This is a story of loss, love, and life in the small town of Duneen. Unfortunately, it oftentimes was uneven and what action there is in the story is slow and plodding. Unfortunately, too, the characters were not appealing as he is presented them in a meandering way that leaves the reader plodding along with an uneven plot.

I do know that Mr Norton is a fairly well known broadcaster on BBC radio 1 and 2, but his development of this story left me wanting more than what I got. My feeling is that he should have developed P.J, the overweight police officer, probably the one character who could have carried the story very well. Instead we got a mishmash of insights from other characters that really made the telling murky.

What I did enjoy was the Irish wit that sometimes showed through and the underlying sadness that we often come to associate with Irish writers. I do hope that Mr Norton pursues his writing for I do think he has talent. For me however, this novel was just quite bland and probably did not show Mr Norton's true talents.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton; First Edition edition for providing this reader with an advanced copy of this novel for an unbiased review.

The fabulous Graham Norton has written his first novel. I had high expectations of something fun and titillating. I was very disappointed.
Holding tell the small town of one boy and his two lovers. 25 years after Tommy goes missing, both women are still tangled in their love and feeling for him. Brid has managed to move on with her life although not happily but Evelyn is still wrapped in those scarred by being left. When a body is found, the town is a roar about who it could be and what old secrets might be let out.
This novel is thoroughly boring. reading it was like watching some of my mother's older English stories of society. The landscape is lush but people are stereotypes and never really do anything clever. The story relies on multiple love triangles and spurts of abuse to propel the story.
This everyday, mundane murder mystery is not what I had in mind when I think of Norton, and I think his talent is wasted on this quint story.

Holding is a mystery wrapped in a story of life in the remote Irish village of Duneen in County Cork. Sergeant PJ Collins has been constable in the village for 15 years when a long awaited crime occurs in the form of human bones turned up on a construction site. The very overweight and lonely 53-year-old Collins has always been certain that he could prove himself, if only if he had a real crime. He begins to investigate but has only a short time before the policemen from Cork arrive. In speaking with the villagers, the name Tommy Burke pops up. Young Tommy Burke was supposedly seen with a suitcase boarding a bus about twenty years previously, leaving two young women broken-hearted. An often told story is that of the two girls coming to blows in the street. One, Evelyn Ross, still lives with her two spinster sisters. The other, Brid Riordan, lives in Duneen as well, sunk in an unhappy marriage and drinking herself into a stupor daily. Other villagers have an interest in the bones, and in keeping the secrets associated with them.

While Holding takes the form of a mystery, it is more about how the choices we make, or have made for us, can color the rest of our lives. It is darkly comic in places and heart-wrenching in others. The village itself becomes a character in its own right, filled with all-too-human beings. I was only vaguely aware of Graham Norton's career as a TV and Radio presenter and talk show host, but I am sure that he can expand into writing novels if TV ever falls through for him. This is an impressive debut. Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advance copy. The opinions are my own.

So maybe I'm behind the trend on this one, but I wasn't aware that Graham Norton wrote books. I'm a fan of his TV show--I don't go out of my way to watch it, but I've enjoyed it the times I've seen it--but I really didn't know he did anything outside that.

I mean, I suppose I should have guessed. He doesn't just live in a bubble of television. (That would be weird.) But in any case, when I saw his name on the book and ascertained that it was in fact that SAME Graham Norton, I knew I had to pick it up.

He didn't let me down. It's a quaint piece set in a small town in Ireland, and follows several characters who have their small town lives shaken up by a big city problem. Norton keeps it fresh by hopping around between a few difference viewpoints without ever making it confusing; all of the characters are connected, so even when you stay with one for a while, it's easy to pick up where the next came in.

Each character has their own voice, each tale has its own route, and they all weave together incredibly. It has all the right nuances of being a small town--and all the usual problems of being a small town. (And speaking as someone who grew up in a VERY small town, I have first hand experience!)

