Abouts Books

By David Carter

This is a big book, 564 pages in hardback formula, and it did take me a long time to finish, partly because I am a slow reader and partly because I had to keep going back and re-reading a page. This was due to my mind wondering, and sometimes I simply did not understand what was going on.

It's about Scott Landon, author of horror and hellish books, an author whose hair keeps flopping over his forehead. Sound familiar? Well, there are many parts of this book that come over as semi-autobiographical and only the author will know for sure how much of that is true. The book is told from the standpoint of his wife, and that set me thinking as to whether this book might have been the brainchild of the writer's wife, (a novelist in her own right) perhaps she even wrote the darn thing. Nothing would surprise me after reading this.

Scott Landon is shot by a loony nutter, who clearly belongs in the loony bin (not my words), a kind of John Lennon scenario, Mister King tells us that, but his wife saves him from further bullets by laying into the assailant.

The book explores self-harm, mutilation and mental illness, not to mention the parts that fall into other worlds. If you are a Stephen King aficionado then you will love this, though if you are new to his writings, (are there any such people left in that situation?) then you may well choose to begin somewhere else. It is not the easiest book to read, but it is worth persevering with.

Overall, Lisey's Story surprised me, first by the fact that I did actually finish it without skipping a beat, and secondly because in the end I actually did enjoy it. I know that now, because I miss it, and still think about it.

David Carter's new novel "The Fish Catcher" tells the story of a group of children evacuated from London during World War II to escape the blitz bombing. It turns into a murder mystery and has been well reviewed. You can check out the first chapter on David's website at http://www.davidcarter.eu The book is available in hard copy or by instant download, and can be ordered in any bookshop quoting ISBN 978 - 1847539304