Reviews
Reviews....
The Drumbeater...
What a wonderful story! It held my interest right to the end. The character are complex and real, and I couldn’t wait to find out the whole story of what had taken place so long ago! Excellent writing, very nicely put prose and descriptive language. If you are partial to very good writing, you will love this book! This is the book we all wished we could write. Loved it! By Jan Baldry. UK
The Drumbeater is a captivating, addictive and brilliantly paced debut novel from a great first time novelist. It is a book that will engross you and one that you will remember and savor… This book was a real gem. It was written with near perfection, in a way that does not come along too often! By Gordon Reiselt. USA
A brilliantly constructed story that keeps the reader guessing right up to the very end! The in depth knowledge of the German military system and the detail used in describing the Scottish highlands is outstanding! Hard to believe this is Allan’s first published work, you would think he had been writing for decades! Let’s hope there are more to come! By Pete Ashton. UK
Clive Allan’s The Drumbeater is a synergy of contemporary policing, police culture and professionalism, and a stunning mystery surrounding the chance find of a body from WW2. Inspector Neil Strachan is a compelling and affable character, who is sensitive to the humanity of the individuals involve, whilst maintaining a ruthless search for the truth. The author takes his audience to the stunning Scottish Highlands. Allan’s skillfully detailed account of German naval activities is interwoven with the lives of a small community living in a village in the 1940’s. as a serving police officer in Australia, I compliment you for creating Neil Strachan, and can’t wait for Allan’s next novel! By C Bodley. Australia
The Drumbeater was a departure from my usual reading matter. What a wonderful way for me to discover a new direction, although I have a very definite feeling that I have been spoilt! This book was totally absorbing from the very first page. It has everything, murder, mystery, suspense, romance, wonderful attention to detail and to Scottish history. You can almost smell the heather and feel the wind in your face in the Scottish Highlands. Waiting with anticipation for book number two! Only problem being, how do you improve on near perfection? By L Raymond. UK
The Well of the Dead
I received this book last weekend & started reading almost immediately. It is a long book, over 600 pages & it has taken me until Sunday this weekend to finish it. I like the way Clive Allan interweaves the past & present together. I also found myself looking at maps of the area whilst reading too as it's not a part of Scotland I'm familiar with. All week I have resisted the temptation to read too many chapters until today with 200 pages left I couldn't put it down. I love the main character Neil Strachan & his partner Cat & am looking forward to more books from Clive Allan. I kept thinking that I knew who the culprits were throughout the book only to find I was wrong about some & correct about others. Highly recommend this book (& the previous one, The Drumbeater) By PD. UK
Wow. I must admit that I have a soft spot for stories like this, and Mr. Allan did a fantastic job on weaving a history in with a modern day mystery. The writing of the scenery was so clear that I could envision it with no troubles at all. Of course the fact that Scotland and its history are one of my favorite things didn't hurt! The story was solid, and I liked the characters. Especially Holly. One thing's for sure, I will be reading more from Mr. Allan. Yep, I'd recommend this book and author. By Lisa Cleveland-Hull. UK
Clive Allan's previous novel, 'The Drumbeater', left a lasting impression on me. Therefore, my anticipation of 'The Well of the Dead' could not have been greater. Incidentally, I thought the magnificent trailer for this second book was the best I've ever seen - a mesmerising aerial view of a beautiful Highland wilderness accompanied by a captivating, haunting and evocative Gaelic song (once heard never forgotten).
Produced to an extremely high standard, with a terrific cover that captures the heart of the story in a simple but striking image, this is a very long read that speaks volumes about Allan's professionalism and dedication to his craft. It could easily be the basis of two novels in one; a historical novel and contemporary crime thriller which play off against each other with masterful juxtaposition throughout the gripping narrative.
The former is set during The Battle of Culloden in 1746. The writing of this obviously involved a huge amount of painstaking research and all credit to Allan for this. The amount of detail and description in these scenes creates a breathtaking atmosphere that at no point thwarts the narrative's pace, drawing the reader so close to the action that the dampness of the Scots' mist rolling over the heather virtually becomes a tangible sensation. This offers the reader wonderful entertainment, paragraph after paragraph. Also, whilst the dialogue is consistently authentic and completely believable, above and beyond this I thought Allan does something extremely clever in his writing of the historical prose - his narrative voice comes straight from that period. I found this engaging and very impressive.
Everything changes whenever Allan switches to the 2010 police investigation of several major crimes. The risk of spoilers necessitates brevity at this point. Suffice to say that Allan uses his first-hand experience of such matters to good effect and creates a terrific story-line that is delivered with great skill and understated authority. And when the pace quickens, be prepared for a graphic and fast ride.
'The Drumbeater' was published in 2013 and it has taken almost four years for 'The Well of the Dead' to join it. In a world where there's often considerable pressure on an author to bring the manuscript to print as soon as possible, a wait of several years is, I think, something to be applauded. Allan must have worked tirelessly, month on month and year on year, to craft a product of such impressive depth and substance. This is a courageous and remarkable thing and I have no doubt that this book would stand head and shoulders above many titles in mainstream publishing. The Well of the Dead'. Once read, never forgotten. By Marcus Case. UK
Enthralling throughout, crimes, history and great characters. My attention was gripped from start to finish with the plots and sub plots but never confusing just downright enjoyable. A really good read !
By Sue Bloomfield. (NetGalley)
A great book - cannot recommend highly enough. Get it as soon as you can. By Sharon Squire (NetGalley)
I would like to thank Netgalley and Matador for a review copy of The Well of the Dead, a police procedural set in Inverness and its environs featuring DI Neil Strachan. great modern thriller with tangible links to 1746.
By Susan Anne Burton