That being said, it doesn't really do anything terribly surprising or new. Even if I didn't see the twists coming, when they came it didn't shock me. (Well one did, but.) Again, it's a small town. There's only so much that can happen in a small town and actually stay secret. This isn't so much a criticism of Norton and his writing, and more simply a restriction the setting places on you. I mean, you can write whatever you want, but when it gets too extreme, you start to wonder if the willing suspension of disbelief can hold for that much. Start putting underground crime rings in tiny towns, and I'm going to raise an eyebrow. Ten bucks says someone in that town knows. Probably several someones.

A good book. Excellent quick read, with just enough of Norton's classic wit seeping into the characters to make you laugh, and enough twists of the heartstrings to almost make you cry. Nothing to blow you away, but a good way to spend some quiet time.

Rating: *** (Worth a Look)

This is an Irish village tale set in Duneen. We follow police man P.J as he tries to unravel the mystery of the appearance of bones, found in the village. The different voices of the characters are captured, but I found the changing of P.OV from different characters, slightly distracting, and I found it hard to relate to the characters. However, the scene where Mrs Meany throws away the food at the wake, is very moving and poignant. This scene will stick with me, highlighting the cruelties and unfairness of life. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

Book review: Holding
By SANDY MAHAFFEY FOR THE FREE LANCE–STAR Jul 20, 2017 (0)

Graham Norton’s “Holding” nearly qualifies as a cozy mystery, just a bit darker than most. It takes place in a small Irish village where anything of great interest rarely happens. The residents live quiet, peaceful lives, which is just what Sgt. P.J. Collins was looking for when he requested an assignment as the only member of the police force of Duneen.

P.J. is not very good with people. Puberty was not kind to him—the combination of a growing appetite and lack of activity took him down the road to obesity.

“Looking back, he could see that he had hidden behind his size and used it as an excuse so he didn’t have to compete in all the trials of adolescence.” This avoidance continued into his adulthood, his first assignment with a large police force in a big city a very bad fit.

He’s been in Duneen for years and never had to solve a crime, so spent his time primarily issuing tickets. That all comes to a halt when a construction crew finds the remains of a body during excavation. For the very first time after years with the police, P.J. has to secure what could be a crime scene and he’s terrified he’ll make a mistake. A bit of panic sets in when he realizes he actually has to investigate, and actually get to know and interview the residents of Duneen.


Norton does a marvelous job of bringing the main characters to life: the Ross girls, Florence, Evelyn and Abigail, all unmarried, who have lived in their family home all their lives; Mrs. Meany, P.J.’s housekeeper; Detective Linus Dunne, who arrives to assist with the investigation; and Brid and Anthony Riordan, whose marriage isn’t quite what the village thinks.

The discovery of the remains opens all kinds of past conflicts, heartbreak, anger and uncertainty. Norton tells the tale with empathy, charm and occasional glimpses of the humor he is so well-known for. The well-structured yet simple story unfolds at a comfortable pace as P.J. becomes more comfortable with questioning the residents and the truth eventually comes out.

The characters and the landscape are beautifully described in this thoughtful, very enjoyable novel.

Sandy Mahaffey is a former Books Editor at The Free Lance–Star.
More Information

HOLDING

By Graham Norton

(Atria, $27, 272 pp.)

Publication: Aug. 1

I guess emphasizing who wrote it will at least get sales going and make this stand out from the crowd. However, not being familiar, myself, with the author as a popular celebrity, I wasn't looking for anything special beyond an interesting and lighthearted tale--or, as Netgalley claimed, "darkly comic." Well, there are humorous twists but the hype there is misleading. However, one would never know this is a first novel as there is a depth to the characters as well as the descriptions of Duneen (think Ballykissangel but with priest and pub as very minor characters) and an interesting plot which, like a good cozy novel reader, I dissected and analyzed and otherwise felt quite smug about figuring out the majority of the whodunnit part. (Why, yes, my own style is more Dickens than Steinbeck.)

Why would you want to read this book? Well, of course there is the Irish setting and the lovely look back into the 60s capturing the era superbly--the good and the bad. And you do end up caring about a goodly number of the people and pushing through to confirm your own deductions. It ends up being a nice, solid story you will very much enjoy having read.

