Utterly Explosive

Utterly #1

by Pauline Manders

Imagine how surprised three regular carpentry apprentices are to find themselves embroiled in homegrown terrorist activities in the tranquil Suffolk countryside. Up to the point where the story begins, their lives revolve around real ale, quirky T-shirts and cranky classic cars. Unwittingly they are increasingly drawn into a web of subversive events which centre around historic Wattisham airbase.
In this lively first crime novel, Pauline Manders has woven themes of friendship, loyalty and eccentricity against a backdrop of rolling wheat fields, Norman church towers and fertile fruit farms.

Sample paragraph:
'Hello, Mr Clegg, are you ther...?' Chrissie never completed her question. A heavy blow landed on her back, catching her between the shoulder blades. She cried out as the air jolted from her chest. She staggered forwards and fell. Her face hit the brick floor has her handbag flew off her shoulder. Its contents clattered to the ground. She never saw her assailant.

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2012

About the author

Pauline Manders was born in London where she went on to train as an ENT surgeon. She moved to East Anglia with her husband and two children, where she worked for over 30 years before retiring from the NHS. She lives in rural Suffolk in a converted barn and gains inspiration for her crime novels by walking in the countryside with her Weimaraner, Otto. Since retirement, she has had time to write, pursue her shared interest with her husband in classic cars, and also attend a local carpentry group. She is still working on carving three diving ducks as legs for a small table - some projects are more of a challenge than others!

Reviews

[Sam Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bot a bad first novel for this author was readable and the plot wasn't bad. The characters are a little odd but I think will grow on you as you read the rest of the series.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love the book as I live in Suffolk. Bury St. Edmunds is home and I work a lot in Stowmarket, so I know the area well. But I honestly struggled to finish the book. It was just a bit boring. No real excitement to speak of. I just didn’t get how random everything unfolded at the end. Why were we shooting down helicopters with missiles?? I feel like there were so many characters, meaning I never really felt connected with any one of them. The whole story just seemed so odd.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a new fan. I found the entire Utterly oeuvre sitting on a Kindle I inherited and am nearly through the tales. The woodworking friends are a credible bunch and clear descriptions soon establish the characters in the reader's imagination. Like many, I'm from the locale—but non-East Anglians should take to this series too, as they did to Alan Hunter's Norfolk cop, George Gently. Pauline's take on modern young males sometimes seems a old-fashioned (e.g. more admiring of introduced girl characters than hormone-driven!) but the acid test, as always, is that the stories draw me in and I'm hooked to the end. Some of the descriptions are a bit repetitive—another drink is slopped on the way from bar to table, etc.—but I like the sympathetic characters and their ésprit de corps. Each crime solution feels worked towards, not an unexpected rabbit-from-hat finale. Importantly, everywhere is evidence of the author's detailed research, as I can see in my area, IT. I look forward keenly to more in the series.

[Julia Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it was recommended to me by a fellow Suffolk writer as it is based in and around my hometown of Bury St Edmunds. From the very first page, I was hooked as the plot exploded on me, literally! Fast-paced and fun, this is a cosy mystery with a difference. No elderly amateur sleuths here, sitting in a corner knitting booties and solving crime, no, this book is one that will appeal to a wide range of ages and tastes. Its three central characters are young and relatable, after all, we all remember what it’s like struggling to gain qualifications in our chosen field, and the plot bounces along at a fair old pace.

A good clean read, this is for readers who prefer their novels not too brutally graphic either from a sexual or violent point of view, but don’t think that means there isn’t tension and gripping bits. I’m usually a slow reader but I consumed this in a few days and will definitely be reading more in the series.

[Polly Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this quick read after seeing Pauline Manders speak at a local library. I like to read books where I know the setting but this was maybe too close to home for me and I found myself trying to work out places and roads logically rather than following the story!

I was imagining Chrissie to be older than she turned out when her age was mentioned but I’m not sure if that was an assumption or the way she was portrayed...hope to read the next one and test this out!

Not quite so keen on some of the swearing but perhaps I’m just a bit prudish, but liked some of the references to Suffolk phrases.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author to these books at a local food festival and after talking to her brought the first two in the series. Have just finished the first and got to know the three main characters. At times this made me chuckle out loud. Also set not a million miles from where I live.

[Benevbooks]

Dnf'd at 33%

Didn't really find it interesting, and the only real reason I picked it up was because I spoke to the author herself, and it is set locally. Thank you to Pauline for the chat about her life and writing, though!

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining cozy Suffolk mystery with terrorists.

[Libraryliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok.

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

good first novel, well paced with mix of comedy, crime and darkness. but not sure that half the attraction for me was the very local setting.