What do you think?
A Drowning Man: A Manchester Noir
Manchester 1993
Private detective, Tom Renfield, works for the AndTom Detective Agency, a partnership with an old friend, Andi. They are both graduates who might be better employed in a very different line of work.
In a world of moral ambivalence, Renfield tries hard to be a good detective. Hired to find a missing student, the simple investigation quickly becomes more complex. A seemingly straightforward case is increasingly shrouded in confusion and danger.
During his investigations, Renfield works on and off campus, travelling along the Yorkshire coast to the mouth of the Wear. In a remembered narrative, recalled as a drowning man is said to revisit his life as it slips away, the case corkscrews out of control.
Private detective, Tom Renfield, works for the AndTom Detective Agency, a partnership with an old friend, Andi. They are both graduates who might be better employed in a very different line of work.
In a world of moral ambivalence, Renfield tries hard to be a good detective. Hired to find a missing student, the simple investigation quickly becomes more complex. A seemingly straightforward case is increasingly shrouded in confusion and danger.
During his investigations, Renfield works on and off campus, travelling along the Yorkshire coast to the mouth of the Wear. In a remembered narrative, recalled as a drowning man is said to revisit his life as it slips away, the case corkscrews out of control.
208 pages, Paperback
Published June 13, 2024
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 2, 2024
📚BOOK REVIEW📚The Drowning Man by John Storey🌿
This book follows Tom Renfield who is one half of a private investigating company with his old friend Andi. Mr Fish comes in asking for help as missing student Rebecca Morney hasn't been seen for a week and he is worried about her disappearance.
I thought this was a really great and enticing book! I was expecting to go in and have a dual timeline type book with one part going back in time to his private detective days and the other to him perhaps in hospital slowing fading away. It wasn't like that at all and was pretty much solely based on the main Rebecca Morney story. It was more like an abrupt beginning and ending but I thought this was quite unique as I'm not always a big fan of constant going back and forward to different times.
I felt Tom Renfield was definitely thrown into the deep end with this case! He seemed to be at work 24/7 and driving all over the country chasing leads. It was good being introduced to new characters along the way (and also another body or two) because it built up more atmosphere to the book and I felt like there was more or less a reason for each character to have a motive of being involved.
I certainly didn't expect the outcome of this book and it certainly left me stunned. I thought this was a really well written crime book that did leave me wanting to pick it back up throughout the day which is exactly what you want from this type of genre. There were lots of twists and turns and lots of secrets hidden between the pages. I would totally recommend.
This book follows Tom Renfield who is one half of a private investigating company with his old friend Andi. Mr Fish comes in asking for help as missing student Rebecca Morney hasn't been seen for a week and he is worried about her disappearance.
I thought this was a really great and enticing book! I was expecting to go in and have a dual timeline type book with one part going back in time to his private detective days and the other to him perhaps in hospital slowing fading away. It wasn't like that at all and was pretty much solely based on the main Rebecca Morney story. It was more like an abrupt beginning and ending but I thought this was quite unique as I'm not always a big fan of constant going back and forward to different times.
I felt Tom Renfield was definitely thrown into the deep end with this case! He seemed to be at work 24/7 and driving all over the country chasing leads. It was good being introduced to new characters along the way (and also another body or two) because it built up more atmosphere to the book and I felt like there was more or less a reason for each character to have a motive of being involved.
I certainly didn't expect the outcome of this book and it certainly left me stunned. I thought this was a really well written crime book that did leave me wanting to pick it back up throughout the day which is exactly what you want from this type of genre. There were lots of twists and turns and lots of secrets hidden between the pages. I would totally recommend.
June 13, 2024
When a young student goes missing from his old university, bumbling Private investigator Tom is hired to find her by one of his former university professors. Struggling in the aftermath of his mother's death, and a sort of crisis of conscience at being thrown back into his old stomping ground when he feels he hasnt achieved enough since being a student, Tom turns to drink to drown his sadness, and that leads to a further clouding of his judgement and some serious consequences.
I really love this book. An intriguing noir/character study that keeps you guessing until the end. Some of the plot twists are DARK, and you can't help but will Tom to sort himself out, even though you know how it ends from the beginning. I highly recommend this one!
I really love this book. An intriguing noir/character study that keeps you guessing until the end. Some of the plot twists are DARK, and you can't help but will Tom to sort himself out, even though you know how it ends from the beginning. I highly recommend this one!
November 24, 2024
It is an amazing book brings me really complicated feelings. I was deeply impressed by the description that Tom's childhood memory with his mother in Wales for family holidays, and the unattainable love abstracted as utopian between Prof. Fish and Rebecca Morney.
Another brilliant point of this book is that it is a detective novel but the case was only used to portray the complexity of human nature; Tom, comes to stage as a detective, he may not be that professional nor experienced, but he is a real human being.
Another brilliant point of this book is that it is a detective novel but the case was only used to portray the complexity of human nature; Tom, comes to stage as a detective, he may not be that professional nor experienced, but he is a real human being.
June 12, 2024
Thanks Northodox Press for the review copy!
My first time reading a "Manchester Noir" novel and I was pleasantly surprised. The characters and the pacing of this book make for a really enjoyable read. Pulling in references from cinema and literature to bring a very punchy mystery.
I never finish books in one sitting, but this was a doddle at just over 200 pages.
Highly recommended.
My first time reading a "Manchester Noir" novel and I was pleasantly surprised. The characters and the pacing of this book make for a really enjoyable read. Pulling in references from cinema and literature to bring a very punchy mystery.
I never finish books in one sitting, but this was a doddle at just over 200 pages.
Highly recommended.
March 15, 2025
In concept this story was great. An interesting storyline though was ruined as the story progressed. It seems that the author believes catching HIV/AIDS is as easy as blinking, and progression to full blown AIDS is rapid but with no mention of counselling or medication. This spoiled an otherwise very interesting book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews