Family Life
by Paul Charles
Brandon Books, 2009http://paulcharlesbooks.com
Bejeepers!
In a previous career Paul Charles was the manager, agent, roadie and lyricist for a 70's Belfast band Fruupp. It shows in his writing: music references abound throughout Family Life, the second of his Inspector Starrett mystery series. Echoing the Beatles, the novel opens as members of the Sweeney family gather for the patriarch's 64th birthday. There are mentions of how Ray Davies tickets sell out within minutes, a conversation about a Neil Diamond tribute act, another about how Yoko Ono broke up the greatest rock band ever. A character's physical appearance compared to Sinead O'Connor. One troublesome new team member, fresh from Templemore Garda training academy, speaks a line from a Phil Collins song. Elvis even appears in countryside of County Donegal. (No, not another Elvis sighting but Elvis Patrick Quinn, a farmhand at the Sweeney's and potential suspect in the suspicious death of youngest son Joe Sweeney.)
The Sweeney's is a large country house, similar to the old family estate in Geraldine McMenamin's The Same Cloth. But theirs is still a large working farm, put together over generations and holding on to the plow despite all the offers from evil property developers, plots of a venomous solicitor, and financial pressures from modern agribusiness. It is the youngest son, Joe- the one determined never to sell up- whose drowned body is found. Oddly, Joe's hair has been lovingly dried. Who is responsible? And now who's going to get the farm?
Seeking these answers is Paul Charles' second series character, Inspector Starrett. Starrett is a native to this town of Ramelton and has known the Sweeneys all his life. It is that local expertise and knowledge of the people which moves the investigation along, more than any of the forensics or seedy gangland action common to most recent Irish crime fiction. Starrett has a young team (Garda Nuala Gibson, romantically involved with fellow Garda Francis Casey, Packie Garvey the copper and part-time hurler, and new guy Garda Romany Browne) assisting by providing humor and engaging subplots. Starrett also spends Family Life resolving his feelings for long-lost childhood sweetheart Maggie Keane (now single once again) and flirtatous blonde Dr. Samantha Aljoe. I liked the way that Chapter Five closes with Starrett noting just how sensual Aljoe's rear is.
Starrett's tone is good natured throughout. Family Life has a lot of bakewell tarts, and very little sex, violence, or dirty language. Lest anyone be mistaken that Family Life is a retreat to the washed-out genre of "ahem, ladies and gentlemen, one of the people in this room is our killer, great Scot oh quite," rest assured that Charles writes with flavor. Novice Garda Romany Browne tries that old-school trope on, and literally gets chucked into the dungeon for being such an annoying spa.
I was surprised by how much humor bloomed as Starrett examined each of the Sweeney family members, old enemies and potential business rivals. The approach is not straight-up caper from the Colin Bateman or Janet Evanovich school nor satire ala Ruth Dudley Edwards.
Back to that old time rock & roll. The title Family Life comes from Glasgow band The Blue Nile. "Family Life" is one of their best tracks- a recent live performance is available on YouTube. The third Starrett book (Paul Charles mentioned in our September 2009 e-mail interview) will nod toward Simon & Garfunkle. And then the first Starrett, The Dust of Death gets its title from Isaac Asimov-? That's rockers for you: just when you think they're predictable, they rebel and throw in something unexpected.
Rockers are also known for promoting talent they admire. Family Life contains a great plug for County Monaghan's Gráinne Duffy Band. (This is not an invention, but a real act which has performed recenly at the Dunfanaghy Blues Festival in Donegal). Always one to follow a good recommendation, I visited Gráinne Duffy's website. I have not yet purchased her debut album, but count myself a big fan of its gorgeous cover. Man! It is a wonderful thing that Paul Charles presents a side of modern Ireland that is equally real, yet lovelier, than the starker, darker fictions of Declan Hughes or Gene Kerrigan.
A few reservations: at the start of one chapter Starrett's boss, Major Newton Cunningham, lists the great crime teams of literature. Including Paul Charles' own Kennedy and Irvine alongside Holmes and Watson and Morse and Lewis felt self-congratulatory. Besides, the other pairs are fictitous. Why would a real-world (in the world of this book, anyway) team be mentioned among literary pairs? Starrett and Kennedy both featured in the 6th DI Christy Kennedy book, I've Heard The Banshee Sing. Major Cunningham confused me yet again. How could he have served in Cyprus in the 1950's, when Gardai are required to retire at sixty?
I could make a big deal of the one typo I was able to spot, but that'd come across all narky instead of paying homage to Inspector Starrett's observatory powers. If this series is good enough for Mark Billingham, it's good enough full stop.
Hidden nitpick! I spotted immediately the other Joe's secret.
Critical Mick says: Engaging and satisfying, Paul Charles proves in Family Life that there is room enough in County Donegal for more than one brilliant Garda Inspector series. I look forward to rocking out to Starrett's next, hopefully equally catchy, outing.
Starrett: a first, last, or only name-?
Critical Mick's September 2009 interview with Paul Charles may be inspected at your leisure.
Gerard Brennan of the fine Crime Scene NI attended a Paul Charles reading in September 2008 which was great fun.
Even more fine interviewery is available at Crime Always Pays. Declan Burke had a chat with Paul Charles in July 2007.
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