5 Words: Community, prejudice, secrets, mystery.

Content Warning: Sexual Assault

This was actually a pretty cosy mystery. I love the setting, as someone who grew up in a small village it was something I know all too well. Yes, everyone knows everyone.

The author narrates this story themselves in the audiobook version. This is one of my favourite things, as you get to experience it as the author intended in terms of which words are stressed or the tone that a character uses.

I thought that Holding was excellently written. The characters were well rounded and had their own distinct voices.

I liked the kind of flippant disregard that was offered to the village itself, which was almost a character in its own right.

This was a page turner - I loved the mystery and despite the relatively slow pace I couldn't put it down and read it quickly in a day.

I am just very disappointed in what seemed like an unnecessary sexual assault - surely there were many other routes to the same ending? It took my right out of the story and I was tempted to DNF there and then.

I was intrigued when I heard that Graham Norton was releasing his debut fiction novel, having watched him on TV for years and finding him immensely entertaining I wondered what his writing debut would bring and set about getting the book from net galley.

Those that seen Norton may have certain expectations on what he would write about and you’ll probably find yourself very surprised when you start this book.

PJ Collins is the local police officer in a village not used to much police action, over weight and not used to drama when a body is discovered on an old farm PJ is suddenly at the centre of what could be the unravelling of a huge village secret.

In their youth Eve Ross and Brid Riodran fought over the affections of Tommy Burke, but then he disappeared ‘to London’ leaving both women in the lurch and with lives that could have been very different.

In the following investigations many secrets are unearthed and old rivalries stirred – it’s definitely not what you’d expect from Norton but a wonderful and exceptionally well written debut novel full of surprises (of the good kind!)

An excellent debut which I will be recommending to all!

The story is beautifully written and I felt a great deal of sympathy for the characters. As I said there are some moments of humour, especially with Bobby, the rather large and mad puppy, but there are also a lot of much deeper thought provoking moments as well. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this page turner and would not only recommend it to Graham Norton fans but also to anyone who enjoys fully immersing themselves in the history and minds of the residents of a previously sleepy little village in Cork.

A surprising read but not really my thing. Found it a little slow going and not as fast paced as I would have liked. Well written though and an ok book.

What an interesting and unexpected read this was. I think because it was written by Graham Norton I was expecting something quite funny and I did find myself reading it in his voice for the first handful of chapters. However, it is not a comedic book at all.

This is the story of a small town in Ireland. The story focuses in on just a handful of the characters in this sleepy little village where nothing ever happens....until the day that a skeleton is discovered on the new building site. This triggers a police investigation that takes people back in time to events from years ago - just who is hiding what and can the hapless police officers sort the fact from the local gossip?

This is a surprisingly good read that is just about perfect for the summer holidays. Enjoy!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Obviously the author is a well known celebrity so I didn't know if I was able to take my mind away from him doing chat shows etc.
What a great read this turned in to. I was pleasantly surprised. An interesting read.

Unfortunately, I never got around to reading this book, and have not seen it in stores.

Normally I would avoid books written by celebrities, however when given the chance to read Graham Norton's first novel I decided to give it a try. I love watching him on TV and listening to him on the radio so assumed this novel would be of the same humorous nature. However, I was wrong. There are moments of humour but this is a well written and thoroughly enjoyable book that pulls you into the hidden secrets of a small Irish village.

The story starts with the discovery of a body on farmland being used to build housing in the sleeping village of Duneen. We then meet some of the residents, as the local policeman PJ Collins is joined by the Garda to investigate who the body belongs to and what secrets have lain hidden for many years. It isn't until towards the end of the book when there is a massive twist that we discover what actually happened many years ago.

The story is beautifully written and I felt a great deal of sympathy for the characters. As I said there are some moments of humour, especially with Bobby, the rather large and mad puppy, but there are also a lot of much deeper thought provoking moments as well. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this page turner and would not only recommend it to Graham Norton fans but also to anyone who enjoys fully immersing themselves in the history and minds of the residents of a previously sleepy little village in Cork.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book from Graham Norton read a little like it had been written for TV/Film, charming little tale with a dark twist. set in the rural Irish countryside. witty and warm, you could almost hear Graham reading it to you!

First of all, a huge thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for approving me on NetGalley to read a copy of Graham Norton's debut novel, Holding in exchange for an honest review. In the UK, Graham is a well respected television  and radio presenter, comedian, actor and now writer and he's probably one of my favourite people in the public eye at the moment. That means when I heard he was writing a novel of course I was desperate to read it and at the same time a bit worried because I love him as a personality so much. In the end, I have to be honest and say I was a little disappointed with this novel unfortunately. (*hides from barrage of stones from angry Graham Norton fans*). It's quite a cosy little mystery, yet surprisingly serious at times and I do think that a lot of people would enjoy it which is quite evident from the number of positive ratings on GoodReads. However, it just fell short for me plot-wise and wasn't thrilling enough to make me want to keep turning the pages.

