Hmm. I like Chris Brookmyre’s later Jack Parlabane books very much, but don’t get on at all with the Ambrose Parry books. The Cut lies somewhere in between – quite a decent if overblown plot but with some significant flaws. (There are some mild spoilers for the early chapters in what follows, but no more than is given away in the publishers’ blurb.)

The story revolves around two characters: Jerry, a young student who is interested in horror movies including the “video nasties” of the 80s, and Millicent who was a brilliant make-up effects artist who worked on them. Millicent, now in her 70s has recently finished a long sentence for a murder during a film shoot of which she has no recollection, when Jerry comes to share the house in which she lives. Between them, they begin to suspect that Millie was framed and a twisty plot emerges in which sordid goings-on emerge, involving government ministers, rich media tycoons, mafia gangsters and so on – plus the inevitable Lost Tape.

It’s quite well done - Brookmyre is a good storyteller (although I found the cutting between timeframes and the slow, slightly confusing emerging real story slightly irritating) and it’s well written so I did want to know what happened. However, there is a lot of trading of movie references which began to smack of authorial showing off, Millicent’s remarkable character transformation (along with quite a lot of the psychology) didn’t really ring true to me, there is some pretty clunky modern-day “realisation” about the exploitation of young women back in the 80s, there are quite a few outrageous coincidences and so on. All this detracted from my enjoyment and made it more like one of the run-of-the-mill thrillers which appear by the ton each year.

Overall, I’d say that it’s not bad, but it’s not great; it’s a decent brain-off read, especially if you’re a big movie fan.

(My thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Oh my goodness I’ve finally taken a breath since I started reading this book.

I’m a massive Brookmyre fan but I was disappointed with his last offering.

This is a return to form in my view. A well written thriller with unusual characters and stories all weaves together like only he can.

Read if you like beautiful thrillers.

I love Chris Brookmyre's work. This latest is a stand alone novel which has a woman in her seventies as the main protagonist! What a change and what a novelty. Older people are so often ignored in fiction so this is great to see. I won't say anything about the plot as a) it's very complicated and b) I don't want to spoil things for anyone else but I will say that the main character Millicent and her sidekick, Jerome or Jerry are just delightful. The relationship between them is lovely with lots of banter. This is a real romp of a book. If you're not prepared to turn a blind eye to coincidences and want realism in your fiction then you might be best to avoid it but if you're happy to accept that unlikely things do happen then you could do worse for a read to cheer you up in these dreary times. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Stage magic where what you see is not what you get. A great play of mirrors.

My first Brookmyre, so very eagerly read, not because I know Brookmyre because I don't. It was the story, totally the story.

A very aptly named story, so fitting on so many levels. Lots of cuts, physical, mental, editing cuts. Just open up the cut and let it's meanings pour out and then build up a story. Yep a great story with interesting protagonists who draw me into their story, their hopes, their fears and left me engaged and unwilling to leave even when the popcorn finished.

Off on a tangent. This year I've read three crime thrillers with old people as major protagonists, this one, Exit and Death in Her Hands I do not know if this is because I've just opened my eyes to older people and so am ready to read these books or if they have just become a fashion and authors are really writing more stories with old ones.

An ARC gently given by the author/publisher via Netgalley

I never know what to expect with a new Chris Brookmyre title but I always know I will enjoy finding out. The Cut is no exception - I loved reading this new stand alone novel from the first page and savoured it all the way to the end. I have great memories of many of Brookmyre's characters over the years but the two main characters in The Cut now rate very highly among my favourites. I want to urge people to read this book but am reluctant to give away anything about the plot - right to the end I did not know how it would all pan out. As well as Brookmyre fans this book will appeal to those who enjoy black humour and also to movie fans! Coincidences abound but in the hands of this magnificent storyteller none of them seem improbable. The narrative moves around in time and place but the reader always knows exactly where they are (but not necessarily, as for the main characters, who they might trust). Two of the many scenes that will stick with me involve a walk along the Seine and a flashmob inn Glasgow Central Station.

A huge thanks to the publisher, via Net Galley for sending me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Chris Brookmyre is one of my all time favourite authors and this book is another masterpiece. Deft, irreverent, wickedly funny, political, thrilling and a wild ride throughout.

Brookmyre has gone back to his roots somewhat with the political commentary and machinations that you’d expect from an early Parlabane, but weaving in his obvious love of movies and the intergenerational viewpoint that we get to see in One Fine Day In The Middle Of the Night.

The relationship between Jerome and Millie is excellent. And once again Brookmyre proves that you can be ready for adventure whatever your age (with Millicent being reminiscent of Jane Bell is AFAGTSLAE).

Indeed this book feels like a true celebration of everything Brookmyre has done so far, and brings together elements of all the old favourites along with a healthy dose of Glasgow swearing. Fans of the author will be delighted!

Chris Brookmyre's latest standalone crime thriller is a dark, tense and exciting affair, about an unlikely relationship that blossoms between the two narrators, 72 year old Millicent 'Millie' Sparks, once a gifted film special effects make up artist within the horror genre, now a depressed woman planning her exit from a world that feels alien and threatening, and troubled young petty criminal and film buff and student, Jerome,'Jerry', feeling out of place on his course, self sabotaging his future, unwilling to perform to the best of his ability. At the age of 45 in 1994, Millie was convicted of the murder of her lover, Markus Laird, in her bed after a drugs and drink fuelled night. She had no memory of what happened and all efforts to proclaim her innocence fall on deaf ears and resulted in her spending almost 25 years in prison.

After unexpectedly coming across an old photograph that makes her question what happened in the past at the Roman Fort Hotel, Millie becomes consumed with the desire to find out out the truth. Jerry comes from a background of social deprivation, brought up by his grandmother who ran a video store that ignited his obsession with the horror genre. This triggered his interest and curiosity about a horror film that was never released, Mancipium, directed by acclaimed giallo Italian director, Alessandro Salerno, one of the most horrific movies ever made, of such evil, a movie that generated outlandish rumours and gossip in the absence of barely any facts, such as many apparently involved in its production and those who saw it dying. After shocking events that have Millie once again in inescapable and grave danger, Jerry and Millie travel to Paris and Italy, to discover the truth of what really happened in her past, as they trade lines with each other from famous movies.

Brookmyre expertly weaves between the past and present in this superb and riveting thriller packed with suspense and tension, and in the flawed Millie and Jerry he creates complex, compulsive and riveting characters that I became totally invested in. The two of them meet at a point in their lives that they have hit rock bottom, and the desperate circumstances they find themselves push them together and begin to see possibilities that just might make life worth living once again, although Jerry harbours a secret that is likely to blow their strong friendship apart. Once again, Brookmyre has written a entertaining and engaging thriller, full of twists and turns, that kept me turning the pages as fast as possible. As I was reading this, I felt faint echoes of Denise Mina's Conviction, a novel that I loved. Fans of the author will adore this, and so will many who have yet to discover his writing. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

It's not easy to review a Chris Brookmyre novel without giving away plot details and spoiling the effect of their reveal. Suffice it to say that the plot is rich and satisfying with more twists than a corkscrew and I absolutely loved it. Having said that I did find the central coincidence a bit hard to swallow. Also, I would have liked to have known the name of the film!