QUEEN'S PAWN by VICTOR CANNING

QUEEN'S PAWN

BY VICTOR CANNING

THE BLURB:-

There was none! No, that's not the blurb, there was no blurb on this hardback. I suppose it must have been on the now non-existent flyleaf...

THE REALITY:-

I found this book in a Wetherspoon pub, as part of their bookshelf décor. Previously, I filched a copy of What Katy Did, by Susan Coolidge, as it was one of my favourites as a child and I wanted to recap. I'd read the whole series, including What Katy Did At School (my favourite of the trio) and What Katy Did Next. So when I was drawn to this scabby-looking novel I had a flick through and immediately thought it was some kind of spy thriller. I like the fact that it's written by a man as I tend to read more books by female authors and it's good to get a male perspective on situations. The novel had that lovely, musty, old library smell about it and this I found pleasantly reassuring- ebooks have a lot to offer but, at the end of the day, you can't beat a fusty old novel! Written in 1969, before I was born, it was great to be able to get a jist of recent history, written on thick paper and with a small font (the way things should traditionally be? Possibly.)

It wasn't a spy thriller- this was a crime thriller, and master stealth fraudster Andrew Raikes is the kind of man who makes you question your own integrity. I am not a people person and indeed, some of the characters in my novel, The Reject's Club, are inspired by individuals I thought very little of, with all of their many faults exacerbated to the hilt. Does my contempt for my fellow human being match his? Well, no. Firstly, my dislike is selective, not universal and secondly, even Raikes has a conscience; as his control over his life starts to unravel and he finds himself having to commit a heist on board (spoiler alert!) the QE2, a beautiful ship governed by a captain he has the utmost respect for. It goes against his grain and does not make him a very happy man.  Interestingly, I read this part only a day after visiting HMS Belfast, my first experience on a real ship (albeit a war ship as opposed to a pleasure craft!) and I suppose it helped with relating to the set-up of this grand climax.    

This book was a superb read from start to finish with some very interesting characters and twists and turns. Despite being set nearly fifty years ago, mainly in London and Devon, it was easy to relate to. The person I felt for the most was Belle, someone who Raikes describes as, “An unfamilied slut, fumbled with by her own stepfather.” When a woman is not the first thought in her mother's affections, she often carries that lack of familial love with her and has to do what she has to do to get by. Belle makes the best of it and just gets on with it in a probably not highly recommendable way, but she is flawed- as we all are- and a bit of a victim.

With a run up to the ending that keeps you wanting to race to the end, this book comes to the only conclusion it possibly could, (spoiler alert again!) with none of the villains getting away with their misdeeds. I'm not sure that the morals of the time when which this book was written would allow for the crooks of the piece to come out jubilant. I will certainly keep my eyes peeled for future Victor Canning novels when I'm trawling through charity shops for good reads.