The Twilight Time
Published 2017-08-07
Book info
- Title The Twilight Time
- Author Karen Campbell
- Year 2008
- Genre Mystery
Anna Cameron is a new Sergeant in the Flexi Unit. On her first day in the new job she discovers she'll be working with her ex, Jamie. In at the deep end emotionally, she's also plunged headlong into the violent underworld of Glasgow's notorious Drag - the haunt of working girls, drug dealers and sad, seedy men. Cath Worth, Jamie's wife, watches jealously from the sidelines, having given up police work to raise their child. Anna's life could have been hers; hers could have been Anna's. When Cath attempts to get involved in a situation she is no longer equipped or entitled to tackle, the consequences for both women could be far-reaching...
Thoughts
Really interesting book this one. It's sits in a unique halfway house of crime fiction, in that it doesn't get too bogged down in the details of the crime (although we are following an active investigation), instead there is more focus on the police staff going about their business and trying to deal with their lives. It's more of a drama, with relationships starting and ending, inter-office politics going on, and plenty of self-loathing.
What's great about it, aside from the fresh take on the genre, is how gritty it is. That's an easy word to use to describe a book set in Glasgow, but there's something really raw and distasteful about it all, something that really gets under your skin. You can feel the thick fog of pain or discomfort or depression that surrounds the characters a lot of the time, and it's almost visceral.
Not a pleasant book, by any stretch, but incredibly well written and worth a read, for sure.
Rating: 4 / 5