Tony R Cox is an ex-provincial UK journalist. The Simon Jardine series is based on his memories of the early 70s - the time of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll - when reporters relied on word of mouth and there was no internet, no mobile phones, not even a fax machine.
Prepare to be absorbed in a world of intrigue and mystery on a rugged Scottish island repeatedly battered by vicious storms. The Silent Twin speaks volumes about humans trapped by geography and weather in a remote artists’ retreat where at least one person is a killer.
An atmosphere of family love envelops the characters as well as a palpable air of tension that builds from page one until the mystery is solved, brutally, and with lives under threat. The island’s terrain and vicious Atlantic seas combine to cut the inhabitants off at crucial times.
Narrow roads, sharp bends, towering granite cliffs and gales that rip through the fields and woods are so vividly described that the reader can almost breathe in the overpowering, threatening climate.
Daughter Eve is summoned home from her settled life in Edinburgh because a teenage boy, almost a family member, has gone missing from the Haven, the artists’ retreat run by her mother. Teenage twins Finn and Holly, the mother, her friend, and a triumvirate of resident artists make up the core. But Finn’s twin. Holly has been struck dumb by some unknown trauma. She may be silent, but not totally uncommunicative as this is an age where mobile phones allow emotions to be played out without recourse to the spoken word.
The weather and the island’s rugged geography have roles as characters, dictating movements on the island and the ferry to the mainland as well those powerless and trapped in their homes. The action is fast paced from the outset, told from the perspectives of Eve, the central character, and Finn, but whilst very easy to read, every sentence, phrase and word, must be considered and inhaled by the reader. Take it slow and breathe the plot in.
All the many characters are alive and believable, and vivid descriptions give personalities and purpose, helped by locations that ensure they feel the impact and battering of violent rain storms, and take refuge and warmth clustered round a throbbing Aga.
A body is found, and the rawness of its location shatters the anxious, imposed calm of the Haven, family home and retreat. Eve tries to bring mainland rationality and reasoning to the situation, but she is inevitably bound to fail as hidden secrets are unveiled, murder suspects appear and are then dismissed as suspicions vanish, whilst the cloud sinks lower on those not yet accused. The finale is extensive, exciting, invigorating, threatening, surprising, action-packed, and ultimately satisfying.
The Silent Twin is joy to read. It’s modern, with mobile telephones and laptops playing important roles, at the same time as the fluent, descriptive prose feels as it has been honed over many decades.
