Quicksand Of Memory by Michael J Malone

Jenna is trying to rebuild her life after a series of disastrous relationships.

Luke is struggling to provide a safe, loving home for his deceased partner’s young son, following a devastating tragedy.

When Jenna and Luke meet and fall in love, they are certain they can achieve the stability and happiness they both desperately need.

And yet, someone is watching.

Someone who has been scarred by past events.

Someone who will stop at nothing to get revenge…

Dark, unsettling and immensely moving, Quicksand of Memory is a chilling reminder that we are not only punished for our sins, but by them, and that memories left to blacken and sharpen over time are the perfect breeding ground for obsession, and murder…

Review

I am a massive fan of Michael J Malone, so when this book arrived, I cwtched up under the duvet and dived in! It is, I am glad to tell you, bloody brilliant. It has tension, the integral twists and turns, but on top of that it has human drama, characters that could simply walk of the page into real life and a story that explores how we can hide from our past, but never, ever, escape the consequences of past actions.

So what is so fabulous about Quicksand Of Memory? Well for one thing, the writing! So many thrillers tie the readers in knots with endless twists and turns, that frankly leave me with a headache! In this Michael Malone’s latest novel, the story is complex, yet the writing feels effortless and you are conducted by the writer into the story, so much so that is seeps into your consciousness and time outside of the book passes without you noticing. That for me is the mark of a great book, when you become cut off from the real world and utterly submerged into the story.

Of course you want to feel compelled to turn the page, but there has to be a reason to do so! In Quicksand of Memory it is the shocking thought that a mistake in the past, coupled with poor judgement can have such horrifying implications on the present. He takes a group of characters, all of whom share one thing in common, decisions and actions taken by them as children or teenagers, or by those who should have protected them, lead to a chilling thirst for revenge and a desperate battle for survival. What he does with such skill, is make you understand why revenge is sort, why trying to start again is like walking a tightrope of unseen dangers, without making any of the characters feel one dimensional.

The ‘bad’ characters are not unremittingly dark and the ‘good’ interminably light, they are like a patchwork of susceptibility, fallaciousness and simple flawed humanity. Jenna and Luke for example are on the surface just two people struggling like us all, negotiating the trial and tribulations of everyday life, the need to pay the bills, look after family, but underneath the surface they are less than perfect. The people watching them seem to be malicious, cruel and vengeful, but what Michael J Malone does in Quicksand of Memory is trick us, challenge or perceptions and show us that behind the closed doors of suburbia no one is whom they seem. That secrets lie behind those doors and sometimes they are terrifying and all to real.

This is domestic noir at its best!

You can purchase this novel directly from the publisher Orenda Books.

From Amazon and Waterstones.

Or why not visit your local independent bookshop?

About the author

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines, After He Died, In the Absence of Miracles and A Song of Isolation soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr.