I enjoyed this book. I found myself looking forward to read the next chapter, to find out what happens. The characters are all believable and realistic. The plot is wonderful with many twists and turns, and highly original in parts.
Danny McColl is a Glasgow lawyer just starting out in his legal career. When he moves into his new flat, which comes with his new job, things take a sinister, dark, and terrifying turn. Danny meets the neighbours from hell who have been making the locals' lives a misery for years. Due to unresolved issues from his youth, Danny decides to take the role of peacekeeper and wants to rid the area of the family who have been causing all the problems. He sets about doing this, unaware of the deeper and more dangerous secrets lurking under the surface in the small community.
The book shows how one tragic event can change the course of someone's life for ever, and how the tendency for people to sweep things under the carpet and not deal with their issues can lead to greater and more serious problems in the future.
Mental illness, crime, anti-social behaviour, drug and alcohol addiction, violence, guilt, dysfunctional families, tragedy, relationships, love. You will find all those themes and more in this excellent debut novel.
The mysterious 'Beatle Man' is both comical and terrifying. He speaks only in the lyrics of Beatles songs... a facsinating character. To find out more about him you'll have to read this very modern, engrossing story.
The reason I'm not giving the book 5 stars is mainly due to editorial issues; things that could be cleared up by someone proofreading the book before publication. There are many typos throughout the book and although they are minor and did not distract from my enjoyment of the story, one of the character's surnames was inconsistent throughout the novel which was distracting for me. Also, there were a few sentences which I didn't really understand... they seemed not to fit into the story. I think that the author has a tendency to leave a bit too much to the reader's imagination. Sometimes things have to be explained. I know that some authors go too far with this, but in 'The Beatle Man' I sometimes felt that I was not being told everything and it was a bit frustrating. Also, at times it is hard to tell which character is speaking during the conversations in the book.
On the whole, the book was very well written and for a debut -- considering the complexity of the storyline -- it is exceptionally good.
I would recommend the book to everyone.
I will be looking out for more books by this talented writer in the future. ( )