Well well well...Graham Norton you are a dark horse. i am a fan of Graham Norton the actor, presenter. comedian and now author. Holding is the story of a small town in Ireland called Duneen and its residents. nothing ever really happens there but when human bones are discovered the secrets and lies are exposed by the towns Guard PJ.. an overweight and under appreciated man. this book has a great story that gets you in, characters to love and loathe and humor. A big thank you to Netgalley and tue publisher Artia for a copy of this book to read and review. please Mr Norton.. we want more!!

In the small Irish village of Duneen, nothing ever happens. At least, nothing new ever happens. So, when human remains are discovered during a building project, the entire town is in an uproar, wondering who the bones belong to—and who put them there.

The smart money is on the remains being Tommy Burke, who disappeared years ago, leaving two women to suffer his loss. Sergeant PJ Collins, overwhelmingly shy and conscious of his weight, just wants to solve the first real case of his life, but finds himself drawn into the secrets of Duneen’s past as he attempts to unravel the mystery of what happened all those years ago, and what’s going on now.

I’ve never seen The Graham Norton Show—a horrible lack, I’m sure, but I don’t watch much TV—so the author wasn’t a draw for me with this one. The rural Ireland setting, however, was a draw, and the novel did not disappoint. The characters in Holding aren’t that interesting on the surface—an overweight small-town Garda, a middle-aged woman who lives with her sisters and stays at home, the wife and mother who likes to drink—but they end up being compelling and real. PJ has struggled his whole life with his weight and his lack of accomplishments, and his struggles are so relatable they make the reader sympathize with him. The small-town setting of Duneen mixed with the cozy mystery aspect make Holding an engrossing and very readable story.

(Galley courtesy of Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

**Also reviewed on Amazon.**

Exceptional! A poignant story that really makes one think - Loved it!

Holding by Graham Norton is one of those books that does not easily fit into a specific genre. It is literary fiction, meaning it's kind of serious yet doesn't completely fit into any other genre. It's also a bit of a mystery, meaning the mystery is the driving force behind the story but it's about so much more than that.

It's a book about people. People who have outlived their dreams and are now living lives of quiet desperation... people who have forgotten how to feel much of anything... and then, one day, they are rudely awakened by unexpected events and are forced to recall all that they've lost... and all that they might still lose or even win depending on so many things beyond their control.

I prefer to think of Holding as just a really great book.

When human remains are discovered on an old farm near the small Irish village of Duneen it gets the local gossips (which, as with most small towns and villages, is almost everyone) going strong. Could it be young Tommy Burke who disappeared over twenty years ago? But that couldn't be possible because several people saw him get on a bus and leave town. Didn't they? Surely they did. Who was it, who was it exactly who said they saw him leave? No matter. Someone saw him go. But if not Tommy then who could it possibly be?

And with Sergeant Patrick James "P.J." Collins in charge - a fifty-three-year-old so overweight and out of shape that he is often described as "a man who broke into a sweat walking up for communion" - how could the village ever hope for a solution to the mystery? The man was a joke. A nice enough sort to be sure but no ones idea of an actual crime fighter.

Then you have the Ross sisters: Abigail, Florence, and Evelyn. Three spinster sisters who lived together in their family home. A bit of a strange lot. And wasn't it Evelyn who all those years ago was involved in an actual fist-fight in the street with another young girl over young Tommy? Maybe. Who can say for sure it was all so long ago.

Brid Riordan, the fiancee that young Tommy abandoned when he got on that bus so long ago (or did he get on the bus? Who was it that saw him again?). She's moved on with her life. A husband, two kids, a drinking problem... but then life never does go exactly as one plans does it? She has nearly forgotten Tommy. Until those blasted bones show up and it all comes rushing back like some kind of psychodelic flashback. Could it be Tommy? Could it be that he never really left her after all?

