A SLICE OF LIFE

Over the past few years I’ve become a fan of Graham Norton being exposed to his talk show on BBC-America. I’d missed his attempt at the same here in the US but find his current show an easy one to enjoy, a sort of party atmosphere where celebrities feel comfortable enough to not just promote their current endeavor but do so with ease. When I heard he had written his first novel I was interested enough to give it a try.

HOLDING takes us to a place Norton is familiar with having come from Ireland. In a small village a body is discovered on a farm that many suspect is that of a local man who went missing some years ago. Garda officer PJ Collins takes control and a detective is sent in to handle the investigation. Collins is a portly single man who lives his life with few worries and few enjoyments. This is unlike anything he’s had to cover before in his career.

The book finds that there is more going on beneath the scenes than it appears. Past histories of love affairs with the potential victim, jealousies between rivals and long buried emotions rise as the story progresses. Suspects abound and eventually more than one victim as well. Through it all Collins begins to develop both as an officer and as a human being.

The book held my interest throughout with characters that felt real rather than forced. The depiction of living in this small village felt natural and real as opposed to completely fictional as well, making it feel as if you could step off a bus and know you were in that village, who were the gossips you should avoid and who you could be friendly with. And Collins is a character that most could find something to relate to, a man who has lived in his comfortable shell for so long but now has the opportunity to break free and actually live rather meander through this world. A good read.

The rather serendipitous thing about Holding is that the cover, the thing by which I judge all books despite admonishments not to, never would have caught my attention. The author’s name, on the other hand, certainly did.

And boy am I glad.

Penned by Graham Norton of British chat show fame, this book was a surprising gem.

With rich character development, stunning fluidity of language and intriguing yet believable twists, Holding was a delight to read.

When I received my review copy, I opened it immediately, hoping beyond hope that some of the charm that had attracted me to So Me (Norton’s autobiography) was also present in this book.

And it was.

I was hooked from the first sentence, which described a dopey sergeant – who served as the one man protection force for a small Irish village that, TBH, rarely needed much in the way of protection. Somehow, Norton managed to describe this character in a way that was simultaneously charming and laugh inducing.

As I read on, I came to find that this level of attention and care was provided to all the characters. Oddly, all of the characters were insanely likable. This was particularly paradoxical because all of the characters were also so fucking flawed.

The alcoholic mom who passes out in her parked car and forgets her kids at school? Likeable as hell.

The weird spinster woman who lives with her two sisters and continues to pine over a love that never really was? Likeable.

The detective who is secretly kind of happy that his wife left him and took their baby with her because he was sick of the constant noise. Somehow, still, likable.

Often times – too often, if you ask me – I’ll come across books that either have strong character development or have a stellar plot. To my delight, this book had both.

The slow burn of this plot was truly delightful.

It starts strong – with the discovery of human reminds (albeit, old ones) in a site that is being excavated. As our lovably plump and decidedly unathletic sergeant begins to investigate, we are introduced to this cast of characters – the likable ones I just talked about. Though there is an ever-so-slight lull during this character meet and greet, it’s brief and decidedly necessary. The vast majority of the character development takes place as the plot moves forward, yielding legitimately surprising developments– something that I rarely see in thrillers.

Though it was a mystery at its core, this book didn’t fall victim to many of the tropes that commonly transform solid mysteries into weak attempts at suspense. Holding was anything but formulaic. In fact, I wish you could determine a formula for this book so you could make more like it.

I do feel compelled to end this rather glowing review with one word of caution – and try not to sound too snobby while doing so. Holding will particularly appeal to intellectuals (okay, nerds) who love the English language. If you’re looking for rapid plot development and fast-paced action, this book probably isn’t for you.

But my love for the English language never ceases, and my affections for Graham Norton were only further cemented by my reading of this book.

(see my review - www.drinkreadrepeat.com & www.goodreads.com/ErinSchreiner)

A very good light read - I love the Irish influence throughout without being overbearing. I really could picture each of the characters and enjoyed their development throughout the story.

