writerlywitterings

Review: ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE by Martin Edwards, published by New English Library

Posted by writerlywitterer on 19/06/2021 · 1 Comment 

I have written already about a Martin Edwards book, THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE. This was the second book of his, which was irritatingly a book earlier in his Harry Devlin series, but which was superbly well written.

Martin’s books had a bit of a choppy beginning, I think. This was originally published by Judy Piatkus Books, then taken on by Bantam, and the current edition is, I think, published by a division of Headline. So Martin has successfully migrated his titles to a better home for crime – which is no surprise. Martin is a very successful lawyer. Doesn’t it just make you sick when someone can be brilliant in two professions?

Let’s get on with the review, though. 

The blurb reads: “Liverpool lawyer Harry Devlin remains infatuated with his wife Liz – even though she has left him for another man.

“When Liz shows up at his flat, obviously frightened, Harry is only too pleased to offer shelter. But any hopes he has for reconciliation are dashed when Liz fails to meet him as planned the next day. And when her body is found in a lonely alleyway, Harry becomes the number one suspect.

“Determined to prove his innocence, Harry’s search for the truth takes him into Liverpool’s sinister underbelly of shady streets and seedy clubs. To see justice done, he must confront an obsessive killer – and have his illusions about Liz shattered for ever.”

It would be hard to expand on that without giving away more of the plot, so I won’t. However, I will say this: a career in the law is a superb training ground for a novelist. Martin has obviously met many strange and interesting people in his professional life, and his observations and dry wit really come across superbly in this tautly plotted story. He writes with a real insight into people and their motivations, and he has a marvellous affection for his characters that shines through in every sentence. And over that is his love for Liverpool, a city of seediness, a city with a great past and uncertain future, but a city full of life and exuberance.

This is a superb novel, with a brilliant plot that keeps you guessing right up until the last few pages. Superbly conceived and executed, this book is one of those I love and deserves space on any crime reader’s shelves.

Really highly recommended, of course.