Tony R Cox is an ex-provincial UK journalist. The Simon Jardine series is based on his memories of the early 70s - the time of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll - when reporters relied on word of mouth and there was no internet, no mobile phones, not even a fax machine.
Portobello, a delightful seaside town in easy reach of Edinburgh, is a hideaway haven for bus driver Dave Kellock and his terrible secret, until he becomes a ‘people’s hero’ and appears on King Charles’s Honours List. Will his photograph in the local newspaper and a high profile ceremony uncover that which he has run away from for years?
In Her Shadow takes us on a deeply disturbing psychological path as Dave’s world falls apart. Someone is not just watching him but is also controlling his life, and from within his own home! This intruder has to be found and stopped. But his past is gradually revealed, layer by layer, and then a girl goes missing and Dave finds himself in the frame.
Tension is ramped up and, just when it can get no higher, it touches another peak. We are immersed in Dave’s descent into what appears to be a catastrophic nervous breakdown: we scream at his haviour, his irrational actions and mistakes but know deep down are the questions, is he or was he guilty? Is what he uncovers incriminating himself or others?.
Emma Christie writes in detail about Portobello, Musselburgh and Edinburgh. This is not a travelogue, but a balance of clarity and factual place juxtaposed beside the main character’s deranged universe.
The finale is very well set out. It’s complex and needs explanation, and this author masters that with ease.
A purely personal point. Dave Kellock’s spiral into terror begins with a bus journey and an accident. Almost any reader who has driven a vehicle on a road, in a city, will have immediate sympathy and recognise the sequence of events.
