This is a sign of his literariness, though his repeated misuse of the word 'disinterested' is not. Harrison's prose can be dense, his sentences occasionally serpentine, with single paragraphs running for several pages. The Havana Room is, paradoxically, a real page-turner that is also sometimes difficult to read. Inevitably, he's drawn down into a murky, dangerous underworld from which he can see no escape. He's attracted to the sexy manager, so he agrees to help her friend close a last-minute property deal, even though his instincts tell him to steer clear. Cast adrift in Manhattan, he happens on an old-fashioned steakhouse and makes it his daily refuge. He loses his family and his job, but salvages enough money to subsist without working for a while. The Havana Room starts with the portrait of a rising attorney with a beautiful wife and son, over whom hangs the shadow of impending disaster. Literary and literate, he is skilled at writing memorable, gut-wrenching scenes of menace. US writer Colin Harrison has produced several outstanding novels that straddle the fine line dividing the mystery genre from mainstream fiction. You can see why they admire him: Flesh and Blood has a deceptively simple style, meaty characterisations, a multi-layered plot and a surprising denouement. Harvey is often referred to as 'the crime writers' crime writer', and this novel comes with glowing testimonials from such US big-hitters as Michael Connelly, George P.
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