed the adventures the five young men and the three older men had, though there were elements that felt seriously contrived (of course the young men will just happen to stumble upon an icon or three of the era). The shifts between 1960s London and 2015 London were well handled, with the gradual revelations aiding our growing understanding of the key characters. I like the honesty of the overall story arc. Not all mistakes can be fixed, but life carries on regardless.This novel marks something of a change of pace from previous Peter May novels I’ve read. In many ways, the subject matter, social commentary and frequent splashes of humour are more reminiscent of fellow Scot, Christopher Brookmyre: but that’s certainly no bad thing. This is a good road trip story and I particularly enjoyed the parallels between the two trips. ‘Runaway’ provides an interesting glimpse into life in 1960s London and could well serve to remind us all to grasp at life, rather than allowing it to drift by. Peter May has done it again. He’s created yet another thrilling read, one that pulls you in from the start until the end.

Runaway by Peter May: Undiscovered Scotland Book Review Runaway by Peter May: Undiscovered Scotland Book Review

No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.’ New York Journal of Books On 15 January, Quercus is publishing Peter May’s latest book, Runaway. Well known for his Lewis trilogy– set in the Hebridean Islands – as well as his recent hit Entry Island which is set on an island in the Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada, Runaway is a standalone that… umm… really doesn’t feature any islands at all. Instead, it’s the story of a group of friends who run away from life in Glasgow to find fame and fortune in London. That part of the story is semi-biographical, as May did exactly that when he was 17. However, in Runaway wrapped up in that experience is a murder mystery. Below, we bring you a feature by Peter May all about the 1960s, what it was like to run away, how he researched the book 50 years later, and more. In 2006, Firemaker was runner up for the Best Crime Novel category in the Elle Magazine, Grand Prix de Litterature. Snakehead was the winner at the Salon Polar and Co, Cognac in the 2007 Prix Intramuros (France), and shortlisted at the Salon Polar and Co, Cognac in the 2007 Prix International as well. Chinese Whispers was shortlisted at the Salon Polar and Co, Cognac in the 2008 Prix International. This is the second of Peter May’s books I’ve enjoyed (my review of ‘Cast Iron’, the final instalment in his Enzo series is here) and I look forward to reading more in time. ‘Runaway’,However, 50 years later, the murder of an old man in a seedy London bedsit, makes former vocalist Maurie Cohen, who is dying of cancer, feel compelled to return and confront the ghosts of the past and he persuades his two former bandmates to accompany him. young men, age 17, have a band in Glasgow in 1965. They runaway from home with the hope of making a big success in the the London music scene. London is the center of a vibrant music, arts and fashion scene. ' The world changed from sepia to psychedelic'