A gripping read, with two very different main characters , who manage to be equally engaging. We are whisked around a variety of intriguing European settings. Can’t say that I am a fan of the kind of horror films featured in the novel but I was still completely drawn in and the film world we are shown felt authentic to me.

Imagine serving 24 years in prison for a crime you didn’t commit. That’s what had happened to Millicent Sparks she had woke. Up one morning to the dead body of her boyfriend lying beside her.

Now living in Glasgow with her loyal friend Vivian. Then she meets student Jerry Kelly when an advert is placed for a room to rent in her house. They develop a great rapport together and after discovering something by chance they embark on a journey that could be dangerous, but could be one opportunity to prove Millicent is innocent.

I love it when a writer introduces you to characters you really like, for me characters are important I need to be rooting for someone. Jerry and Millicent are at times quite amusing in a dark way. You feel some sympathy for the pair of them, the dialogue is sharp and funny. The beginning of the book is a little slow but stick with it and it speeds up with the action flowing thick and fast during the second half of the book.

Where did it go wrong for Millicent? She is now 72 years old, lost all of her confidence and finds it difficult to just go to get a cup of coffee. Jerry is a young man studying for a Film and Television degree at Glasgow university, he had been raised by his late grandmother. He had got involved with petty crime until a burglary went wrong, which led him to going to university, he enjoys his course but finds it hard living among students from wealthier families. Which is why he rents the room in Millicent’s house. The friendship is cemented in the fact they both love films, but then the skeptics in their closets start to rattle. Is Jerry’s lawbreaking going to catch up with him?

Woven into the story is a search for a copy of a film which was not released called ‘Mancipium’ back in 1993. It was banned from being released because it was apparently too scary as well as surrounded by lots of rumours and supposed curses.

At times this is quite a complex read with a number of characters and threads that it takes some keeping up with. There are also some quite dark undertones that not everyone will like racism, control, blackmail, secrets, faceless enemies, lack of morals. Along with murder, coverups and some corruption.

Overall a well plotted story with some twists that actually get twister, which keep you reading. It’s a book that needs you to fully focus but even then you may not guess which way it will go.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #LittleBrownBookGroupUK

Interesting idea for a story, but for me it was far too long. The story could have been told in about two thirds of the book. I liked the characters of Jerome and Millie.and liked the various twists and turns, I liked the way the author wrote but shorter book next time please. My reasoning for 3 stars was it was too long and I got bored frequently.

There are more smoke and mirrors in this book than a pub in the 1970s! A brilliant page turning thriller that includes tips of the hat to horror movies, extreme metal bands and famous one liners from films.
Fast paced plot, switching from the present day back to events in 1994, Chris Brookmyre proves once again he is one of the best crime and thriller writers around today.

It seem to take me a while to get into this story and then it just clicked and I really enjoyed reading this book. The Cut by Chris Brookmyre has a tremendous storyline, which tells a story of lies, deceit and smoke and mirrors. It is very clever and entertaining.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Highly recommended.

The Cut is a comedy-mystery featuring a 72-year-old formerly incarcerated woman and an 18-year-old film student with a history of petty theft. An odd but delightful pair, I had a blast getting to know Millie and Jerry! The story is a little slow to start but once it gets going, I was really invested in their chase for clues to solve the mystery of Millie’s case.

I love horror movies so I really enjoyed how the book goes into the details of film production and financing. I liked the cult horror aspect of the missing film and controversies surrounding the fate of people involved in the production. I must mention the dialogue because it is brilliant! The Scottish wit and banter between Jerry and Millie are so fun to read. The mystery is intricate and twisty. It did get a little convoluted at the end but I thought the resolution was satisfying.

What I loved most is how the book does a fantastic job in making me care for both Millie and Jerry. I thought the way they slowly learn about each other to be quite affecting. The book handles themes of guilt, grief, and anger compassionately. The book asks what would you do if you know your life could have been different? This is a dark, heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful read.

