The Water Clock

Philip Dryden #1

by Jim Kelly

In the bleak snowbound landscape of the Cambridgeshire Fens, a car is winched from a frozen river. Inside, locked in a block of ice, is a man's mutilated body. Later, high on Ely Cathedral, a second body is found, grotesquely riding a stone gargoyle. The decaying corpse has been there more than thirty years. When forensic evidence links both victims to one awful event in 1966, local reporter Philip Dryden knows he's on to a great story. But as his investigations uncover some disturbing truths, they also point towards one terrifying foggy night in the Fens two years ago. A night that changed Dryden's life forever...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, British Literature, Suspense

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Jim Kelly is a journalist and education correspondent for the Financial Times. He lives in Ely with the biographer Midge Gilles and their young daughter. The Water Clock, his first novel, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Award for best first crime novel of 2002.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a real "British" mystery in that it is not revised in any way for an American readership. One doesn't realize just how much editing goes on in international publishing until one comes across an unadulterated book like this one! I reveled in such idioms as: "could do with being there," and "10p bits into a gas meter." I also enjoyed the references to "wine gums" which are a candy similar to "jujy fruits." It was really fun, if sometimes a little puzzling, (for instance, what IS a "drove road?") to read exactly what a British reader would see. I hope to come across more of these authentic reads!
As for the plot of the book, I felt it presented too many aspects, but applaud the intricacy of the work, especially as it was a debut novel. I was too lazy to read back and figure out who the main killer was, but I still wouldn't have unraveled all the threads, so it's certainly fair to state that the author surprised me.
Briefly, Philip Dyrden, reporter on a weekly newspaper in a small town near Ely, comes across police dealing with an underwater car in which a brutally murdered body is found in the trunk (boot.) From there, the story takes off, winding its way through the gruesome discovery of an additional body found petrified on the roof of Ely Cathedral, which proves to have been there at least 30+ years. Along the way, we learn that Dryden's wife remains in a coma following a car accident from 2 years ago and as a result, he no longer drives, but gets around only by taxi, driven by an eccentric cabbie, who appears to never have any other passengers. Assorted other town citizens make appearances, including the mayor and his wife, a flashy car dealer, a contractor (builder,) a gypsy family as well as the other newspaper staff members. Several people end up in the hospital; there is a pending flood of epic proportions threatening the whole East of England and several side issues of a gay vicar and a long-ago robbery. But author Jim Kelly does a decent job of wrapping it all up and tying down the loose ends. Note: through-out the whole book, many innocent people end up maimed rather than dead...it's a little disconcerting. A good read...I will look for any others by the same author.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE WATER CLOCK (Unl. Invest- Philip Dryden-England-Cont) – VG
Kelly, Jim – 1st in series
Penguin Books, 2003, UK Paperback – ISBN: 0141009330
First Sentence: Out on the Middle Level midnight sees the rising flood nudge open the doors of the Baptist chapel at Black Bank.
*** Reporter Philip Dryden nearly drowned as a boy and again when his car went into a river, leaving his wife, Laura, in ‘locked-in syndrome’ coma. His aversion to water is understandable when he attends a crime scene where a car, whose trunk contains a mutilated body, is pulled from a frozen river. A second body, the corpse having died 30-years previously, is found on the roof of Ely Cathedral. Dryden is on the trail of the story when it is found the two victims are tied to a crime from 1966. The investigation also ties to the night that changed his, and Laura’s, life.
*** I can understand why this book was short listed for a CWA John Creasey award.. It did take me a bit to realize that while he’s telling the present day story, he is also telling the events of the past and bringing the two together in an “oh, wow” ending with all the ends neatly tied up. The characters are great; Dryden is interesting and multi-dimensional and his driver, Humphrey H. Holt, could become a favorite of mine. Kelly’s use of the weather is critical to the story. It was refreshing that the original crime isn’t a serial killing. It is also nice that the story is not set in London, but in the Cambridgeshire Fens. This is the first book I’ve read of Kelly’s and it definitely won’t be the last.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had picked up the second through fifth books in the Philip Dryden series at a discount bookseller. To be fair, I tracked down the first to see if my $20 investment had been a bad risk. It was not!

In a nutshell, the success of this book is its lead character, Philip Dryden. Dryden is not the typical fearless hero. He is a haunted, cynical and wry journalist, subject to fear and moral failings. In other words, a very realistic creation. His backstory, particularly that relating to his wife, is tragic and a focus of the book. It is hard to dislike Dryden, as his life is in a state of limbo.