What a wonderful book. Graham Norton is a superb storyteller. His comedy and TV persona come through in every paragraph. The story takes place in a small village in Ireland where years' old bones are discovered at a building site. Enter the indomitable P.J. Campbell, the only member of the village Garda. With every page, you can't help but adore PJ! Even when he is described as a man so overweight that he "breaks a sweat" making his way up to communion. It's PJ's job to assist thue big-city detective sent in to investigate the source of the bones. As PJ works through the mystery, we meet a quirky cast of characters from the village. The tale has some interesting twists and surprises and comes to a satisfying conclusion. Holding is a highly atmospheric story, and I loved it. Highly recommend. Thank you to Net Galley for providing me a copy.

I am familiar with Graham Norton from the years I've spent watching his BBC television show, and my interest was piqued to see how he fares as an author. With that being said, I just finished reading his debut novel, Holding, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it!

Sergeant PJ Collins lives and works in Duneen, a remote Irish village. This is a small village in which everyone knows all of the residents, and because of this, they love to gossip. Due to the remote location, not much happens in the way of crime. That all changes when human remains are found on an old farm, and the police suspect the remains are of Tommy Burke. Everyone thought Tommy left years ago because of a scandal that involved two women (Brid Riordan and Evelyn Ross)...but finding the remains has people questioning if he truly left, or was foul play involved. To complicate things even further, the remains of an infant are found. The residents are now on edge, and the crimes need to be solved. Needless to say, Sergeant PJ Collins has his work cut out for him!


The story that unfolds is perfectly paced, and I have to admit that I felt the author is a fantastic storyteller. I was literally held captive from the first page until the very last. There are the obvious twists, turns and complications regarding the mystery...and it will keep you guessing until the very end. This is also a story about the residents in the village...the good, the bad, and all of their flaws and secrets. You will experience a range of emotions from humor to heartbreak. Pain, sorrow, and loss are all powerfully depicted throughout the story. The character interactions were both complex and realistic, giving you the opportunity to feel as if you truly know them.

Overall, I have to say that I truly enjoyed this book. Graham Norton has an ease and writing style that made this a joy to read. The transition between characters is smooth and effortlessly achieved, and the twists are surprising and unexpected. I am so happy that I took a chance on this book, and I will be looking forward to reading more by Graham Norton.

I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. My views are my own and are in no way influenced by anyone else.

l have great respect for Graham Norton as he has entertained UK TV audiences for many years using his wit and Irish charm. When I heard that he had written his first book I was very keen to read it.
It is fair to say that some of the author's charm has translated to the written word as he presents a "behind the scenes" look at the entangled lives in a quiet Irish village. However, I struggled with the presentation of the facts as they slowly unfold for the reader when bodies are discovered and potential suspects come under the spotlight of the local constabulary.
If Graham Norton had been presenting this tale in front of a live audience I am sure that they would have been captivated, but the written word format didn't work for me.

The characters in this story are all very interesting and there are parts of good humor but also more dark humor. I enjoyed reading the book and following the bumbling progress of the main character. You can visualize many of the things that go on in this small Irish community.

When I came across this book on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it. I love Graham Norton, so I was excited to see what his novel would be like.

This is a great mystery. It’s fast paced. Though there are a lot of characters, they don’t get lost in the mix. Sometimes when there’s an ensemble cast in a book, I get the characters mixed up, but that wasn’t the case here. They are all distinct, so it’s easy to distinguish between them.

I had figured out some of the mystery halfway through the book. However, I still enjoyed the story. The ending isn’t obvious so it kept me hooked till the last page.

This was a great debut from Graham Norton! I’m excited to see what he writes next.

Holding is a well written story no doubt. As far as mysteries are concerned there wasn't nothing new about the story.

