I had never heard about Chris Brookmyre until I saw the ARC for "The Cut" on NetGalley a few months back. The synopsis sounded so interesting I had to request it even though I didn't have any references about the author or his previous work.

The story take off with a bang when we discover that someone is dead, then going backwards a few days to find out how that murder came to happen.

There are two very distinctive parts in this novel. First half is more of a character driven story and, imo, it could have been shortened a little bit as pace was a bit slow and nothing much happened plot wise. I think this may be a deterrent to some readers that might think about DNFing it then. The second half really picks up the pace and it turns into a cat and mouse chase around Europe with Millicent and Jerry trying to find out what happened 25 years ago when Millie was sent to prison for killing his boyfriend.

Millicent and Jerry were two great leads. Although their relationship was a bit weird at first (a 72 yo and a 18 yo running together around Europe trying to solve a 25 yo murder?), crazy as it sounded it really worked and both of them grew up on me as the story progressed. Their dialogue was full of wit and banter and with some doses of black humor that made it even more enjoyable. All the movie references went a little bit over my head, but I'm sure all movie buffs will appreciate them.

The flashbacks to the 90s, around the time of the murder, were a bit harder to follow especially because of the large number of characters (I should have taken notes). The resolution was a bit convoluted but once all the puzzle pieces started to fall into place I realized I had missed some clues that were there. There were a couple of coincidences that may require suspension of disbelief.

The epilogue made a reference to the pandemic but seeing as it did not add anything to the story (I don't remember we're told when the story is taking place exactly) it felt a little bit forced.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oddly this is the second time in a month I've read a book which has a woman waking up next to a bloodied corpse at its centre, and not been responsible for their death (Lie beside me Gytha Lodge). This particular book really grabbed my attention and I whipped through the first part enjoying the humour and range of characters especially the relationship between Jerome and Millicent. However it did dip a bit in the middle and I felt it could have been shorter and just as good if not better, still a great read though.
Thank you to netgalley and Little Brown books for an advance copy of this book.

I'm a huge fan of Chris Brookmyre and his newest book, The Cut, is an absolute treat. It is a compelling mix of murder, suspense, movie glamour, exotic locations, laugh out loud lines, twists, bluffs and red herrings. It is highly original and full of well-developed and interesting characters.

I loved the warmth of the developing relationship between Millicent and Jerry, their movie lines game, the real-life film references throughout, the flashbacks, the behind-the-scenes details of Millie's work and the complexity of the whole story. The conclusion is enjoyable and satisfying but I was extremely sorry to say goodbye to the characters that had really come to life on the page. I hugely recommend The Cut.

A huge thank you to the publisher for my copy of the book.

I’ve long been a Brookmyre fan, and I also like horror films and metal so this looked so far up my street it was practically knocking on my front door. This is very much the classic Brookmyre mix of nasty crime and dark, dark, humour, as an odd couple career around Scotland and Italy trying to find the truth about a decades old murder that might not be as open and shut as it seemed. The two main characters are well sketched and engaging, and I’d like to have spent a bit more time with them, and gone deeper into what makes them tick, but I suppose that could have robbed the book of its extraordinary pace. Brookmyre hasn’t put out a dud yet, and this one maintains the streak. It’s also a standalone novel, so could be a good jumping on point for readers new to the author.

I'm really loving the trend of thriller mysteries with older protagonists. I love the film industry bend to it, I loved Millie and Jerry's relationship, every scene between them is so smart and sharp. Easy recommend for fans of Alex North and Denise Mina.

Not many people can pull off a comedy thriller but Chris Brookmyre is one of them. Peppered with his trademark Scottish vernacular and witty repartee, this stand alone story is golden. Millie (Millicent) Spark is planning to kill herself very soon. She has been out for a year after serving a 24 year sentence for killing her boyfriend in 1994 although she never admitted to the crime. She certainly can’t remember doing it. But now at 72 years of age, and with her only remaining family member, her beloved brother Alistair, dead, she feels there is not much left to live for.

Until she meets Jerome (Jerry). Millicent lives with Vivien and Carla, also elderly ladies, and they have advertised a room for rent in their very nice house. Enter Jerry, a student of film and politics at Glasgow Uni. The women can’t work out why Jerry would want to live with them but Jerry is desperate to get out of the halls of residence. He feels really out of place among the posh students and anyway, he was raised by his dear departed granny. But Millicent and Jerry have something in common - Jerry loves the old horror movies and metal music. And Millie was a special effects make-up artist for a lot of those old horror movies and she lived ‘the life’ until her incarceration.

