A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil

We could tell you about the bodies. We could tell you their names, where they were found, the state they were in. We could tell you about the suspects too, the evidence, the investigators; join a few dots, even throw you a motive. But what would be the point? You’re going to make your own assumptions anyway. After all, you know these people, don’t you? You went to school with them. We all did. Granted, that was twenty years ago, but how much does anybody really change? Exactly. So if you really knew them then, you’ll already have all the answers. If you really knew them then…Put on your uniform and line up in an orderly fashion for the funniest and most accurate trip back to the classroom you are likely to read, as well as a murder mystery like nothing that has gone before it. Forget the forensics: only once you’ve been through school with this painfully believable cast of characters will you be equipped to work out what really happened decades later. Even then, you’ll probably guess wrong and be made to stand in the corner.

Reviews of A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil

This is the book I would want if I were marooned on a desert island or lost in space INDEPENDENT Brookmyre's antipathies toward the establishment- priests, teachers and crooked officials- are going strong, but are matched with a welcome complexity. OBSERVER Brookmyre has lost none of his wit and panache. SUNDAY EXPRESS If you're looking for a breath of fresh air in this genre, then look no further. IRISH EXAMINER