MARK BILLINGHAM’S STAND-ALONE CRIME NOVEL - RABBIT HOLE

 Book Review

Title.            Rabbit Hole

Author.        Mark Billingham

Published    by Sphere

For many readers this will be a gigantic step into the unknown. The experience will be testing. The noises, the behaviours, the spartan feel and the assault on the olfactory side of things are all a challenge. And some choose to work in there and well done for them for doing it. 

Mark Billingham’s latest book ‘Rabbit Hole’ is a standalone and is very different from his detective series of the Tom Thorne novels. The title is a curious one and whether it fits or not is irrelevant as it is set almost totally in a psychiatric ward. I heard him speak at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival where he explained how it came about. He visited one and from his observations the ideas came.

There are patients who have no choice but to be in there; others who only come for a short stay and the nurses. Good luck to them as it is must be difficult. On the other hand I know that sometimes being able to identify who is who is not that easy! They are all described through the confused mind of Alice who delights in giving them nicknames. All stories are driven by it’s characters and this one is driven well.

Well what is it about? How can a crime be committed in a secure and supposed safe place? Well it happened. Alice thinks she knows best and uses her limited experience to find the culprit. There is a lot of ‘toing-and-froing’ with the behaviour and dialogue between the inmates being central to the telling. Of course, the police are called in and it is investigated to a conclusion.

I felt, at times, in the early part that it could have had a faster pace but that may have detracted from the actual telling and giving the reader time to get to know them all. I loved it and the strangeness of their everyday lives although far from normal carried mysteries with it. If you haven’t been in an institution then it can be difficult to comprehend.

There are no clues on the cover as to who-done-what and only praise on the back cover from established authors. Maybe if I hadn’t met Mark Billingham or knew of him before I may not have been tempted to read it. Anyway, I like books set in different or even strange locations and that fitted in very well with me. Now the signed copy can sit resting in the bookcase as I open up Greg Buchanan’s ‘Sixteen Horses’. I can assure you that is bloody different!

IS THE INGLORIOUS TWELFTH A NON-EVENT?

TWELFTH DAY OF AUGUST 2021 AND ARE THINGS CHANGING FOR THE GROUSE SHOOTERS

I wrote this poem in 2016 and this year I would have had to change the words because the Red Grouse have had a poor year. They were not going to get that good a year anyway as they are the intended targets for the wealthy and chosen few. It may be that the “glorious 12th” was not glorious at all with birds not plentiful enough for the shooters to enjoy. Several daily newspapers are covering the events or non-events. From their articles it appears the ‘The Royals’ have gathered again for their traditional pursuits. They also suggest that Prince Andrew may try again this traditional sport of grouse shooting. That’s an interesting scenario if he targets defenseless birds while he himself is a target of his accusers. I am not being judgmental in saying this because I have not seen any evidence of his wrongdoing, if any. However, his reputation seems tarnished by association. 

The Monarchy is in a difficult position and made more so by the people that they are surrounded by. I wonder how much of public opinion they have knowledge of. I expect much is filtered out by those around them who, at the same time, are looking after their own interests. I wonder and now for this poem that I hope will be soon be totally outdated by events. Here’s hoping.

A DEADFULL 13th

the guns are quiet now

a few corpses remain

in  "every-mans-land"

over the top we will 

have to go again

into yesterday's

resumed hell

and so it begins again; 

they're coming!

the cries grow louder

from the beating army

powerless we are; 

we have to flee, 

fly higher and higher

to beat the guns

it's an outrage

it's murderous

it's carnage

JE(C)03/08/16

HOW WILL THE MEDIA REACT TO ANOTHER 12TH AUGUST OF THE INGLORIOUS TWELFTH

THIS IS MY REACTION TO THIS DAY IN AUGUST

The Twelfth? Never!

quick upward flight

 

crack crash-crack

suddenly altered into

a fast whirling out-of-control

plunge

 

crack crash-crack

 

dead or worse still

only dying bombs into

the eco-system that

nurtured it. To allow

a feather to break free

from the body that

was its life

 

crack crash-crack

 

they hear the call

of death once more

 

filling the skies

with harmed and harmless birds

with toxic lead shot

with death

 

echo after echo re-echoes

the vision stays

the guns go silent

the dogs begin their work

ONE DAY BEFORE THE SLAUGHTER BEGINS ON GROUSE MOORS

 I wrote this poem four years ago and, although, there is progress being made by some people in some areas - it is slow. On the upside it is improving thanks to organizations who want to protect our natural habitats and our wildlife. I follow Raptor Persecution and Legal Justice. 

The latest tally is 43 Hen Harriers missing and/or dead and the figure will rise. There is still much work to be done.

The few lines below indicate a birds eye view of soon to be shot at, killed, eaten or maybe just dumped.

NATURAL ENEMIES?

natural enemies! pa-ah!

"they don't exist no more",

though we watch the skies, just

in case... you never know.

humans come and leave

things. We peck at stuff

and then there's that bunch

of feathers tied to the post.

It's really weird, that, 

and the unseeing eye 

socket scares us all,

but hey-ho

we gorge our way

to plumpness:

good enough to eat - 

and THEN...     

JE(C)04/08/16 

FEUDALITY, AND MYTH TO HERITAGE

 My profile shows that I was born into feudality and austerity. That was what 1945 rural Herefordshire was like. It wasn’t all bad and I was a lucky one to be there with all the freedom, love and good food. I am sure that now I would rebel against some of the things that I witnessed as a child. Issues are complex and different views have to be assimilated in discussion and not argument. The lines below are a journey from heritage to myth. The soon coming day of slaughter and the Royal summer visit to Balmoral has prompted me to put this poem out there.