Who would of thought a celebrity could write a good book. Surely no one could beat the brilliance of Katie Price and her fantastic contribution to the fiction world?
Well surprisingly, for me anyway, Graham Norton has done just that. Holding isnt my normal type of book, I like fast paced in your face Serial Killers, so Holding couldnt have been more differnt.

The chapters are told through different people making this a more character based thriller than a plot driven one. Some people may find it a bit slow and the ending felt a tiny bit forced but that aside its a good book that I enjoyed and would read more of Mr Nortons books.

I have a bit of confession to make. I have no idea the author of the Holding was a famous European TV host and so you could say that I read this book blind. I did not know what to expect from Graham Norton whether I should expect a serious.humorous or suspenseful story line. And let’s just say, Norton took me by complete surprise as he astounded me with his ability to create a story that was compelling, mysterious, and entertaining.

With his vivid imagery, readers are transported to a rural village in Ireland. Having not been to Ireland, Norton does a terrific job describing in detail the setting and the townspeople. In his doing of creating that setting, readers are taken down a literary journey where we are assaulted with mystery and suspense. Without spoiling the book, it reminds me of reading an Agatha Christie novel but with a different flair from the author.

Overall, I found this book to be mixed with mystery and yet wildly rich with entertainment!

Holding
Graham Norton
Atria Books, August 2017
ISBN 978-1-5011-7326-4
Hardcover

From the publisher—

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; mother of­ two Brid Riordan hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke – a former­ love of both Brid and Evelyn – the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.
Time didn’t pass in Duneen; it seeped away.

When it comes to meandering, laidback crime fiction, this one is it but that’s not entirely a bad thing. There’s not much in the way of excitement but I found myself quietly entertained and disappointed only because felt that individual characters could have been rounded out a bit more.

PJ is an odd duck, sort of drifting through life in his small Irish village, wishing for more but not motivated enough to do anything about it. When human remains are found, he thinks solving the case could lift him out of his dreary life a bit but he doesn’t actually have much to go on nor does he really know how to properly investigate. Still, he wants to try in his clumsy way if only he could manage to keep a step ahead of the big city police sent from Cork to investigate and he does have one advantage—he knows his village.

As in all small communities, everyone knows everyone else’s life history and speculation about these remains immediately calls to mind in the rumor mill the strange disappearance of a young man, Tommy Burke, nearly twenty years ago. The gossip starts up in fine fashion and, soon, PJ is looking into the long-ago story of a guy and two girls. Pretty soon, his habit of walking around the village to observe and get to know the people begins to pay off and he just might get the better of the very patronizing Detective Superintendent Linus Dunne.

Three lonely sisters are just a few of the characters who do get a lot of attention and their personal stories give a good deal of weight to this otherwise mildmannered mystery. In fact, in some ways, the mystery takes second place to the village itself and all of its inhabitants, especially PJ himself. This is a man I’d like to get to know better and I hope the author will give us a sequel.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, August 2017.

An officer in a small Irish town finds himself looking into a mystery that turns into a murder investigation. When he starts to dig for details, however, he realizes that the residents of the town may be hiding more than they’re sharing. Irish television personality and memoirist Graham Norton offers readers his debut novel full of charming characters and an old-fashioned mystery in the endearing book Holding.

It’s no secret that Sergeant P.J. Collins struggles with his weight, but then, in a town like Duneen, people notice things like that because there’s not much else to notice. The town’s residents spend quite a bit of time in one another’s lives, both figuratively and literally. P.J. doesn’t mind—so much—that Duneen doesn’t experience much crime. It means he doesn’t have to run around and work up a sweat.

When construction workers discover the remains of a body on a farm in town, P.J. experiences excitement and dread by turns. He finally has the chance to prove his chops as a garda, but he also comes face to face with the reality of an actual investigation. This isn’t some scuffle at O’Driscoll’s shop. It’s an honest-to-goodness body of someone who most likely got killed.

