It is my stop on the blog tour for The Mash House. (Yes you'll notice another character called Alice, I seem to be drawn to that name!)
Detangling the plot.... Cullrothes, in the Scottish Highlands, where Innes hides a terrible secret from his girlfriend Alice, a gorgeous, cheating, lying schoolteacher. In the same village, Donald is the aggressive distillery owner, who floods the country with narcotics alongside his single malt; when his son goes missing, he becomes haunted by an anonymous American investor intent on purchasing the Cullrothes Distillery by any means necessary. Schoolgirl Jessie is trying to get the grades to escape to the mainland, while Grandpa counts the days left in his life. This is a place where mountains are immense and the loch freezes in winter. A place with only one road in and out. With long storms and furious midges and a terrible phone signal. The police are compromised, the journalists are scum, and the innocent folk of Cullrothes tangle themselves in a fermenting barrel of suspicion, malice and lies...
Bobs and Books honest review:
Phew, what a journey you go on with this one! From feeling pure hatred for some characters to absolutely adoring others. Its twists and turns kept me thoroughly entertained throughout. I was particularly drawn to Jessie and her relationship with her Grandpa really moved me. These characters had so much depth and complexity they felt so real. There are some graphic scenes that are described to such minute detail that this is not for the faint hearted. Yet if you love dark, gritty, suspenseful plots and characters this is the book for you. The crime list stacks up as more secrets are revealed, wondering who you can really trust- if anyone.
I think the landscape is a character of its own. What appears to be wide open glorious spaces actually feels claustrophobic, overwhelming and the characters are almost in each others way in a sort of trap. Very clever writing. A fantastic debut. Gripping, thrilling, shocking. Trigger warning-If you are an animal lover be warned that some scenes from the off may bother you.
About the author:
Alan Gillespie is a writer and teacher from Fife, Scotland. He has studied at the Universities of Stirling, Glasgow and Strathclyde. His articles and stories have appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Herald, Northwords Now, New Writing Scotland, and elsewhere. In 2011 he was awarded the Scottish Emerging Writer’s residency at Cove Park. The Mash House is his first novel.
The Mash House is out now. Links to buy: The Mash House: Amazon.co.uk: Alan Gillespie: 9781789651195: Books
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