A chance sighting of a photo on the wall of a refurbished hotel saves Millicent’s life, well that and Jerome’s intervention. She is about to leave the others and go home to do the deed when she sees a photo of a group, including the deceased boyfriend, dated AFTER his death. And so begins the adventure. She defers her date with death to work out what happened, who Markus really was and maybe even who killed him. She learns a lot more than she bargained for. Soon after, Jerry saves her life (again) but they have go on the run. Their adventures takes us from the sleazy back lots of schlock horror movies to the glittering parties of the rich and famous and many places in between. Along the way Millicent learns to live again and Jerry realises he has something to offer the world. Their unlikely alliance was a thing of beauty - nothing saccharin about it, little old Millicent gave as good as she got. The movie references were cleverly woven the narrative and I got most but not all of them. Now if only they could escape the hit men chasing them and get away with their lives.

This was another bonkers book, funny, heartwarming in a black humour sort of way, thrilling, convoluted and just really enjoyable. Age is no barrier to having fun and being useful - both for the old and the young. One thing I would mention - you need to be alert while reading, there are many little clues that are not so obvious, very cleverly done! Highly recommended to thriller lovers especially if you have enjoyed Brookmyre’s books before. If you haven’t read any of them - polish your funny bone and jump in. Thanks to Netgalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Chris Brookmyre for my review copy. My opinions are my own.

A new Chris Brookmyre has been cause for celebration every year since Quite Ugly One Morning and The Cut is no exception - drama, that trademark underlying humour, unique characters, and a plot like no other. I loved it!

Meet Jerry, film student, and Millie Spark, 75, and newly released from a 25-year sentence for murder. The book opens with Millie navigating the streets and subway of Glasgow on one of her first days of freedom, with little tasks set, designed to help her find her way back in to a world that's changed so much since the infamous murder of her boyfriend. Back then, Millie was a makeup artist in Film World, creating horror monstrosities for cult movies. But what happened to Millie in 1994? And how does Jerry get involved in investigating alongside her, 25 years later?

A story that jumps back and forward in time with great ease and shows us Millie's story then and now, as she overcomes the fear of the missing years and determines to prove what went down and why. Of course, this is Brookmyre territory so, there are dark laughs too and some rollercoaster moments which took my breath away - a little reminiscent of "Big Boy Did It" era! - long may Chris B want to write!

Chris Brookmyre has once again written a brilliant stand alone thriller. Having read most of his previous books I knew I was in for a treat-and what a treat it was. Absolutely loved the friendship between Millie and Jerome. The age difference, the banter and typical Glasgow wit made the relationship come alive. The story is dark, thrilling, twisty and fast paced. (so fast paced that at times I will admit to being a bit lost as to who was who and why!) If this sounds like your cup of tea then I thoroughly recommend it.
Enjoy!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Chris Brookmyre for an arc.

I’m not sure why, but it took me a couple of tries to get into this book. I picked it up and out it down a few times over a number of days, but just wasn’t connecting with it, moving at glacial pace through the intro to Millicent one of the main characters. Then yesterday it clicked and I’ve raced through the rest of it.

That slow start is the only thing holding this book back from a five star rating, because otherwise this is a fantastic plot and characters. Millicent is in her 70s and feels very removed from the world. She’s living with two other women her age, but her experience is very different from their’s and she begrudges the attempts to get her out and about.

Jerry also feels out of place. He’s staying in halls at uni, but feels like everyone else is looking down on him. When he spots the advert for a room to let in a house with three elderly women at much less rent than he currently pays he leaps at the chance.

Millicent and Jerry’s fates quickly become entwined kicking off a fast-paced race through France and Italy trying to find out what really happened in Millicent’s past.

The relationship between Millicent and Jerry is great. They don’t see each other’s age. They both love movies, particularly the horror movies which were the staple of 80s and 90s video shops. Fittingly their mission centres around a video tape.

The story is told jumping back and forward in time, references to Millicent tend to be set in the present while in flashback she’s Millie. That makes it easier to quickly pick up on the when, but the writing makes that effortless. The same with handling what is quite a complex conspiracy in the past and present. It never feels complicated to understand - a sign of a truly skilled writer.

Overall I loved it. The sketchy start could say more about me than the book, but if you also find it slow to start do stick with it, as it very soon picks up and the rest of this journey is very much worth it.

