The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion

Strictly out of curiosity, have you read all of Cathi's by now?

I've just placed my pre-order for her latest, and will be sure to clear the decks ahead of its arrival.

The only one I've yet to get to is 'The Not Knowing' which is, I think, her very first, and the one that seems least popular. I will read it eventually.

I'm a big fan now. I think she's getting better and better. This new one is meticulously researched and very cleverly incorporates some interesting historical incidents and real people into an imaginative (some might say far fetched) narrative.

I also really enjoyed London Noir, if you haven't already read it. It's a compendium of short stories, wall-to-wall noir, that Cathi helmed and edited, featuring short stories by Barry Adamson, Max Decharne, Ken Bruen, and many others. Two hundred and eighty pages of fun, all set in the smoke.

Along similar lines, have you read Jake Arnott's Johnny Come Home? A sort of glam rock noir, set in early 1970s London. Think Gary Glitter mixing it up with The Angry Brigade, and you won't be too far off. In other words, I reckon it's right up your strasse.

I've yet to read London Noir, but I will, especially since reading your praise.

Johnny Come Home is a classic. I've read it twice and loved it both times. Indeed I'd go so far as to say that I cannot conceive a book more firmly targeted at my sensibilities. I've got a few books by Jake Arnott to catch up on now, but I've really enjoyed all that I've read by him. Johnny Come Home still remains my favourite though.

A favourable review of That Old Black Magic in Saturday's Guardian....


Cathi Unsworth’s latest novel, That Old Black Magic (Serpent’s Tail, £12.99), blends fact and fiction for a well researched, evocative tale about one of the weirder outposts of second world war British intelligence. When a captured German spy is found to have a satanic amulet in his possession together with a photograph of his female contact, undercover policeman Ross Spooner is tasked with finding the woman, who – according to his boss – might be a witch. A second storyline involves the real-life medium Helen Duncan who, in 1944, was the last person to be imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act of 1735 (more because she appeared to be disseminating classified information about the torpedoing of a ship than because the authorities feared her going full-on Harry Potter). A labyrinthine plot with a nod to Dennis Wheatley interweaves imagined characters with historical figures such as credulous journalist Hannen Swaffer and “ghost hunter” Harry Price.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

Blimey and crikey, there’s a coincidence. I’ve just finished reading Without The Moon in the past few days.

I don’t think I did it justice though. Having spread my perusal over a couple of months rather than gorging on it over a couple of days as is my norm, I didn’t develop affinity or antipathy with the characters as I normally do. Apart from the villains of course - Cathi has mastered the art of making them so unsavoury that they are hateworthy and memorable. I will read it again someday, but more intensely as I did with The Singer and Weirdo.

I’ll get a copy of her new work, as she is a formidable writer. I too have the same obsession with the period, of course.

In another coincidence, my Toronto-based daughter Skyped last night, and she was enthusing about The Shape Of Water. I did remind her, as a young Hamilton fan, that Sally Hawkins was Ella in the BBC’s marvellous 2005 adaptation of Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky.

I hope you’re all in great shape.

Great shape indeed David.


Always a pleasure to read your musings. Toronto based daughter? Do you ever get over there? I have always fancied a visit to Toronto, despite only the most sketchy of impressions.

I enjoyed 'That Old Black Magic'

Click here to read my review

Hi Nigey

We visited her in September 2016, and spent about ten days there, a thoroughly enjoyable experience in a beautiful, clean, welcoming and safe city. With lovely beers as a bonus. The Boneshaker brew is magnificent.

It’s very cosmopolitan, and Kirsten was living in Little Portugal (Danforth area) when Portugal won the 2016 European Championships and a spontaneous street carnival broke out. On her birthday we ate beautiful Cuban food in a tiny café and then drank great beer at The Communist’s Daughter pub. We have a souvenir pic of an emotional old Commie and his daughter in front of the pub. He looks remarkably like me.

We loved Lake Ontario and its islands, Beaver Tails,the CN Tower, Kensington Market and of course, the mind-blowing Niagara Falls. An added bonus was that our visit coincided with The Beatles In Toronto exhibition.

September was pleasantly warm, but it’s been as cold as -22°C in recent weeks.

Do go, it’s a terrific experience.

David wrote: "Do go, it’s a terrific experience. "


Thanks David - consider me well and truly sold. That sounds wonderful.

I should add, you had me at...

David wrote: "With lovely beers as a bonus."

Everything else was just heaping icing, upon cherries, upon those little edible silver beads that your mother probably also had in her home baking supplies

As Homer once mused, “Mmmmmmm...little crumbled-up cookie things”.

😀👊🏻

Cathi’s latest effort, with Jordan, is now available for pre-order. My initial thoughts are that the jacket design is terrible, and the price is ridiculous. I'll keep an eye peeled to see if the cost lowers as the publication date nears. If not, here’s hoping for an eventual paperback publication.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Defying-Grav...

Thanks Mark


I'm sure the price will come down

Being charitable, I suppose the cover is in the grand tradition of exploitation type artwork. I think the classic photo of her outside Sex with the nearby straight looking askance would have been perfect.

This one....

https://theredlist.com/media/database...

I find all the Star Trek imagery to be really odd -- the "A" in "Gravity" being swapped out for a Star Trek logo, Jordan making the Spocky hand sign, the planet and rocket... your photo of choice would’ve been a whole lot classier.

Despite the whingeing, I’m really looking forward to eventually reading this.

Mark wrote: "I’m really looking forward to eventually reading this"

Yeah, me too. It should be fascinating - and well written

Fabulous interview with Cathi on latest Word In Your Ear podcast discussing her Goth book which I finished recently and also recommend