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Saturday 25 November 2017

‘Carnivore’ by Jonathan Lyon



Published by HQ,
24 August 2017.
ISBN: 978-0-00823258-0 (TPB

Leander has a drug-addicted mother, and an estranged brother ... except that nothing in his life is as it seems...

This literary thriller is narrated by a protagonist, Leander, that it’s initially hard to empathise with. He’s manipulative, cynical and parasitic ... but he also suffers from chronic pain, which only heroin can relieve, so that for much of the book his thoughts weave in and out of a chaotic jumble of mixed senses, with visuals coming out as sound, or tastes becoming colours. Leander’s mother has found a new boyfriend, Kimber, whose apparent kindness is cover for a more sinister operation, and soon Leander and his brother Francis find themselves involved with the police ... The sex, both straight and gay, is graphic, the violence vividly described, and the author switches worlds from desperate users to an upmarket art gallery to a shady nightclub with ease.

An unusual thriller with an interesting protagonist.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor

Jonathan Lyon was born in 1991 in London. He studied at Oxford University, graduating in 2013 with the Gibbs Prize. He moved to Berlin in the same year. He has had a chronic illness for over a decade. He is a self-made demon. Carnivore is his debut novel.



Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  Marsali also does a regular monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.

A review of her recent book Ghosts of the Vikings can be read here.




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