Mrs. Meany knows something. The old housekeeper who has been around so long that she's like part of the scenery just hasn't been herself since all the commotion up on the hill. The old girl is becoming undone.

The story unfolds in a steady, not rushed, pace. There are several big twists, most of which the astute reader will almost certainly see coming a mile away, but it's such fun to sit back and watch it all unfold anyway.

It's not the most original story you'll ever read but it's written in such a compelling way that you'll forgive the few cliches you stumble across.

Unfortunately I don't read enough books like this to really offer specific examples of other authors in the same vein. The only one who really comes to mind is Alice Munro. I recommend Holding to anyone who enjoys serious adult fiction. Perhaps those who like tales that are a little tragic. Basically anyone who enjoys a good story.

***Great thanks to the publisher, the author and to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title. This one was a real pleasure!

EDIT: I am trying to add links to my review on Amazon and Goodreads but am encountering issues getting the links to post.

When I first saw that Graham Norton had written a book, a fiction book no less, I was a little surprised. I love watching his show. I was even more surprised by the book itself. The story was fantastic. The characters were well written, believable, and richly detailed. I got so into that book that I wasn't able to put it down. I look forward to the next book that Graham writes.

He's the local guard, the only policeman in the village of Duneen. He spends a lot of time looking for speeders and sitting in his car and he's overweight. He just managed to pass the fitness test for guard, and he's still eating as much as ever. But when someone from the local development stops and says a body was found buried on the site, PJ Collins life is about to change...

Alibi and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can buy a copy now.

A missing man from long ago is thought to be the victim. They said someone saw him get on a bus to go to London but no one has heard from him. Where could he be? They decide to take a DNA test. The man they think he is had parents who had died by now, so they had to exhume them to get a sample. It's all messy and upsets the village. Not only that, the DNA doesn't match the parents.

As PJ questions the villagers, he picks up gossip. He hears about a fight between two girls who were each trying to get Tommy as a potential husband. When he questions them, each one thinks the other woman murdered him.

The murder was twenty-five years ago. Most of the village is hoping that people have forgotten all about it. No such luck. With outside investigators and the emotions from those who loved him and hated him, there's plenty of local turmoil.

I found the story had many little tidbits that took time to piece together. Two important families were involved. The failed romances took their toll on the two women involved. And the young man was not what he seemed either. All in all, it was interesting story.

If you come expecting a comic novel from Brit celebrity host and comic Graham Norton, you won't find it in his first novel, Holding. Yes, it has some wrily funny moments, but they're character driven and faithful to Norton's story, not tossed in for the laugh. Indeed, Holding is a sweet and affecting novel that treats its main characters, all of whom are middle-aged or close enough, with respect, whether the rotund police sergeant engaged in his first big case, the wife who drinks between dropping the kids off at school and putting dinner on the table, or the spinster whose life stopped years ago when the boy she loved became engaged to someone else. There are a half dozen of these characters, and they are never played for fools or stereotypes, which is a welcome surprise, given the small Irish town setting and the small scope of the protagonists' lives.

The novel kicks off as workers building a new housing project discover buried human bones. Although the mystery will be solved eventually, Norton is less concerned with the identity of the buried body or who put it there than with the townspeople who are affected by the shocking discovery and the emotions that arise from the disclosure. There are some surprises along the way to the conclusion and--nicely done--no pat resolutions.

Holding explores the many variations of the parent/child relationship, and the ways in which the past can come to have more meaning than the present. It is a novel that is kind to and that has empathy for its characters. And to its credit, like those characters, it never grandstands.

Graham Norton has written an engaging first Novel in Holding. Set in a small town Duneen, Ireland, Norton paints an exquisite picture of the counterpoint between familiarity of small town life and the inability to achieve a sense of privacy and anonymity. The challenge of achieving this balance is richly portrayed via the introduction and development of the six main characters and how their lives and emotions are intertwined as big news rocks their small town.

