"One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 2017 Winner. Shortlisted for the Last Laugh Award at the CrimeFest Awards 2017."
A first British crime novel, albeit set in a small American community, that appeared a few months ago and only recently came to my attention, Tall Oaks takes a sometimes hackneyed theme and turns it into a thing of wonder. A small child has gone missing, apparently kidnapped and we follow how a group of varied inhabitants of Tall Oaks are affected by the disappearance in an atmosphere reminiscent of both Twin Peaks and Fargo, as the tale that unfolds sensitively blends pathos and even tragedy with an affectionate sense of the absurd and the comic.
The grieving mother falls into a downward spiral of despair and degradation, the errant father remains suspiciously absent and uninvolved, the policemen investigating the case obstinately fights against the odds and his own, terrible attraction to one of the suspects, a group of local teenagers, including a splendidly comic figure who aims to become the town's master criminal and dresses ridiculously to cultivate his image, his Syrian refugee acolyte and sidekick, the slightly retarded mother's boy who works at the photo shop, a forlorn waitress and a host of other striking characters take the stage in turn as the story develops and races to a both abominably poignant and also comic conclusion that ties all the threads together most satisfactorily. A gem of a story. Stunning. ~ Maxim Jakubowski
Maxim Jakubowski's April 2017 Book of the Month.
"It's rare that a novel can be both brilliantly comic and tragic, and balance the two so effortlessly." — Sun Nothing is as it seems in Tall Oaks, a small California town where everyone knows each other and violent crime is unheard of. The community's idyllic façade is shattered when a kidnapper in a clown costume snatches three-year-old Harry Monroe from his own home. Despite sensational media coverage and dogged police investigations, the abduction remains a mystery.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
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"It's rare that a novel can be both brilliantly comic and tragic, and balance the two so effortlessly." — Sun Nothing is as it seems in Tall Oaks, a small California town where everyone knows each other and violent crime is unheard of. The community's idyllic façade is shattered when a kidnapper in a clown costume snatches three-year-old Harry Monroe from his own home.
Tall Oaks features in the following genres: Thriller and Suspense, Crime and Mystery, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
Ebook, Paperback. £10.55. Digital. Available Immediately. Country restrictions apply..
Tall Oaks was written by Chris Whitaker and published by Dover Publications
£10.55. Digital. Available Immediately. Country restrictions apply..