Refreshing crime novel by a master .. it's dense and there's a lot of back story and complexity to get through and I kept checking if the 72 year old Millivent felt authentic : i guess so, yes. The teaming up with Jerome a young horror film student is convenient i suppose but credible ..Millicent was, in her day we learn , a top notch make up artist for horror films. The double whammy finale was not entirely convincing but I'm not going to spell out it out here .. but Brookmyre is NEVER commercial .. and it's kind of feel-good... great entertainment

Chris Brookmyre has such a unique and distinct writing style, drawing on minute and almost imperceptible details from what makes us human. This renders his characters instantly relatable and/or recognisable. The plot is unusual, drawing on current affairs and events of decades past. The book is peppered with film references throughout. A must-read for fans of the crime and horror genres, in both literature and film. The cross-generational relationship between Millicent and Jerome, especially the banter between them, is absolutely first class. I loved their bond as I loved this book. Brookmyre has booted it out the park, again.

This was a different style of thriller for me It seemed to me to start slowly but soon turned into the fast paced twisting plot thriller that it is
I thoroughly enjoyed this original, entertaining, and unpredictable book
Another success for this brilliant story teller

What a book!! This was a new author for me but I will be making sure I check out other books by Chris.

This book centres around Millie who is a special effects make up artist who in the 80s wakes up next to her murdered boyfriend. She is sentenced to 25 years in prison for his murder, as she has no memory of the night before she cannot prove her innocence. In the current day she has left prison and now lives in a houseshare in Glasgow. The house has a new guest, Jerry, and Millie grows to like him as he does not probe about her past. One evening Millie goes missing and upon looking for her, Jerry discovers a clue that may just prove she was innocent after all.

This was a great, fast paced novel that I highly recommend!

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

The Cut is another excellent read from Chris Brookmyre. It is well-written, intelligent and entertaining, with a host of fabulous characters and plenty of twists and action to keep the reader turning the pages. I loved the movie references, atmospheric settings of various European cities, witty banter between Millicent and Jerome, and the satisfying ending that cleverly tied up all loose ends together.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

The Cut sounded like a book that would suit me down to the ground. A mystery surrounding a 72 year old woman who spent 28 years in prison for a murder she did not commit and her mission to find out what really happened to her dead lover. Throw in amazing horror movie and special make up effects and well, it sounds brilliant.

I loved Millicent's character. Her cool, dead pan, reserved domineer was so interesting to read about and watching her find her feet again after so many years in prison was enlightening. I also loved, loved, loved all the nods to classic horror movies and behind the scenes facts that Jerome (the film buff) would throw into conversation. I'm a huge horror movie fan myself so that was a very welcome addition.

The ending did let my overall enjoyment of the book down. It didn't lead to anything particularly explosive and the reveal was disappointing after such a long build up. This is the first Chris Brookmyre book that I have read and I liked his writing style so I'll definitely be looking out for more of his books in the future.

It has been quite a while since I read a novel by Chris Brookmyre and when I discovered that his latest was available to review on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. I have enjoyed the author’s dark humour in the past and was not disappointed this time.
“The Cut” features two very different main protagonists – university student, Jerome (or Jerry, as he preferred to be called) and Millicent Spark, a seventy two year old ex-convict. They meet when Jerry moves into a house occupied by three elderly ladies, one of whom is Millicent. Jerry finds out that she had been imprisoned for murdering her boyfriend, although she had always vehemently denied the charge. He also discovers that she had been a highly skilled make up artist, who specialised in horror films. As chance would have it, Jerry is studying film, especially the horror genre and is eager to discuss her past career. Millicent however has other plans; she wants to kill herself.
Millicent’s plan does not come to fruition and after a series of rather unfortunate events, Jerry and Millicent are forced to flee Scotland. They travel to Europe, as Millicent attempts to clear her name – and stay alive! I thoroughly enjoyed these two and their escapades.
The plot of this story is somewhat convoluted, but always entertaining. Brookmyre’s humour is hard to describe, but I delight in his quirkiness.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

This is a refreshingly different crime fiction to the type I usually read (which tend to the cosy/procedural or more woman-running-from-twisted-killer type).