The investigation becomes personal to several people when speculation arises that the remains belong to Tommy Burke, a young man who people say left Duneen decades earlier. P.J. finds out that two of the women in town used to be in love with Tommy. One of them wanted to marry him, the other one actually got a proposal, and neither of them have seen him since his disappearance.

Despite his interviews of the women, though, P.J. can’t seem to get any straight answers. The women’s family and friends also get roped into the investigation, which starts to spiral outwards from Duneen. As he works with an investigator from a larger town nearby, P.J. learns more about the women who loved Tommy and other members of the community. Additional surprises during the inquiry bring up more questions, and P.J. realizes the residents of Duneen may be closer to one another than anyone understands.

Author Graham Norton creates a familiar community in Duneen and its citizens. He builds a comfortable place and a lovable, bumbling protagonist in P.J. Collins. Norton doesn’t waste time making P.J. appeal to readers; from the first page of the book, they know exactly what P.J. thinks of himself and how others view him in terms of his bulky size. It makes P.J.’s successes and failures during the investigation feel that much more important.

Norton doesn’t allow stereotypes about obesity pigeonhole P.J., however. The sergeant is smart and intuitive; he’s just never been challenged before, and this story is as much about his awakening to himself as an investigator as it is a mystery in the classic sense. Readers reap the benefits of a story that twists and turns while enjoying the quirkiness of a small town in Europe.

The supporting characters do their jobs in the most capable of ways. Superintendent Linus Dunne, at first glance a foil to P.J., garners some sympathy for his own personal issues. Brid Riordan, the town’s resident alcoholic, fights her addiction with tenacity that anyone could admire. Evelyn Ross, the third of a trio of spinster sisters, pines for Tommy while trying to maintain that she’s moved on with her life. All these people and others in the book come across as complicated, regular people, and readers will enjoy every single one.

Some readers may guess some of the surprises before the characters do, but Norton invites his audience into his story world with a gentle approach that appeals to all the sensibilities of a reader who just wants to enjoy a good book. Like other European authors Norton writes from an omniscient point of view, so it takes a few pages to acclimatize to the impromptu change from one character to another. The town of Duneen and the problems of its inhabitants, however, provide enough of a distraction from the head hopping.

Those who like a mystery about a faraway place with characters who feel like they could live next door will thoroughly enjoy Holding. I recommend readers Bookmark it.

Holding: Graham Norton
I must admit I was a little nervous about reading Graham Norton's novel. He is such a great talk show host; was his writing going to disappoint? I'm glad to say I needn't have worried. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were really well observed, the story interesting and the plot had enough originality to keep me hooked. There were a lot of issues to be explored here; sadness, love, the nature of living in a small rural community and all the characters likely to be encountered therein.
A lovely book that I will be recommending to others.

I am a big fan of British television, so when I saw that Graham Norton had written a novel, I knew I wanted to get my hands on it. For those who don't recognize the name, Graham Norton has a very popular celebrity interview show on BBC, where he talks and jokes and sings and dances with celebrities from all over the world. He is smart, entertaining, inventive, and effervescent on screen, and as it turns out, he's the same on paper. 

P.J. Collins is the only police officer (garda) in the remote village of Duneen in Ireland. But he doesn't mind. The town is quiet, and he can handle the job by himself. Until the day that builders find some buried bones on an old farm. The bones are thought to belong to Tommy Burke, a young man torn between two women, because he had disappeared to London many years before. The bones would explain why he'd not been back. But are the bones really Tommy's? And how did they come to be buried in such a manner? 

While P.J. had to call in the forensics team from Cork, he's not willing to give up the entire investigation to those intrusive big city boys who think they know everything. They may have investigated more murders than he has, but Duneen is his. He's the perfect man to dig through all the rumors and secrets to find out what really happened on the Burke farm all those years ago. And in the midst of all that, he finds a competence and a confidence that he'd never known before. 

