Book Review - The Dark Winter by David Mark

The Dark Winter by David Mark

A friend and I were discussing how Ian Rankin gave the city of Edinburgh a multi-faceted character.  A few days later I picked up The Dark Winter by David Mark and discovered that this debut author had ‘done a Rankin’ on Hull.

            From his descriptions of Hull’s dying Trawler trade and it’s adverse effect on Hull as a city,  to the nostalgia of his cobbled streets and café’s and the contrast between the new built box houses, the large houses on Hull’s periphery and the run down housing estates in the city centre, Marks creates a three dimensional Hull.

            The story line is about a series of murders with links to Hull which have only one common denominator: The victim has previously escaped a death similar to the one which now claims them. 

DS McAvoy a large Scottish man with a backstory that makes him unpopular with his colleagues, after research determines that the next victim will be a girl who escaped death in Iraq and now lies in a coma.  He pursues this lead and comes up with an unexpected finale to the story.

            The story unfolds at an enjoyable pace and the characters are realistically portrayed.   Marks weaves the twists and turns naturally through the narrative, creating tension on both McAvoy's homefront and on the work front.

Really excellent, enjoyable writing.

 I enjoyed this novel so much that I have and have already pre ordered his second novel Original Skin

The Dark Winter is available on Kindle for only 20p – Trust me, a better 20p you’ll not spend.

Also, I’ve just noticed Mark’s new novel is due out in April and is called Original Skin