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.
You Can Stay is a disturbing psychological thriller with a difference. Each of the main characters has flaws that cross the pages like pennants flapping wildly in the vicious winds of Bodmin Moor, but none engender affection. The novel is intriguing and always keeps the reader desperate to see the developing plot outcomes, page by page.
The style is almost languid, detailed descriptions of the scenes right down to the male ‘lead’, a hardened soldier aiming for ultimate toughness, waxing lyrically about the kitchen and baked products in the remote farm where he is taking refuge. Switching, in an instant, to graphic sex and sharp, concise scenes of violence that crackle across the page, both described in a cold-blooded that sets the reader apart. The result is as if we are watching from far above; not intimately involved.
The breaks in the action, even the fast-moving action, are encompassed in an atmosphere of constant menace. There’s an underlying sense that there’s always more to come: more graphic sex and violent attacks. Death, before, committing and disposing of bodies, hangs over everything.
Connel masters the structure of creating discomfort at the same time as painting pictures of peace and tranquility in a countryside that is wild, majestic and stupendously inviting, all at the same time.
Connor Drake is on a mission with three other hardened soldiers. It’s the final step on the ladder towards being accepted in the SAS or SBS: all four will attain that goal if they stick to the rules, even if they are caught. But he and his mate Dele are suddenly, individually alone and unsure of the way forward. That’s when a tiny bothie appears in the early morning darkness and a young woman feeding her sheep in the very early morning hours offers respite.
Eilidh’s farmhouse sanctuary includes irresistible warmth and a mug of tea, possibly a shower. Connor accepts knowing that he’s still got time to meet the next rendezvous on the mission. The reader knows instinctively that this is a mistake, but how big that error of judgement is becomes apparent as the novel wends its way deep into a psychological maelstrom.
Don’t be seeking heroes in You Can Stay; every protagonist has traits and personalities that would make them intriguing subjects for a mental health professional. There’s a fresh hell awaiting on every page.