It follows an unlikely duo. Seventy-two-year-old Millie, relatively fresh from a 25-stint in jail for a murder she didn't commit, and the much younger Jerry, a student with a murky past who's desperately trying to better himself but getting a bit lost along the way.

Jerry ends up taking a room in a houseshare with Millie and two of her friends, just as she stumbles onto a strange clue about her past. They work together to find out the truth of what happened to Millie then, and what the future holds for both of them now.

Some of the story is told in the past - going back to when Millie was 45 and working as an innovative make-up artist on horror films. I was less keen on this part of the story - it's pretty obvious it's going to help inform the reader about what happened when Millie allegedly killed her lover, but it didn't seem essential to the story at first. Over time I grew more interested, but what I really enjoyed was the present-day relationship between Millie and Jerry.

Much of the plot is about film-making and film references and I enjoyed those too (even if I didn't get them all). It gives the book a slightly different flavour to much of the other crime fiction I've read this year.

Brookmyre has created some interesting, 3D characters who I liked spending time with. The plot got complex towards the end but I was able to follow all the strands, just about, and it never got boring.

The Cut is an ingenious stand-alone thriller by one my all-time favourite Scottish authors. I could tell you it’s about an ex-con grudgingly teaming up with a young thief, but this turns that old trope upside down with two unique and fascinating characters.

Former special effects make-up artist Millicent Spark spent 25 years inside for a crime she thinks she didn’t commit and at 72, with no family and only one friend, she’s ready to end it all. Young biracial film student Jerry is obsessed with horror movies and heavy metal music, and struggles to fit in at University, so moves into a house with three old ladies for cheap rent and respite from his troubles. When a chance glimpse at an old photo sets them off on a quest for the truth about Millie’s past, their questions threaten powerful people who send a killer to silence her. Is the curse of a horror film reputed to be so evil it was never released about to strike again?

This was a clever mix of twisty mystery, snarky black comedy and movie-buff nostalgia-fest.
Both Millicent and Jerry are initially hard to like, but as we and they learn more about the losses and prejudice each has faced, their reluctant partnership of one-upping banter turns into an unlikely and surprisingly touching friendship. I wasn’t so keen on the flashback scenes to Millie’s debauched nineties lifestyle, which dragged a bit, making it longer than it needed to be. There was a large cast of past characters to keep track of, most with Italian names, which got confusing at times, and overuse of coincidence in the plot, but the present-time action rollicked along to a satisfying ending.

Brookmyre is not for everyone, but I’m glad that having strayed into writing more conventional thrillers with his last few Parlabane books, he’s back to the ranty political jibes and heavy sarcasm which was what I loved about his earlier work.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review, and apologies that it’s a few days late. The Cut is available now.

Wonderful thriller. Millie Spark, film makeup expert, serves a long prison sentence for a murder she says she didn't commit. Once released she starts to look into the history and gets more than she bargained for. Taut and driven thriller mixing flashback with Millie's current investigations as Brookmyre lets the present and the past intertwine effectively. Thoroughly enjoyable and recommended

The Cut is a standalone thriller from one of my favourite Scottish crime writers. At the heart of this story is the relationship between the main characters, Millicent and Jerry. Recently released from prison, having served twenty-five years for a crime she claims she did not commit, Millicent Spark is finding it hard to adjust to the modern world. She is planning her own demise when Jerry – a film studies student at Glasgow university who is also having trouble fitting in – comes to live in the house she shares with two other elderly women. This unlikely duo bond over their love of horror films. After Millicent sees an old photo in a hotel that makes her question the past, they join forces to try and find out what really happened all those years ago.
The flashbacks to when Millicent worked a special effects make-up artist on horror films reveal fascinating glimpses behind the scenes of a world most of us know nothing about. I am not a fan of horror movies, but this did not stop me enjoying this book immensely. Jerry is obsessed with a movie that was never released, and believed to be cursed, called Mancipium; co-incidentally, it was the last film Millicent worked on, and seems to be the source of the conspiracy behind what happened to her.
I loved the familiar Glasgow setting, and the road trip to Europe, as well as the cultural and cinematic references woven into the narrative which resulted in a lot of point-scoring and amusing dialogue. This fast-paced, tightly plotted novel featuring Chris Brookmyre’s trademark black humour was thoroughly engrossing. The characters were well-rounded and believable, and developed as the story progressed, so that they both realised, by the end, that their lives were worth living after all.
Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

The Cut by Chris Brookmyre has the theme of horror films.  We have three points of view;  Millicent is being told that she needs to learn to live her life, but she's planning a way out. 

