Review - Gerald Hammond – “Hit and Run”

Publ: 2008
Pensby Library
ISBN: 978-0-7278-6600-4
Genre: Crime
Pages: 169p
Found by Serendipity
Rating: ***** *


What led you to pick up this book?
It was on the ‘New Books’ shelf in the library and I tend to look at each of these to see what it’s like. I do like the feel of a brand new book. Had it been hidden away among the crime fiction I might never have read it.

Describe the plot without giving anything away.
Young for his age long-time widower ends up looking after his great grand-daughters after his granddaughter-in-law is run down in a motor ‘accident’ which may not be an accident. He and the police investigate. All a bit unlikely but for light escape it was no more unrealistic than many a crime novel.

What did you think of the characters?
Unbelievable (or do I simply live on a different part of the planet) but fun. But then, if you think about it, a lot of Agatha’s characters were pretty unusual.

What did you think about the style?
The book’s saving grace. Well written with some fine turns of phrase and lovely bits of dialogue between the hero and his great-granddaughters.

What did you like most about the book?
Easy to read and well-written with enough of a mystery for the ending to be a surprise. Clear typeface.

Was there anything you didn't like about the book?
Just occasionally the dialogue was hard to follow. Words as spoken do not always feel good when read and trying to be too true to how someone may have said something can lead to slightly stilted dialogue.

Thoughts on the book jacket / cover.
Uninspiring.

Would I recommend it?
Yes, if you enjoy an hour or so’s light crime and want a break from more serious works. I would happily read another of his at some time but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it.

Totally irrelevant side note:
Hammond uses an exchange of dialogue from Kipling – “He means well”, “Could you have damned him more completely?” Interesteing that the same concept, phrased slightly differently appeared in Trollope’s “The Way of all Flesh”. I wonder who wrote the lines first?
http://bookeverysixdays.blogspot.com/2008/12/review-samuel-butler-way-of-all-flesh.html

Quotations:
“He’s not so old,” Jane said. “He’s just the age that he is, that’s all.”
(That has to be one of my favourite lines for ages!)

it had been suggested that after sex she ate her partner although none of the male residents had been reported missing.

At any time of calamity, watchers will appear out of an empty scene. Any stranded astronaut may expect to see little green spectators on a passing asteroid.

Thoughts of a kind washed around in her head but she had not the remotest idea of sorting the wheat from the chaff...

GERALD HAMMOND was born in 1926 and worked as an architect for thirty years before taking nominal retirement. He lives in Scotland and has written over 60 novels. He now divides his time between shooting, fishing and writing. He also writes as Arthur Douglas (his middle names) and Dalby Holden. His image does not obviously appear on the web suggesting he prefers a degree of anonymity.