Grimm Up North by David J. Gatward: A review

I've been auditioning a few new-to-me mystery series for my reading pleasure and here comes another one. This one is by David J. Gatward, another writer that I had never read, never even heard of as far as I can remember. It features DCI Harry Grimm as its main character and is set in Yorkshire. This is the first book in the series. Gatward writes with a light hand and there is quite a bit of humor in the tale he tells here.

Harry has been a pain in the ass for his boss on the Bristol Major Investigations Team and when he has the opportunity to get Harry out of his hair he takes it, sending him north to a town called Hawes in Wensleydale on secondment. It's a place that is famous for its cheese and its scenery. It's the kind of Yorkshire setting that is so popular with writers of British crime fiction, so this all feels very familiar.

Harry is a city boy and he doesn't know what to make of his new assignment in a more rural location. He expects that his duties will entail searching for lost sheep, directing tourists, and handing out speeding tickets. But soon after he arrives a local teenager runs away from home and the search for her reveals that things may not be as lazy and idyllic up north as Harry has assumed. Moreover, the missing person quickly escalates into something even more sinister and just like that Harry has his hands full.

Harry is an interesting character. For one thing, his face is quite scarred as the result of his encounter with an IED while in the military service. Maybe it is that experience that has helped to make him the grumpy sort that he is. His defense against the world is sarcasm which he wields quite readily. He is also very smart and very good at his job. His character is one of the strengths of the book.

Another thing that I liked about the book was the author's description of the Yorkshire Dales, a beautiful place. I kept seeing images of scenery from the television series "All Creatures Great and Small" and that was not an unpleasant thing.

The book also held some annoyances for me. For example, unnecessary repetition. How often did the author tell us that Harry was in the "Paras" during his military service? I didn't count but it seemed to be on almost every page. I think I could have gotten the idea after just a couple of mentions. The plot was pretty straightforward and didn't hold any real surprises. I guess I've been spoiled by all my reading of Ann Cleeves' mysteries. I'm always expecting red herrings and plot twists. But that was not this book.

Overall, this was a pleasant read. There was not much that was especially memorable about it except for the character of Harry and the Yorkshire setting, but that was enough to hold my interest and I would expect to read more of the series in the future.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...

The Nature of Things

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