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Reviews that made me cheer then weep

Posted on January 30, 2025 in Losing Control, Self-publishing

I had two reviews appear on social media this week that provoked strong reactions

Let me explain.

I seem to bump into Andy Wormald at every crime festival – Capital Crime, Harrogate Theakston’s. The fact that it’s usually in a bookshop in the same queue for an author signing, confirms that apart from being a gentleman, he also has extremely good taste. Here’s what he said about Losing Control

(Fiona Erskine’s) ‘best to date, a slick, accomplished, intelligently plotted novel full of real heart....In my mind I can see this on Netflix’

NETFLIX!! Me too! I cheered out loud at that and now I’m just waiting for the phone call.

Losing Control by Fiona Erskine

I met book blogger and ace reviewer Peter Fleming at Hull Noir and found him an interesting and genial fellow – even before he called Losing Control

‘a wonderfully entertaining blend of action and science within a first-rate cyber thriller‘

But what made me shed a few tears was his detailed description of the characters in relation to the themes – a much better summary than anything I have managed so far. In fact those of you at Newcastle Noir will have witnessed me making a complete pigs ear of talking about my own book despite the helpful prompts from the wonderful Dr Noir.

Corny I know, but we writers write to be understood and it’s a powerful feeling when reviewers get to the heart of the matter.

Losing Control by Fiona Erskine #LosingControl #FionaErskine #BookReview

Sorry for all the boasting – normal service will be resumed next week

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The 2 latest reviews in full

Peter Turns the Page

Losing Control is the perfect title for this work as it forms a literary leitmotif throughout. DI Julie Cadell has returned to work following divorce, just to keep financially afloat. She is living in the family home, but her ex-husband Matt is pressurising her to sell, which she plans to do when son Arni leaves for university. Arni is seventeen and going through a difficult phase, whereas her daughter Flora has already flown the nest and is only in touch when she needs something. Julie also still grieves for her late son Jamie.

Work isn’t faring much better for Julie as her subordinate DS Wharton is undermining her, when he is not ignoring her, appearing to be in cahoots with Superintendent Chalmers. Then her best friend is seemingly trying to matchmake her with an officer in another force. Julie might feel she has no control over her life, but things are going to get worse. The loss of control that eventually confronts her could prove to be deadly for many. No pressure then Julie.

The plot is the search for a murderer, which eventually morphs into something entirely different. Chalmers wants to wrap the case up quickly, but the haste unsettles Julie, it’s all too convenient and doesn’t provide a credible motive. This element of the story is a steady, confidently written police procedural with convincing science during the postmortem and mapping the movement of bodies in water.

Our dogged detective doesn’t give up and the story then is revealed as a cyber thriller with ecological consequences and a touch of terrorism. The author’s background brings enormous credibility to the writing, keeping things within the boundaries of what is possible, such that it is scarily realistic. What is possible now is truly terrifying. Here the pace picks up considerably injecting excitement whilst capturing the urgency and anxiety of an alert in industrial control centre. That salvation ultimately comes down to the most banal of IT mantas is wonderful, it’s perfection, though getting there is quite a journey. Here we have the combination of technical knowledge and personal experience guiding first rate thriller writing, with the result being a perfect balance of the three. This is something that so few can achieve.

It’s not all science and action though, there are lovely human touches throughout. When the reader first meets Arni he is surly and as us Northerners might say ‘in need of a good slap.’ He is troubled though, which explains his behaviour and I gradually warmed to him as his problems unfolded and were dealt with in a compassionate way. Then there is Alf the nightwatchman at a scrapyard, a minor character but one important to solving the case. He is a widow who has made a little shrine, of pretty objects he finds, to his wife and talks to her every night. A touching portrayal of love and loss that we can all relate to.

The control freak Brian was my favourite of the supporting characters. First impressions are of a geek from casting central, in poor shape with an unsuitable diet, unlucky with women and Dungeons and Dragons obsessed to the point of absorption to another world. Then there are the conspiracy theories he will talk about, one of which got him the sack. An easy target yes, but here given much more depth. He realises he cannot continue as he is, so he starts to write a computer game. He investigates the reason he was stood up for a job interview and realises that he misses his ex-girlfriend much more than he realised. He also is much smarter than most people give him credit for. A small part but his story arc is a joy.

The timing of this novel is critical because it ties in with a real-life disaster that occurred forty years ago. I remember the event and the shocking aftermath, there have been documentaries about the accident, but it has faded from memory with the passage of time, so what better way to raise public awareness again. The dangers remain as relevant today as they were forty years ago and if you are uninformed about the event, I would recommend reading up about it.

Losing Control is a wonderfully entertaining blend of action and science within a first-rate cyber thriller. The second in the series has a lot to match up with.

Peter Fleming

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AMWBooks

‘In my mind I can see this on Netflix’

I am very familiar with Fiona’s work. For me this is her best to date, a slick, accomplished, intelligently plotted novel full of real heart, an emotionally charged read.

Book one in a new series, It has all the hallmarks of a Police procedural combined with the feel of a gripping cyber thriller

The subject matter for the plot (because like some of the characters) is not one that I can remember much about and yet the scale of it staggers belief, the author has ingeniously plotted a novel around this in a slick and taut fashion, I was never quite sure which direction the story would go which just heightened my reading experience as there were no pre conceived ideas

The author nails the characters, pitch perfect for the area, strongly written, I found myself painting a picture of each in minds eye

The way that DI Julie Cadell is written shows a strong, determined woman who is coping (just) with the demands of the job, a mortgage she can barely pay, and the fact that she is a single mother with a moody teenage son who has his own issues, but through all this she strives forward determined to find the balance between the job and her family life

I loved the sense of place and location, you get a real feeling for Teesside and the surrounding area, the geography and topography written with real feeling and descriptive tones from someone clearly familiar with the area. There is a stark bleakness in places to landscape, however, you get a strong overriding sense of belonging

It is also a read with more than a human touch it is packed with heartfelt emotion which at times gets under your skin

By the end of the book I was racing through the pages as the tension levels reached overload, the ending as dramatic as it is suspense fuelled. The story is wonderfully constructed with a strongly written narrative, having a natural flow and pace to it

It was an interesting ending as it left some unanswered questions surrounding the Police which could be explored more in future books. It also explores big business, corruption and the lengths that will taken to keep the truth under wraps. A compelling and engaging story, the quality of the writing had me hooked from the opening pages, there is also plenty of backstory with the addition of Julies family life

Overall I can’t recommend this book highly enough, Fiona Erskine is an author who deserves to widely read, the real deal in crime fiction

Andy Wormald