From Publishers Weekly
The second installment of the Harry Fielding series packs all the quirky charm of the first volume into a more concise and carefully plotted story, as the former MI5 operative gets embroiled in a half-baked scheme to find a missing woman. The opening chapter finds Fielding biding his time in "a city other than London," waiting for a job as a concierge to open up. But Fielding's attempt to become legitimate fails when a crooked cop buddy named Alfie asks him to help find Vanessa Harquin, a woman in her 30s who has vanished. Alfie, recently suspended from the force, has been hired privately by Vanessa's father, a powerful publicist named Sydney Holland who suspects his son-in-law is responsible for Vanessa's disappearance. Fielding works behind the scenes to help locate the woman as Alfie dithers and complains about his failing marriage. The complaints hit home, since Fielding has, in fact, had an affair with Alfie's wife. Fielding remains a refreshingly odd character whose startling observations and turns of phrase are always entertaining, especially when they involve the detective's personal life ("We had a brief assignation: a one-night stand behind Alfie's back. We had both regretted the betrayal and had put it safely behind us. Is that what I thought?"). The plot bogs down in Alfie's problems and peccadilloes, but Davison gets back on track by introducing a compelling vengeance angle in the climax. The unforgettable Fielding character makes this series required reading for genre fans looking for a little spice in their detective fiction diet.
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Review
"A subtle undercurrent of humour...well written...weird."—
Time Out"The world of
McKenzie's Friend is an unsettling place, half nightmare, half reality, funny but also terrifying. And Harry Fielding, the narrator, is a gem. World-weary and clueless, knowing and blind, he's the perfect escort through this memorable and very accomplished book."—Roddy Doyle