Dryden, a reporter for a newspaper called The Crow in the village of Ely within the Cambridgeshire Fens, starts investigating a murder that he soon discovers is connected to remains discovered days later on the roof of a cathedral. What connects a murder today with a mysterious death from thirty years past? Dryden aims to find out, but someone is intent on warning him off...

The plot is very complex, and does come together at the end although one big reveal is somewhat of a letdown. The trip the reader takes to get to that point is thrilling, though, and Kelly's writing style is vivid in its imagery without being cumbersome. In fact, it is very artful and he brings the setting and the action scenes to life with a lyrical quality. That, and Dryden, are well worth the price of admission.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first of Jim Kelly’s novels and, at first, I found it a struggle to get into. The language used is long-winded and very descriptive. However, the plot was intriguing, which kept me reading. I normally read crime novels from the perspective of the police, so this was a huge change to get involved in the world of a reporter trying to solve a case that the police seemed unable to. As the story went on, we were giving snippets of background for both Dryden and the other characters in the story – which were interesting and really helped give me the feel for what was going on. I really liked the main characters – Dryden and Humph are key to the whole thing and I felt a great deal of empathy with them both. The description of the Fens was amazing – having visited that area a few times due to family connections on my husband’s side – and I could get a real sense of the desolation and isolation. For a story that started off quite slowly, the ending gathered pace as quickly as the advancing storm and the excitement grew with each chapter. The chapters themselves were long, which at first I disliked, but gradually as I got into the story the more I realised that was how the interest was maintained and I found it hard to put the book down. I shall most definitely be reading more of this series as I found it different and an extremely good read.

[BookScout · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointment. The plot was clunky and at times it was confusing as to what was happening. Secondary narratives that were completely irrelevant to the main story were not such much interweaved as hammered on with nails, then left as redundant appendages. The main protagonist was actually genuinely vile, even spiteful at times and elicited very little empathy. I was also annoyed by the way the local people were innacurately portrayed as insular bigots, a lazy stereotype of rural communities which I thought was weak. The prose wasn't all bad, particularly some of the bleak, haunting fenland portraits were very atmospheric. And there were some funny one-liners that worked well. The best character who stood out in bright technicolour compared to anyone else was the taxi driver Humph Holt. He was totally loveable and believable, I just can't believe the main protagonist, Dryden, was so insipid. Two stars, one for the portrayal of the fenland landscape and a second for Humph and his Ford Capri.

[Jeammie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally finished this book. Is it action-packed? Yes. Can it describe crime scenes vividly? Yes. Was it boring? YES. I'm sorry but this is not my cup of tea.
I hate the flashbacks. Better if I knew none of it to add mystery to the story. I would rather see the case through Dryden's eyes. Not to multiple point of views from different sources.

TOO MANY BACKSTORIES AS WELL. Just get to the point of the story. I've read enough of Dryden's trauma already.

TOO MANY CHARACTERS. Can't keep track of them all.

Not a good read for me.

[Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing as I adore his later books. I found the story confusing and often clunky and the secondary narratives seemed irrelevant. I liked Dryden and his sidekick Humph but in general I found the other characters too stereotypical. However, I will read another one as it was well written and I loved the descriptions of the fens.

[Paula Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Booorrriinnnggg. This moves at a glacial pace! When you spend four pages describing how the Fens is going to flood, I start to skim! Why is that much description needed? This is a crime novel - beef up your plot! One of my pet peeves! I've also read The Fire Baby and The Coldest Blood in this series, and they were really good! So don't let this first one put you off.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