The charm of Holding is a combination of a idyllic village of lovable and irascible characters, a mystery filled with secrets and rumors, and a beautiful writing style that transports you to a small corner of Ireland. This novel reminds me of everything I love about British mystery shows--the fully drawn characters, the compelling sense of a place, and the small-town secrets that come seeping out to put the final pieces in the puzzle. Everything about Graham Norton's Holding is an utter delight, and I recommend it without reservation. Put this on your shelf with all your favorite mystery novels, and hope that Norton considers turning this into a series. 



Holding was provided by Atria Books through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

Holding was a good mystery but it lacks a certain oomph that made me want to put it on my list of favorites. I do not read mysteries. Mysteries, for the most part, bore me. I usually can figure out who the bad guy is about halfway through the book. But something about Holding’s blurb drew me in. Also, that it is set in Ireland was a major selling point too.

This book was very well written and the characters all came alive in my mind. I could see myself in the village of Duneen, investigated whose bones were unearthed. I could hear the lyrical Irish accents, which I love. I could see the fields and almost smell the various smells that come with farm life. For a book to get me that immersed in it, which almost never happens, is a very good thing. I love it when a book does that to me.

I did figure out parts of the mystery by the middle of the book. But, as soon as I figured out one thing, another would crop up and there was a huge twist at the end of the book. One that took me by surprise. When I say I didn’t see what happened coming, I didn’t see what happened coming and it surprised the heck out of me.

What I didn’t like was the triangle that formed between Brid, Evelyn, and PJ. I didn’t think it was necessary for that triangle to mimic the Brid, Evelyn, and Tommy one years earlier. It added unneeded drama. I could see why the author chose to do it, though. It didn’t seem to add anything to the book and kind of annoyed me at times.

The end of the book was pretty standard and all the plotlines were wrapped up. Like I said about, I was surprised at the major twist that happened towards the end of the book. I did not see it coming.

My Summary of Holding: 3 stars

I really enjoyed reading Holding even if I thought that there were some unneeded plotlines. The mystery was truly that, a mystery and the twist at the end of the book did surprise me. The only thing I didn’t like was that I felt almost too much attention was paid to Brid and Evelyn’s lives at times. Other than that, it was a good mystery but nothing that I would reread.

Will I reread: No

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: mild violence, mild language, and sexual situations

I would like to find Atria Books, NetGalley and Graham Norton for allowing me to read and review Holding

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I’ll admit I’m a fan of Norton’s humor and talk show: I’ve watched it for years and love the sense of fun and humor that he brings to each guest’s interview. So when the chance came up to dive into this novel, I was all in. And I have to say that it was wholly different (in all the best ways) than I expected, and the humorous twists that Norton infuses into his characters and situations are pointed, poignant and add greatly to the tale.

Told in third person, Norton switches perspectives between characters smoothly: allowing the reader to get to know them with subtle insets of personality, backstory and current woes. Bones are found as builders are working at an old farm: and as it turns out, they are human and belong to Tommy, who left the village years ago to never be seen again. Tommy left behind Brid Riordan and Evelyn Ross: both had loved him, and neither has exactly the life they dreamed of. Add to this Garda Sargent, and only member of the police, PJ Collins, set it in a small town with little happening, and the gossip, questions and self-discoveries run amok.

PJ is overweight, bordering on morbidly obese, and rarely even has minor vandals to contend with: so a murder mystery seems so far beyond his scope of abilities that much of the story focuses on his being shuffled to a supporting role under DS Linus Dunne in from Cork to run things. PJ has always felt his own lacks far more seriously than anyone else ever truly believed. Food and his weight have become his go-to: hiding from emotions, relationships and building walls to keep himself safe from the constant jibes and judgements. But, when his resentment actually spurs his determination to investigate and discover the story leading to Tommy’s death, he starts to gain confidence and even find a bit of an awakening personally. When you add in Brid, her alcoholism and 2 children that she is raising alone in this small, judgmental Irish town, and mix in Evelyn and her unease with her life not being all it can be, the three become a ripe tapestry of humanity: flawed, noble, secretive, judgmental and even a bit vulnerable.