Each chapter has readers periodically ‘checking in” on a different character and their emotions as the plot develops. Norton’s transitions here are so well done as to be effortless. The flow and pace of his writing is very smooth and makes you want to keep reading to not break the rhythm. Each character is believable with their personalities and idiosyncrasies deftly revealed in a way that makes them increasingly familiar. This connected me in a way that made me feel that I too was a resident. Norton also uses his comedic talent to cleverly and enjoyably deliver a periodic turn of phrase, just enough to leave you longing for the next one.

My one criticism is the plot had little tension. There was no real suspense, sense of foreboding, or danger despite the story being built on the mysterious death of a well known inhabitant. For me, a little more tension or surprise would have made it that much more enjoyable. Upon reflection a few days later, however, I came to realize that the characters would stand up regardless of plot which to Norton’s credit is precisely the point.

With more suspense or foreboding, Holding would be a full 4 star read rather than 3.5 stars.

I've liked Graham Norton, who is a well-known TV and radio presenter in the UK, for years. So when I discovered he had written a novel, I was really curious to read it. I received an ARC via NetGalley (thank you!) but then I got hold of the audiobook, which is actually narrated by Graham himself, so that made the whole thing even more intriguing.
Set in a small village in Ireland (Norton was born in Ireland), Holding is a cozy mystery featuring Sergeant PJ Collins whose job as the local Garda has been pretty unexciting for the past twenty or thirty odd years. All that changes when builders developing farmland discover human remains. Could this find be related to the disappearance of a local man who, decades ago, had left behind two brokenhearted women?
At times, the mystery aspect became secondary as Norton revealed the painful pasts of the characters. It became a touching and on occasion rather sad novel about unfulfilled lives, about dealing with grief, loss and the constrictions of living in a small Irish community where gossip and judgment are omnipresent. At other times, Norton's wit shined through and made me smile. The writing flowed well and the characters and the setting really came to life. This was enhanced even more by the author's narration.
I admit I had wondered beforehand whether Graham Norton's narration would be overly theatrical, but it was actually very understated. He achieved a lot just through emphasis, pacing and subtle changes in voice.
Overall, a lovely piece of writing, a gentle mystery but with a compassionate and moving story and a well-narrated, enjoyable audiobook.

A pleasant surprise. Norton has written a neat little tale of secrets and lies coming back to haunt an Irish village. PJ Collins is terrific- he's funny and smart and there's more to him than you see at first. This is a quick read that would have benefited from another edit (although I read this as an ARC from NEtgalley so some of it might have been fixed in final.). Try this one if you like small town mysteries.

Wonderful first mystery by Graham Norton! A small Irish village whose,secrets come.to light as a skeleton is discovered. Well-written and hard to put down filled with characters that are true to life and interesting! Filled with twists and turns to keep,the reader guessing! I hope Norton continues to write more mysteries! He's very adept at breathing life into his words!

3.25 stars
Story centers around Sergeant P.J. Collins and a body that is found in the small town of Duneen in Ireland and the resulting investigation. The body is initially thought to be Tommy Burke who supposedly left the village some years ago after some turmoil with two of the local young women. One was a young woman, Brid Riordan, who Tommy arranged to marry, largely it seems, for her family’s farmland. The second was Evelyn Ross who loved Tommy and it appeared that he had reciprocated because of the attention and a gift of a scarf.
After the initial investigation, the bones are thought not to be Tommy’s and the case goes stale. Several months later, another set of bones, an infant’s this time, turns up at the same site. Several twists and turns and hidden secrets emerge in the story.
Holding is a solid entry as a debut novel. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the different perspectives that were used in the storytelling. Several times I thought, “wow”, in the middle of the book. The author really surprised me – either because of the twists and turns in the plot or the characters and their secrets they were holding onto. But ultimately the ending was a letdown for me. A little over half way through the book, I felt I knew what was going to unfold… and it did. Strong start and then predictable.

I did not have time to squeeze this title into my schedule, but I did mention it on my Monday BOLO post about new books out this week.

Interesting book set in the Irish village of Duneen. Pain, loss, and sorrow are expressed beautifully throughout the novel. Excellent book.