good page turner

[mellidiezahnfee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leider hatte ich mir von diesem Buch etwas anderes erhofft. Das Cover lässt einen eher düsteren Krimi vermuten, mysteriöse Morde im Moor, eine einsame Gegend und ein paar skurrile Gestalten am Wegesrand.
Ja, all diese Kriterien erfüllt das Buch hundertprozentig, nur leider ist es mir zu sehr am Thema Krimi vorbei.
Ich musste es leider nach 35% abbrechen, weil ich überhaupt nicht mehr weitergekommen bin. Geblieben ist nur, dass ein seltsamer Reporter sich von einem Taxifahrer mit Narkolepsie durch die Gegend fahren lässt, ständig auf der Suche nach Essbarem ist und mit einem Polizisten eine ebenso unangenehme wie nützliche Symbiose eingegangen ist. Bis jetzt gibt es drei miteinander verwobene Handlungsstränge, die sicherlich zusammenhängen, aber leider kann ich den roten Faden nicht erkennen und so bleibt das Buch für mich eher leblos und fad als spannend. Auch die Figur des Reporters Dryden finde ich sehr unsympathisch gezeichnet. Das liegt ein wenig am Schreibstil und auch ein wenig an der allgemeinen Charakterisierung. Ich jedenfalls kann mit diesem zynischen Typen leider nichts anfangen.
Bei 35% habe ich das Buch abgebrochen, was ich sehr bedaure, aber da kommt ein Zeuge ins Spiel, der auf einer Seite einen riesigen Schraubenschlüssel mit einem öligen Lappen reinigt, und drei Seiten weiter stellt sich heraus, dass dieser Mann nur einen Arm hat. Grübel.
Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass es sehr viele Leser gibt, die diesen Schreibstil und diese Charakterisierung gut finden, meinen Geschmack trifft es leider überhaupt nicht.

[Mike Cuthbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelly was new to me and his style is refreshingly pure Brit! I admit I had to look up “sanies” and found that it’s British slang for sandwiches. There were other terms that had me grasping for meaning, but in most cases the context let me in on the gag. Kelly is a funny writer; his character of Humph, the hero’s driver, is hysterical between his cassettes and constant meals and sleeping, as well as his legendary difficulty in exiting a vehicle. Philip Dryden, said hero, is not a detective at all but a reporter for the local weekly. In Ely, a reporter apparently has almost as much access to police data as the police and, of course, Dryden is much better at solving crimes than the police. Actually, he’s working on two murders, linked by a robbery thirty years ago. One victim is recent, the other is discovered high above the ground in a gutter of Ely Cathedral. As a side plot, Dryden’s wife, Laura, is in intensive care with a coma caused by an accident in which Dryden was driving. She had a head injury, somebody saved Dryden from drowning. Solving the accident and his rescue is also a part of the mystery. In the meantime, Dryden has hooked up with Kathy, who is also injured late in the book; the guy just has no luck with women! There is the usual plethora of suspects and it all gets narrowed down in the best British tradition and, since this is Kelly’s first novel, we suspect that Dryden and Humph may make more frequent appearances in mystery literature. Their presence would be welcome.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came into the Philip Dryden series several books along because the early ones were not available from the library. Fortunately there's been a reissue and I could get a look at the beginning. That said, we are really plunged into Dryden's life story at a similar point, it's after the dreadful accident which changes his life and particularly his wife Laura's life forever. Some of those circumstances are mysteries Dryden needs answers to here. The plot is considerably overegged, as I know is going to be usual with these novels, but it is an engaging book and, remarkably, doesn't feel as though it is labouring under the weight of being the first in the series. The Humph as chauffeur scenario, Dryden as a boat dweller, is endearing but the whole drinking miniatures thing is overdone and ultimately gives the lie to assertions that Humph is not a drink-driver, despite the occasional nights sleeping it off in the Capri. And that, in the context of this story, and that of the series, is particularly inappropriate.
The setting is compelling - Ely Cathdedral and the Fenlands, and it was especially eerie to be reading of flooding when so much of the UK has been underwater. The writing is engaging too - the books would fall a little flat without Kelly's turn of phrase.

[Michael Cordery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought the series as I was born and raised in the Fens (Norfolk just over the border). Even though I left at 16 it is still as vivid to me as ever and of course I have travelled back quite a few times though it has changed a lot. The first page of the book referenced the Middle Level. Remembered fishing there as a kid.

Now to the book. Kelly is a new author to me but I found the local slang pleasing. The book is 2002 and I had no idea of our alter ego. I presumed a DI and I got a journo. I found it a tough read and it took a few days. I couldn't get over the freezing weather. frozen rivers and non stop snow. It's rare but it does happen e.g. 1947, 1962/3. I wasn't in the UK in 1977 and of course the floods hit in 1953 to the coastal areas i.e. King's Lynn. Whatever I could understand it. I thought the plot was well written. decent finish. Plenty of drama with the floods, solving Phil's accident which badly injured his wife and finally identifying the murderer. The characters grew on me. To potential readers some perseverance is required. I moving to Book 2. It may be challenging.

[A W · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 2002 this book is everything an intelligent crime novel should be. The fenland setting is skillfully invoked in all its cinematic strangeness and Kelly’s prose style is suitably sardonic. As a central character Dryden is just the right mix of the world weary and the vulnerable, knocking back the booze at all hours and despite the trouble it gets him into following his own code of honour.

