Publisher: Harvill Secker
Release date: 2 March 2017
Rating: ***
Back cover blurb: William Watt wants answers about his family's murder. Peter Manuel has them. But Peter Manuel is a liar. William Watt is an ordinary businessman, a fool, a social climber. Peter Manuel is a famous liar, a rapist, a criminal. He claims he can get hold of the gun used to murder Watt's family. One December night in 1957, Watt meets Manuel in a Glasgow bar to find out what he knows. Based on true events, The Long Drop is an extraordinarily unsettling, evocative and compelling novel from a writer at the height of her powers.
I really wanted to love this book, truly I did, but for some reason, and I'm still not entirely sure why it just didn't do it for me personally.
Based on a real life crime, Peter Manuel is a career criminal, famous liar, rapist and all round thoroughly dangerous and dislikeable individual. Infact Manuel is so dislikeable that I may have just realised why I didn't get on too well with this book!
William Watt, is a social climber accused of murdering his family. He knows he didn't do it, and is pretty sure that he knows who did, his mission now is to get them locked up, for good.
One December night, Watt meets with Manuel to find out what, if anything he knows about his families demise. The truth is even more shocking than Watt ever could have imagined.
Manuel for his part, sees Watt as someone easily influencable and easy to play games with, the two of them make a particularly miserable pair...
If you're not familiar with this crime then I would give this novel a go. I think my mistake is having watched a television programme about Manuel recently and enjoying it more (quite rare for me!)
The long drop of the title, is a particular type of hanging, the type used at the time of Manuel's 1958 trial, where he stands for the murder of 7 people but is suspected of killing more. Without giving anything anyway, I think it's a fitting title.
The Long Drop is available via Amazon online and all good book shops.
Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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