Jerry is a university student, who feels completely like he doesn't fit in with the other students.  He's studying film, and has a special interest in horror films.

And the last point of view starts back in 1993, in Cannes at the film festival, where Luccio is getting the funding for a horror film together.

This was a great thriller, with rumours, and secrets coming out, and Chris Brookmyre does love to add a dash of political people into stories!

I have enjoyed every Chris Brookmyre book I've read, and this was no exception!  The plot was complicated enough, but not to a confusing amount, just enough to throw you off the scent.

The Cut was published on 4th March 2021, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Chris Brookmyre on Twitter, Facebook and his website.

The Cut is the latest standalone thriller from one of the most exciting crime writers working today and this time the dark, enthralling story revolves around an unlikely and unconventional sleuthing duo who make an effective team as they venture throughout Europe in order to prove Milllie’s innocence once and for all. 72-year-old Millicent ”Millie” Spark, a former make-up and SFX expert was once immersed in the glitzy, but seedy world of low budget horror films, where she used her talents to create realistic scenes of bloody violence. She was renowned for creating magic onset, impressing everyone with gruesome deaths. That is until she lived through the horrors of a gruesome death herself. One morning Millie woke up to a blood-soaked scene to rival those she created on film. Her lover, Markus Laird, was dead in her bed after they'd enjoyed an intimate drug and alcohol-fuelled evening together. In 1994, at the age of 45, Millie was convicted of the killing despite having no memory of it happening. The Video Nasty Killer' proclaimed the tabloids, stoking public outrage about horror films and their influence. She had protested her innocence since the very beginning but no-one was interested and she served nearly a quarter of a century in prison. We catch up with Millie-now-Millicent a year after her release and it's clear she doesn't know how to live in the modern world now she's finally out. A shell of her former self, fearful anxious and agoraphobic, yet sharp even brutal with her tongue but nevertheless she feels out of place, depressed and off-kilter. She wonders what there is to live for and is considering how to pull off an early exit when she meets Jerry. Jerome ”Jerry” Kelly is a troubled petty criminal with a penchant for pilfering, a film student and fresher at Glasgow University and a death metal fan, who just like Millicent, feels alienated among his peers.

He despises living in halls but can't afford digs all of his own so he answers the advert of three elderly women - Vivian, Carla and, of course, Millicent - looking for a flatmate. When Millicent and Jerry meet they form a peculiar friendship based on their shared love of the horror movie genre. This ends up changing the trajectory of both of their lives forever. Later, a chance encounter with a dated photograph hanging on the wall of the Roman Fort Hotel makes Millicent question everything she thought she knew and realises she must chase this lead wherever it takes her to find out the truth and clear her name. All paths lead back to the last film she worked on before she was incarcerated, a gory horror movie - Mancipium. Many believe it to be cursed due to the incidents that happened to those involved in its creation and as a result, it was never released. Jerry and Millicent set off on a dramatic and dangerous adventure spanning the European continent in a bid to set the truth free. This is a riveting, compulsive and tension-filled thriller with a really wholesome and life-affirming friendship and message at its heart and the drama and suspense running throughout immerses you in Millie and Jerry’s world with consummate ease. They are both fully-rounded and complex characters who are fiercely relatable and endearingly flawed. It is a brilliant, exhilarating and tautly plotted novel that deftly weaves past and present together with masterly precision and is packed with wicked twists and heart-pounding moments. Clever and liberally sprinkled with sardonic wit, I found myself unable to put this rollicking, rip-roaringly pacy book down. This is an entertaining and scintillating page-turner and a must-read for crime connoisseurs. Highly recommended.