Although it was first published almost twenty years ago this book carries its age well and may be a minor modern classis of the genre in the making. It certainly makes you want to join its protagonist on his other journeys down the mean streets of England’s wettest county.

[GBL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed Jim Kelly’s newer novels, set in Cambridge at the start of WWII, I returned to this earlier novel The Water Clock.

The central character, Philip Dryden, is a journalist on a local newspaper in Cambridge and he begins to investigate a historical crime when a car is brought out of a Fenland ditch. His investigation, alongside the local police, explores a violent robbery from 1966, which has an effect on current events.

The characters are interesting and Kelly cleverly links past and present events in a complex tale of violence and deception. The novel was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Award in 2002 and it’s easy to see why .

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found that reading this book was like separating wheat from chaff. Mainly because of the over-use of similies (or is it metaphors?) The story itself started out OK, but I got bogged down in the (too) many comparisons ("the newsroom looked like a cabin on the Marie Celeste," "When she moved she sounded like a mobile in the wind," "a monochrome sea as flat as an ancient mariner's nightmare") used as descriptions. Somewhat clever, but tiring at the same time. Not sure if the mystery was well-plotted since i gave up around chapter 5.

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was about 12 bucks on Audible. It was ok. I didn't hate it. It was, however, very slow. There wasn't any tension, no sense of urgency, and the mystery was a lot less interesting than it promised to be.
Also, the author used the term "gave him an old-fashioned look" at least 3 times, which is something that should have been caught in an edit. It sounds like nitpicking, but word frequency really sticks out.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Water Clock is a satisfying read. I picked it up in Ely, looking for crime novels set in the fens, and I wasn't disappointed. It conjures a great sense of place, through the strong writing and characterisation. The climax, when it comes, makes sense and wraps things up really well. The Fire Baby, as the next Dryden title, is going onto my reading list now :-)

[Julie Dunnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. Set in the fens, an area which always unnerves me, the protagonist is male, and a journalist for a local newspaper. All facts which counted against the book. But slowly Philip Dryden grew on me and I really wanted to know what had happened all those years ago. I would not read it again but will look out for more by Jim Kelly

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit tough to read. Many times the plot was difficult to follow because it had confusing moments, I found myself having to go back a couple of paragraphs to understand who was what and what was going on. The story was sometimes enticing, sometimes bland. Three stars.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for the setting, which was wonderful. Philip and his sidekick are good company, but the plot was unnecessarily complex, especially the melodramatic reveal. I might try another one just to visit Ely again. Maybe.

[Sharkie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A truly forgettable thriller. It's been about a week since I finished it, and I only remember bits and pieces, which isn't a great sign.

I did generally have fun reading it, but it was nothing special, sadly.

[Soha · Rating 1 out of 5]

A crime in a small town is being solved by a journalist instead of the cops.

I think the writing style isn't for me.
I don't know why but it was difficult for me to follow along with the storyline.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very atmospheric novel set in the fens just prior the the spring thaw in an awesome landscape. A first in a series of Dryden stories. Interesting characters, a satisfying explosive resolution in the midst of a natural disaster.

[Laura at the Batavia Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75
Very good characters--likable, a little quirky but believable and sympathetic. Story was steady, somewhat suspenseful...narrowed down whodunnit, but didn't guess
series abt journalist who left Fleet St to be near wife as she rehabs from drowning

[Kay Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really goodbook. Liked the way the story was laid out, with little bits of the story being revealed at a time and the way the different people were all Involved. Did feel that the ending was a bit dragged out, could have been shorter. Look forward to reading the other two stories

[Jeff P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough, and definitely worth reading if you are looking for a crime novel set in the Fens generally or in Ely specifically. But although I was always going to finish the book, i wasn't totally gripped. I would rate the others in the series similarly.

[Bryngel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not often I describe books as boring. I do now. This was boring. So fucking terrible that I wanted to poke my eyes out with a yellow fork. I somehow got through it and will never again read a book about the miserable Dryden. I will however, read a book about Humph any day.

[Tommy Mann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moderately interesting, but…

The mystery that forms the plot is moderately interesting, but the protagonist’s solving of it is unbelievable. And given that said protagonist is extremely unlikeable made this book, for me, unenjoyable.

[Eirlys · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read.

I enjoyed this crime novel, which is set in the Fens. Philip Dryden is a local reporter for the Crow, a weekly paper. The plot was ingenious and very riviting. I enjoyed the various characters who interacted well together.