Dead Pretty by David Mark: Review for NetGalley
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BouncingTigger10
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Dead Pretty by David Mark: Review for NetGalley
This was the first book I had actually read in this continuing series about Aector McAvoy, a policeman in Hull, UK.
Now let's start with his name.
As you may have guessed, it is not a popular name. It does, surprisingly, have a number of Nicknames & Variations but I was surprised that Hector hasn't come up. But then the Scottish Gaelic name for Hector is Eachann. So...
Variations: Aester, Aestherae, Aecatherina, Aekaterin, Aekaterini, Aekatrine, Aestair, Aestar,Aesther, Aesthor
Quick facts: A few people in the U.S have this name: 2 to be exact in New York.
So finding out just what this name is, will clearly have to be a question asked of the author David Mark - or we might find out when or if, this series comes to TV. It has been optioned apparently.
David Mark descirbes this series as Nordic Noir but set in Hull.
Now Hull certainly, as far as England is concerned is definitely Nordic Noir.
Philip Larkin said of the town:
I wish could I could think of one nice thing I could tell you about Hull, oh yes, it's very nice and flat for cycling.
Hull is actually Kingston upon Hull and is set on Humberside, East Yorkshire, UK. Please note that there is also a Hull in Winsconsin and Massachusetts. So all comments about Hull are aimed at the English town...
Hull is in the East Riding of Yorkshire,It lies upon the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles (40 km) inland from the North Sea,with a population of 257,710 (mid-2014 est.).
The town of Hull was founded late in the 12th century. The monks of Meaux Abbey needed a port where the wool from their estates could be exported. They chose a place at the junction of the rivers Hull and Humber to build a quay.
The exact year the town was founded is not known but it was first mentioned in 1193. The area was attractive to people because it gave access to a prosperous hinterland and navigable rivers but the site was poor, being remote, low-lying and with no fresh water. It was originally an outlying part of the hamlet of Myton, named Wyke. The name is thought to originate either from a Scandinavian word Vik meaning creek or from the Saxon Wic meaning dwelling place or refuge.Renamed Kings-town upon Hull by King Edward I in 1299, Hull has been a market town,military supply port, trading hub,fishing and whaling centre, and industrial metropolis.
The increase in trade after the discovery of the Americas and the town's maritime connections are thought to have played a part in the introduction of a virulent strain of syphilis through Hull and on into Europe from the New World. {one good reason for Hull's bad reputation}
Perhaps to compensate, its 18th-century Member of Parliament, William Wilberforce, played a key role in the abolition of the slave trade in Britain.
After suffering heavy damage in the Second World War, Hull underwent a period of post-industrial decline, gaining unfavourable results on measures of social deprivation, education and policing. In 2003 Hull was voted the worst place to live in the UK. [Note however, that things have improved since then, and in 2007 it was made City of Culture and it has cleaned itself up including the notorious pong)
And of course this where the novels about Aector come in.
In this novel we have an unholy combination of head hunters (yes literally head chopping offs); lots of crimes; drug gangs; rural retreats; and a duality of sculptors and missing girls.
We have tight writing and a complex story-line. And even though I had not read the previous 4 novels, I gained enough insight to understand most of the characters' motivations.
Marrying a true Romany and her marrying a non-Romany must have led to any interesting story in a previous novel, but here we find them some years on with a child and settled into their relationship.
I found myself thoroughly gripped by this book and the story and thus, although new to me, would add David Mark to my list of authors to read in the future. I will not however, delve backwards into the previous novels.
Now let's start with his name.
As you may have guessed, it is not a popular name. It does, surprisingly, have a number of Nicknames & Variations but I was surprised that Hector hasn't come up. But then the Scottish Gaelic name for Hector is Eachann. So...
Variations: Aester, Aestherae, Aecatherina, Aekaterin, Aekaterini, Aekatrine, Aestair, Aestar,Aesther, Aesthor
Quick facts: A few people in the U.S have this name: 2 to be exact in New York.
So finding out just what this name is, will clearly have to be a question asked of the author David Mark - or we might find out when or if, this series comes to TV. It has been optioned apparently.
David Mark descirbes this series as Nordic Noir but set in Hull.
Now Hull certainly, as far as England is concerned is definitely Nordic Noir.
Philip Larkin said of the town:
I wish could I could think of one nice thing I could tell you about Hull, oh yes, it's very nice and flat for cycling.
Hull is actually Kingston upon Hull and is set on Humberside, East Yorkshire, UK. Please note that there is also a Hull in Winsconsin and Massachusetts. So all comments about Hull are aimed at the English town...
Hull is in the East Riding of Yorkshire,It lies upon the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles (40 km) inland from the North Sea,with a population of 257,710 (mid-2014 est.).
The town of Hull was founded late in the 12th century. The monks of Meaux Abbey needed a port where the wool from their estates could be exported. They chose a place at the junction of the rivers Hull and Humber to build a quay.
The exact year the town was founded is not known but it was first mentioned in 1193. The area was attractive to people because it gave access to a prosperous hinterland and navigable rivers but the site was poor, being remote, low-lying and with no fresh water. It was originally an outlying part of the hamlet of Myton, named Wyke. The name is thought to originate either from a Scandinavian word Vik meaning creek or from the Saxon Wic meaning dwelling place or refuge.Renamed Kings-town upon Hull by King Edward I in 1299, Hull has been a market town,military supply port, trading hub,fishing and whaling centre, and industrial metropolis.
The increase in trade after the discovery of the Americas and the town's maritime connections are thought to have played a part in the introduction of a virulent strain of syphilis through Hull and on into Europe from the New World. {one good reason for Hull's bad reputation}
Perhaps to compensate, its 18th-century Member of Parliament, William Wilberforce, played a key role in the abolition of the slave trade in Britain.
After suffering heavy damage in the Second World War, Hull underwent a period of post-industrial decline, gaining unfavourable results on measures of social deprivation, education and policing. In 2003 Hull was voted the worst place to live in the UK. [Note however, that things have improved since then, and in 2007 it was made City of Culture and it has cleaned itself up including the notorious pong)
And of course this where the novels about Aector come in.
In this novel we have an unholy combination of head hunters (yes literally head chopping offs); lots of crimes; drug gangs; rural retreats; and a duality of sculptors and missing girls.
We have tight writing and a complex story-line. And even though I had not read the previous 4 novels, I gained enough insight to understand most of the characters' motivations.
Marrying a true Romany and her marrying a non-Romany must have led to any interesting story in a previous novel, but here we find them some years on with a child and settled into their relationship.
I found myself thoroughly gripped by this book and the story and thus, although new to me, would add David Mark to my list of authors to read in the future. I will not however, delve backwards into the previous novels.