This is a very entertaining story about a woman who has been in prison for quarter of a century after being found guilty of killing her boyfriend. In 1994 Millie (Millicent) was a confident, extremely talented special effects make up artist working on the goriest of horror movies. Now she is a broken 72 year old woman planning to end her own life. But when a young film student (Jerome or 'Jerry') moves in to the property Millicent shares with two other elderly ladies life takes an unexpected turn. Millie has always maintained that she did not commit murder and now, with Jerome's help there may be a way of finally proving her innocence.

This book is bonkers, ridiculous, far-fetched and totally unbelievable in every way.. And it is absolutely, bloody BRILLIANT! Perfect escapism with lots of fab horror movie references and a really sweet relationship between the two main characters. Highly recommended.

My first Chris Brookmyre read and it was enjoyable enough, once you suspended disbelief for long enough.

It is the story of Millie Spark, a special effects make up artist specializing in video nasties back in the 80s. When she wakes up beside her murdered boyfriend with no memory of the night before, she is convicted of the murder and serves 25 years in prison.

Fast forward to today and Millie now in her 70s, is house sharing with women of a similar age, and a year out of jail. She finds it hard to adjust and has nothing and no one left in her life. She has planned her own suicide and the date is fast approaching.

When a new house share guest - Jerry arrives, while initially not interested, she soon finds him interesting and one of the few people not asking about her past.
Young Jerry is in college and not getting along with anyone there, hence his house share with older women. He is also a huge fan of horror movies and knows many of the films that Millie has been involved in.

Although still maintaining her innocence, Millie has long given up on finding out what really happened and is going full steam ahead with her suicide plans.
When the house group are out for a meal at a hotel, Millie goes missing and Jerry goes to look for her. He finds her wandering the corridors of the hotel and there they stumble across a clue that may lead to her finally proving her innocence all these years later. As the two find themselves in immediate danger they are forced to flee the country and travel around Europe to both look into Millies past and also avoid becoming victims themselves of whatever crime is being covered up.

Phew! This is a fun read to a point. I found the opening chapters hugely enjoyable and the depressed Millie a very interesting character and was looking forward to how it all played out.
As the book went on however it lost its impact somewhat as her character seems to miraculously change as she strives to find out what really happened.

The story is told both in the present and in flashback when Millie was still making movies. It can become quite confusing at times and the red herrings and final conclusion did feel very convoluted. The book also felt a little long for what it was and also struggled with its identity. Starting out as one thing and then changing somewhat midway through.

Its a decent if unremarkable read that tries a little to hard to impress and wrap everything up in a bow for the reader at the end.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC.

A thriller with a difference, I loved the relationship between the two main characters Millie and Jerry and how it develops throughout the book. This is my first read from Chris Brookmyre but it absolutely won’t be my last.

One quote jumped out at me in this post-Trump post-truth world “the reason people don’t value facts is that they belong to everyone”...”myths and rumours feel like secret knowledge and so people prize them more”. Just perfect.

I am struggling to review this book. The premise was really interesting to me and there were some brilliant themes weaved throughout the story, although if the reader is not a film buff, some may go over their head. I also struggled a little with the flashback parts and am not sure I 100% know what happened there!
I really liked the relationship between Jerry and Millicent and enjoyed how it developed through the story.

