The Sleepless Ones. James Marrison. Penguin Books (2016)

A grim, engaging and very enjoyable crime story. Two murdered men are found in a remote farmhouse in the Cotswold's in England. One of the men was violently tortured, DCI Guillermo Downes leads the investigation which starts to gain traction with the discovery of some mysterious photographs. Of themselves the photographs are not sinister, they are still disturbing. The investigation moves forward and starts to uncover a very brutal history that a great deal of powerful people have a strong interest in keeping hidden. The investigation is pursued with thoughtful intelligence, DCI Downes and Seargent Graves are competent professionals. They find that the threads of the investigation lead to a unexpected story of revenge and lives damaged beyond repair or redemption. The reveals are cunningly staged and the move the story in unexpected directions and go further and further in darkness. The final sour conclusion is fitting and satisfying.
The plot mechanics are excellent, the roots of the story are revealed steadily and they provide a strong context for the violent action in the present. The scale of what is at stake is slowly revealed and the impact is powerful.James Marrison moves the narrative around in a very effective way, the first person narration by DCI Downes brings the reader into the story and the investigation. The story directly follows other cast members which creates the opportunity for greater scope in the story and provides a deeper context fopr the investigation. The cast are engaging and individual, they act with determination and energy, none are just walk on parts, the shifting narritive structure gives everyone the time and space to establish themselves in their own right.
James Marrison follows a reasonably well worn path in the story, the heart of the story is a well used idea. It is not the plot itself that counts, it is the execution and that is wonderful. The construction of the story draws in the reader further and further into the secret lives of the cast and the terrible actions they take. They layers of brutality and exploitation that are revealed are gripping, as the hidden springs of the events that lead to the horror in the farmhouse are revealed. The investigation is never helped by miracles or has to rely on coincidence, working with the evidence hard work and competent professionalism the secret history behind the photographs is pulled into the light.
James Marrison's confident writing captures the reader, allows the changes of narritive vioewpoint to work seanlessly with other without ever losing control of the thrust and force of the story.
Great crime fiction.