HERITAGE

there’s a myth

strolling around

in soft suede shoes

a methodical incessant rhythm

of ongoing sound 

images too                 

images that resonate and resonate

turn the pages

we should

but we don’t 

we can’t 

it’s the drip feed found

with continuity

with familiarity

it’s the tradition that’s

etched into the mind

that subdues

that has subjugated

for centuries

so here we are

still paying our dues

still tugging the forelock

(or should it be fetlock!)

and opening doors

but not our door

as submit we have 

continuously done

as the distance for you

between being able 

to put food on the table

and wealth of a few

dictate to the many 

the you

that really matter

John Edwards (C) 

19th March 2021

BALMORAL ESTATE, HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND TRADITIONAL PURSUITS

 COMES AROUND EVERY BLOODY YEAR THE INGLORIOUS TWELFTH  OF AUGUST

As we approach the day that I historically remember by watching BBC TV as ‘the glorious twelfth’ as it was shown on the traditional news at six o’clock and at ten. It was depicted in such a way that the tradition seemed normal and how it was imbedded into the minds of the nation. That’s how it was then in a society divided by class but questions have always been asked and those questions continue. Legal Justice, other organisations, groups of people and individuals like myself are challenging this concept of tradition and the right of individuals to do what they want because they can.

The current concept of National Parks is anything but ‘national’. They are owned not by us but by, in many cases, because the Norman Kings gave our land away to their. I won’t go on because there are some excellent books out there as to who owns Britain. For example, ‘Who Own England’ by Guy Shrubsole and ‘The Lines That Divide Us’ by Nick Hayes.

Today’s Times carries a piece on the traditional ceremony of greeting Her Majesty The Queen to Balmoral. Ridiculous in the context that she has been staying close by at Craigowan Lodge for two weeks. Just a small house of seven bedrooms, but then there will be guests.

The paper says ‘While there are traditional pursuits on offer, including grouse shooting and deer stalking, work will continue as normal for The Queen’. How wonderful! There you go it is official. People can go out put toxic lead shot into the sky and into a ‘flying-for-life’ Red Grouse because they are invited to do so. That will not be for you and I but only for the invited guests. 

In an age when National Parks are not ‘common land’ but owned by a few we have the royal estates, it is said, owned by the monarchy. Prince Charles may want to slim down the numbers considered as ‘royals’ then he should also consider distancing himself from who can do what on what I maintain is our land. It seems that Feudality remains!

We’ll wait to see how the media cover this toxic event of the inglorious twelfth. I will be watching and listening.

HEN HARRIER DAY

 HEN HARRIER DAY SATURDAY 7TH AUGUST 2021.

Yes, I listened and watch, was absorbed by the content and enjoyed the presentations. Ten issues introduced one by one ending with the destruction of Hen Harriers near driven grouse moors. It is a tale of death.

I have recently been to UK with one aim being to see what farming was like and where I stayed in North Leicestershire I found the environment wonderful and I began to re-balance my thoughts from conservation with a sustainable farming economy. It’s a mix; it’s a balance. We all have to be able to live together. Following on from my thoughts Chris Packham spoke of being able to discuss with the ‘opposition’ and working all of us together. The previous sentences are my interpretation of his views. Diversity, for me, is not an option.

In LEGAL JUSTICE No. 73 they say this and I have ‘lifted’ it.

Did you watch the Wild Justice Hen Harrier Day broadcast on Saturday? If so, we hope you enjoyed it, if not, then you can catch up with it any time and we've produced a guide to how to find your way through it - click here.

 

The feedback has been wonderfully positive. Martin Simpson's Sky Dancers song has had rave reviews, the story of the Golden Eagle in Scotland was a moving hit with many and Olivia Blake MP talking with passion and obvious knowledge about upland issues touched many people too.  But it was the variety of people, the breadth of issues and the mixing of art and science all wrapped up and tied together by the eloquent Chris and Megan which made it such a success with many. At least, that's the feedback we've had.

 

Thank you to all those who donated as a result of watching the broadcast. You're right, such an event takes a lot of work and there are real costs in filming and editing the footage even though the people speaking to camera were all volunteers or their expenses were paid by their organisations. If you'd like to donate to Wild Justice's work then you can through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post - click here - thank you!

 

But what we'd really like you to do, please, is to sign the e-action that we launched on Saturday which calls for a better future for the UK uplands - for people, for the climate and for wildlife.  Our aim is to get as many signatures as possible but certainly for all elected politicians, in each of the UK's parliaments, to receive several emails from their constituents giving them a nudge. Please sign here. Thank you.

 

Many thanks! Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay.

This is the PS at the end of their post.

PS A 'report' funded by the shooting industry is doing the rounds of the media and is mentioned in today's The Times where Wild Justice's Mark Avery is quoted. Here's the full quote we gave the newspaper, 'This report pretends that every proven fault of driven grouse shooting is in doubt: wildlife crime, greenhouse gas emissions, flood risk, damage to protected habitats, increased water treatment costs. It's a report from an industry in denial.  But, no matter, Scotland is already moving to license grouse shooting and muirburn, and even in England DEFRA is reducing heather burning. We laughed to read that grouse shooting brings the social classes together. We'll have a game of dominoes down the pub with the Duke of Westminster any time he likes'.

Comment from me: while in England I bought the three available copies of the Shooting Times - to read what the shooters/hunters are saying. Nothing is too obvious that is obvious and so I will be reading and checking the content. Dr. Mark Avery has picked up on the comment “that grouse shooting brings the social classes together.” But in a world of ‘fake-news’ anyone seems to be able to say what they prefer to say. I will be watching the media outlets to see how the headline ‘the Glorious Twelfth’.