This was a thriller with a difference which had some very interesting themes as part of the plot including old film references which probably went over my head as I’m not a cinema buff. However they were very cleverly interspersed in the story and added to the general entertainment.
Millicent is a septuagenarian special effects artist who has recently been released from prison, accused of murdering her boyfriend. Locked up for 25 years she has always proclaimed her innocence.
Jerry is a fist year film student at Glasgow university. When he decides he does not like living in his hall of residence he responds to an advertisement, applying for a room in Vivian and Carla’s house where Millicent is living. He is happy to live with elderly people having been brought up by his beloved grandmother.
However, Millicent is not adjusting to life on the outside and is thinking of ending it all when she discovers something which leads her to want to reinvestigate her boyfriend’s murder and prove her imprisonment was unjust. Jerry bonds with Millicent through their mutual love of horror films and through a set of circumstances ends up helping her on her quest which leads them all over Europe, trying to escape some mad assassins who are desperate to stop them finding out what happened all those years ago.
I loved the relationship between Millicent and Jerry- it was very endearing. As the book moved on Millicent comes out of her shell and Jerry reveals more about his background with some unexpected results.
There were flashbacks to the 1990s when Millicent was Millie, working on a horror film that becomes the centre of the book. I found these sections slightly more difficult to follow and the blackmail and murder aspect of the story were quite complicated. I’m not quite sure I understood exactly what was going on. However ultimately this did not detract from the book and the denouement of the story.
Over all this was an enjoyable and entertaining read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Millie Spark went to jail for killing her lover. An event she has no memory of. Years later, sentence served, she is still pretty broken, sharing a house with two other ladies. Until the day that film student Jerry joins the household. He manages to cut through her brusqueness, mainly due to their film connection - she being a special effects make-up artist (formerly well regarded) - and the form a bond. So much so that he is right there when she discovers something that throws her whole conviction into more doubt that she already held. She had always proclaimed her innocence, will she and Jerry be able to follow the clues and unravel the truth of what was really going on back then? And, just as importantly, will Jerry's past come back to bite him?
I love Brookmyre. To be honest, I actually love Parlabane... but I also enjoy his stand alones although I am still working my way through them. There is something about his style of writing that really fits in with my style of reading and he delivers everything I need, want and crave in a book to make it a great read.
Tight, often very clever plotting. Expertly executed and starring the best drawn characters; main players and extras too. All delivered in a completely no nonsense, no waffle, no padding way. In this book, he also weaves the past into the present at exactly the right moments to progress the narrative and, at the same time, add colour and background to it. Oh, and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep me on my toes and fully engaged. And more than its fair share of duplicitous behaviour.
All in all, a cracking addition to an already well impressive back catalogue. Looking forward to next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I loved the relationship between Millicent and Jerry, I thought it really worked well. The dark humour was good too as well as the Glasgow setting and dialect. However, I felt the actual plot was a bit too convoluted and I wasn't keen on the constant movie referencing. I have to admit I was bit lost as to who was blackmailing who and why at times. The ending was very satisfying though and cleverly written especially the scenes set in Glasgow Central.

Oh I really enjoyed this book. On the surface it is the story of Millicent, a woman who went to prison for a crime she very likely may not have committed, and Jerry, her housemate and the person who is going to help her prove her innocence. But at what cost? A thriller i every sense of the word, the story has secrets, tension, conspiracy, a constant sense of threat and the beauty of taking readers into the world of classic horror and the Italian Horror movie scene, something which appealed strongly to the dark side of my literary soul. When you read a line stating that Jerry was nine when he first watched Zombie Flesh Eaters, and you know that you can just swap the double Rs for double Ns and be talking about yourself, you know the book is speaking your language. Except I think I might have been six or seven ... Meh.

I loved the way in which Chris Brookmyre developed the friendship between Millicent and Jerry. They should have little in common - Millicent a seventy something former jailbird and Jerry, a nineteen year old university student - but given Jerry's fascination with movies, especially old horror titles, and Millicent's former career as a horror makeup specialist, perhaps it is a match made in heaven after all.

When we first meet Millicent she is a woman who seems to have given up, bewildered by her surroundings and struggling to adjust to life on the outside after a long spell of incarceration. There is clearly a spark about her - she is not simply a timid old granny figure - but she is weary and ready to give up. It takes a chance discovery to reignite the spark and the grit and determination that is really at her core. As for Jerry, he is a character trying to atone for a mistake in his past. Raised by his Gran, he is far from perfect, and his past does come to haunt him but he does become a bit of a hero in this piece, and convincingly so. I like them both, was happy to go on the epic journey with them, dipping in and out of Millicent's past and the events that led up to the fateful night that changed everything. I wanted them to come good, to discover the truth. I wanted them to kick ass, and my god did they.

This book takes readers on a real journey. Cover ups, conspiracy and secrets which could make or break the many varied and colourful characters we meet. There is a constant feeling of authenticity to the story, to the hedonistic lifestyle of the principal players from Millicent's past, and the act of playing voyeur into their world kept me glued to the page. This is not a high action thriller, it is much more intelligent than that, even though there are moments of action, scenes that will have you on high alert and get the adrenalin pumping. And there are moments of quiet emotion, one that might not play exactly as you expect, but which truly fit the story and the characters within it.

This is another gripping and beautiful narrative from an author whose work I enjoy more and more with every read. I yes, I am a drawn to this book as it taps into the movies of my youth and the kinds of stories and movies that I grew up with. It explores some of the scandal attached to the horror industry, the perhaps unfair blame heaped at their door for some of the atrocities that were undertaken, allegedly as a result of people watching them, and the nature of censorship to control the genre. Even the last movie that Millicent made, Mancipium, becomes enshrined in scandal and legend, shadowed by a supposed curse linked to its makers and stars, just another indicator of how horror films were widely spurned, misunderstood and often feared. It also makes them kind of exciting and like catnip to horror aficionados so it's not all bad.

