Matt McAvoy Book Review

A simple crime thriller without big action sequences or a tangled plot; there is something rather slow-burning about this pulp-like tale.  It does feel like a pretty long read, to be honest, though it is absorbing, with a straightforward narrative of police trying to solve a murder.  It is no secret to us, the reader, and we are just watching events unfold as the story pieces itself together.  The narrative glides along cleanly and calmly, although there is an immense amount of descriptive information afforded us by the author, whose writing has almost a cerebral style, as the characters’ viewpoints and the scene settings are indulged in profound depth.  Keating has a wonderfully lyrical writing voice, with a sometimes sublime richness of phrasing; the author clearly knows the craft of writing.

In truth, it is a little dragging at times for my personal tastes, but I would argue that it is cosy, in the respect that it is one you can take your time with.  A Decade of Beads is perhaps more characters than story based, and the former are interesting and multi-layered, with a genuine air of realism.  Indeed, the book doesn’t feel glossy, but rather a little more gritty; it burns slowly because life does.  The bullets hurt; the murders are neither glamorous nor overly brutal, just raw and pointless.  It is a somewhat bleak mirror to the world of crime in Chicago, yet at the same time features the relentless optimism that we almost all apply to life on a daily basis; the hope that things will resolve and people will come good.  You don’t need to immerse too fully – it’s barely complex – yet at the same time it is one best enjoyed when you’re in the mood to relax with your read – and, of course, if you like the crime drama genre.

It isn’t perfect, but then a book like this was never going to be, and nor should it.  The real stars are probably the character development and Keating’s general writing style.  Don’t expect rousing entertainment; rather just experience the author’s positive traits, of which there are many.  I would be very interested to see what more Keating has written.  I’m not sure exactly what the “Urchin Horde” of the title’s tagline refers to, but “Book 1” does obviously suggest that there is more to come in this series.  I hope the author doesn’t take it down a far-fetched or action-packed route – there are plenty of them out there to read; its realism and easy pacing are perhaps its virtues, I’ll admit, whatever my tastes as a reader.