And this is what Norton does with such grace: he presents the town filled with the things people do and don’t say, but show in every moment. The us versus them moments where outsiders are clearly that, how things are done is everything, and yet, gossip and speculation run through like scent on air. None are immune to it, all take part, and while most isn’t meant to be mean-spirited or malicious, sometimes the result is the same: limiting personalities, personal growth and choices all in the name of belonging. Throughout these tiny (and not so) dramas of spirit that occur regularly, Norton is dropping hints and clues to the true story of Tommy’s disappearance and murder, sifting through the truths, half-truths and outright lies keeps readers engaged as the who and why shift repeatedly throughout the pages. I loved the story for the innate small-town sensibilities that just happen to come with an Irish accent, the characters and the twists that reverberate from the ages-old murder to reveal secrets buried not quite well enough.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” http://wp.me/p3OmRo-9er/ “ > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

First for Americans, Graham Norton, the Irish host of a comic talk show, is as well known in the United Kingdom as his counterparts Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel are on this side of the Pond. Norton sallies into new territory with this funny, intriguing debut novel that follows the exploits of the bumbling Sergeant P.J. Collins. His Irish village of Duneen is so sleepy that Collins has never really had to do a serious day’s of police work in his life; that all changes when a construction crew unearths a skeleton at an old farm.

The presumption is that the remains belong to Tommy Burke, a handsome lothario who disappeared 23 years ago. The roly-poly 53-year-old Collins resents that egotistical Detective Superintendent Linus Dunne, dispatched from Cork, is presumed to be more capable of discerning what happened so long ago. In Norton’s novel, nothing’s what you’d expect — and readers will savor this spellbinding novel with its electrifying denouement. I loved the well-meaning Collins, and I hope that we’ll see him a sequel.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I received this book free from NetGalley and Atria Books in return for an honest review.

Most reviews I've seen of Holding, both positive and negative, seem to be written by readers who only picked it up because of the name Graham Norton. I was the opposite - I read the summary and thought 'that sounds exactly like a book I would like,' but my cursor hesitated over the request button because of the author. I mean, don't get me wrong, Graham Norton is a great television presenter. I just wasn't confident in his novel writing skills. But I was too tempted by the premise to not at least give it a shot.

It was... okay. Holding is a sort of cozy mystery meets romantic comedy (if I'd realized how heavily romance factored into the plot, I would have stayed away), set in a modern day small Irish town, which follows sergeant P.J. Collins as he attempts to solve a decades old murder. The plot is rather flimsy, and takes an unnecessarily long time to gather steam. Characters are well developed, ordinary people with Dark Secrets, but there's a certain intrigue missing. And it doesn't help that most of the Big Reveals are from people just... deciding to tell P.J. things at opportune moments.

The prose was technically decent, but it really failed to hold my attention. This book probably took me twice as long to read as it should have - I lost track of the number of times I realized my mind had been wandering, and I had to go back several pages because I hadn't been paying attention. Part of the reason for this was the rather poorly executed third person omniscient point of view - the "head hopping" got really out of hand at times and made it difficult to follow.

I think this book is in some ways a direct homage to The Casual Vacancy - a slow moving mystery set in a remote town with a large host of unlikable characters, it's hard not to draw comparisons - but for me, it fell totally flat. I was actually one of the few who quite liked The Casual Vacancy ('liked,' not 'loved'), but Holding didn't manage to improve upon any of The Casual Vacancy's flaws. Where Rowling's plotting was intricate as ever, and her first adult novel managed to pack quite a punch by the end, Holding was only ever a tepid, flavorless imitation.

Norton's certainly a better writer than I had expected; his wit and humor are as omnipresent as you would expect, and I like some of his ideas - I would be willing to read another novel from him in the future. But Holding just wasn't executed as well as I'd have liked. It was almost there, but not quite.

Also, warning: there's a fairly graphic rape scene about halfway through. Proceed with caution.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and Graham Norton for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.