I suppose that really everything about this story comes back to a question of control, and what people would do to maintain it. This is a very clever, fun, sometimes funny and totally engrossing thriller that I loved. 5 big shiny silver bullets from me.

'The great danger with any quest for answers is that you might find them.'

25 years ago Millie Spark, a make-up artist in the film industry, woke up one morning to find her boyfriend stabbed to death in the bed beside her, the door locked from the inside. As she herself puts it: 'It's kind of hard to say "it's not what it looks like".' But the problem is, she didn't do it. Now, having served her sentence, Millicent just wants to escape her new life, never having been able to prove her innocence. Jerome, a film student in Glasgow, moves into the house where Millicent and two other older ladies live, an experiment in cross-generational living. Jerry, too, is an outsider, and a young man with a past. On a day out, Millicent and Jerry come across a photograph which throws Millie's past into upheaval and nothing will be the same again.

This is classic Brookmyre territory: mis-matched heroes, violence with more than a hint of comedy, the Glaswegian vernacular brilliantly undercutting any fancy notions. As the pair start off on an adventure which takes them to Paris and then Rome, they discover more questions than answers about Millie's past, especially the events surrounding her time working on 'Mancipium', a legendary never-released shock-flick that also just happens to fascinate Jerry. At this point, I have to admit, I started getting a little lost as to exactly who was who, who was working for who, who was covering what up, and so on. I think I got the gist of it, but it gets a little complicated..

Perhaps not quite vintage Brookmyre, but this is a welcome return to familiar territory. Fast-paced, full of film references and wonderfully biting banter, and with the most unlikely pair of heroes you will ever come across, this is just a glorious book to sit back and enjoy. There is, perhaps, just one coincidence too many (you'll spot it when you get to it), but on the whole a very solid 4 (and a little bit) stars. Pure stoatin'!

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

Really enjoyable book but a bit formulaic and not as individual as previous books. Really enjoy the way the author writes though so always pleased to read his books

The book opens with the discovery of a murder scene and then quickly steps back in time. Have we just seen how the story will end and is it now just a question of how we get there? Perhaps, but beware - this is a book that will require you keep your wits about you, to be observant and to read between the lines. Even then I’ll be surprised if you’re able to predict how this one will play out.

We’re introduced to two people, both misfits in their own way. Jerry is a young man studying for a Film and Television degree at Glasgow University. He was brought up by his late grandmother in a village some thirty miles south of the city, his feckless mother having abandoned him early on. Having been lured into petty crime by a local hard case, he decided to leave that world behind following a burglary that went badly wrong. But though he enjoys his course, he’s struggling to adapt to living alongside students from more affluent backgrounds. Millicent is a seventy two year old former special effects make-up artist who has worked on numerous low budget horror films. She’s lost all of her confidence following a forced period of confinement and these days just the thought of popping into a café to buy a cup of coffee is likely to induce panic.

Jerry is keen to escape from his halls of residence and when a house sharing opportunity arises he finds himself thrown together with Millicent and two other elderly ladies. A shared love of films quickly cements a loose alliance between Jerry and Millicent. It’s now that the skeletons in their respective closets start to rattle: the reasons for Millicent’s prior confinement is a lurking timebomb whilst Jerry’s lawbreaking past might be about to catch up with him. From this point on the story goes into overdrive as events force the pair to take drastic action. Woven into the story is the search for a copy of a legendary horror film, apparently it’s so scary that it was banned from release and is surrounded by more rumours and supposed curses than Tutankhamun’s tomb. What a tangled web this is.

I was really drawn to the relationship between this young man and his much older sidekick. I found myself feeling sympathetic to the plight of both of them and the dialogue between them is sharp and funny too. And the action comes thick and fast in the second half of this story, with the slight downside that more and more characters are introduced (thus forcing me to resort to note taking in an attempt to keep up). But the flow, though complex and requiring the reader to swallow a couple of improbable coincidences, follows a logical enough path and ultimately the tale’s clever dénouement successfully ties off most loose ends.

Chris Brookmyre is fine writer, his successful series featuring investigative journalist Jack Parlabane is testament to his longevity and his standalone novel [book:Fallen Angel|43063636] was perhaps my favourite mystery of last year. Here he provides a gripping storyline replete with expertly drawn characters, a good helping of dark humour and a plotline intricate enough to satisfy even the most avid armchair sleuth.