The novel is set in a small village of Ireland which rarely has anything exciting or dramatic to recommend it. Even our main character, Sergeant PJ Collins has seldom participated in any police business we might normally associate with fighting crime, chasing perpetrators down streets, apprehending burglars, solving murders etc. Duneen is a sleepy, quiet village with a very low crime rate so PJ spends his days quite sedentary, watching over the community and comfort eating in his car. It is only when some skeletal remains are unearthed by some builders on a property and are thought to belong to the previous occupant, Tommy Burke who hasn't been seen in quite a few years that PJ finally has a case he can really sink his teeth into. Old secrets are finally dug up, in particular regarding Tommy and two women who were in love with him, and PJ begins to realise that his little village, which he thought was so calm and unassuming has a lot more to hide than he originally believed.

There were a lot of positives to be taken from this debut offering from Graham Norton and certainly a lot of things that perhaps a different demographic of reader might enjoy. For instance, I did enjoy the character of PJ, a previously quite hapless, slightly inept and "stuck in his ways" police officer who was actually a really lovely man that just hasn't had a decent break in life. The finding of old bones and a potential murder case on his patch is really the making of him as a character and I enjoyed his determined attempts to solve the mystery and interactions with other characters in the narrative. However, I did find his character to be probably the better developed ones in the story out of a myriad of other individuals that I didn't feel were as fleshed out as they could have been. This was unfortunate as there were a number of characters, like Evelyn and Brid that had the possibility of being very intriguing and they just felt a bit flimsy in comparison.

I'm a bit wary of saying anything too negative about this novel as for me it wasn't a bad story by any means. It's pleasant, chugs along at quite a nice pace and has quite an interesting mystery at its centre. As I mentioned before, its got quite a lot of positive ratings on Goodreads so perhaps I just fall into that category of reader where it just didn't touch me as much as it obviously touched other people. Perhaps I was expecting too much, knowing and loving the wonderful personality of the man that is Graham Norton but his writing just fell flat for me which was bitterly disappointing. Maybe the plot wasn't intricate enough, I didn't resonate with any of the characters and the "big reveal" wasn't as spectacular as I had imagined it in my own mind BUT it has got some amazing reviews from other readers so I'm thinking it might be wrong reader in this particular case? Let me know if you've read it and what you think, I'd be interested to know.

I Admire Graham Norton. He is one of the wittiest television and radio presenters, with a sharp almost acerbic view of life. This novel, however, set in rural Ireland, and featuring as it’s unlikely hero, an overweight, bumbling ‘garda’ struggles to engage because it exudes a comfortable niceness. It lacks menace and dare I say it, the incisive world view, for which Norton is rightly revered. On the other hand it is beautifully written and I am confident that this is only the first tentative steps along the road to his becoming a real addition to the literary world

Firstly, although this is late (as all of my Netgalley reviews will be- sorry!), thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I know Graham Norton from his talk show, I didn’t know he wrote books, well now I do and what better way to start than with his debut fiction novel! It’s a dark, gritty crime novel set in Duneen, Ireland. There are secrets bought up from the past. Are the bones found at a building site really those of local boy, Tommy Burke?

As the characters start thinking about the past- their back stories made the situation even more real. A few of them I even felt sorry for nearer the end of the novel, like Evelyn Ross, who lost so many people close to her, that even though she has a dog, she seems very lonely.

Sergent PJ Collins, along with an Inspector from Cork, are on the case- they are a few stumbles along the way, and as well as tackling their personal lives, they also have to deal with what the murder of someone could do to the town.

Somehow, they manage it.

I have to admit, I went into this novel not knowing very much about it. Not even the title gave away the true story- but that being said, I can see why it was chosen. People tend to hold on to the past- as most of the characters did.

Overall I enjoyed this book, I liked immersing myself into the lives of the people of Duneen as well as being intruiged by the murder. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good crime novel.

4/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this!

Not the usual fast paced crime novel I usually read but was intrigued by this book by Graham Norton, So glad I read it, the characters where in the main believable and the story touching. An enjoyable read and quite moving in places. Would definitely read more by Graham.

This book was a delightful read. Graham's humour shows throw in his top class writing. A book to read with a smile on your face. I would recommend to all and it is a remarkable debut novel. I look forward to his follow up. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC which I have chosen to review.

I was so surprised by this book - in a good way! I have always loved Graham Norton for his warmth and wit and as a regular reader of his 'agony aunt' column in the Saturday Telegraph knew what a tender hearted man he is but I never expected him to write a book like Holding. He had obviously drawn on the Ireland he knows in the town of Duneen where nothing much happens much to the chagrin of its Garda Sergeant PJ Collins. The town's characters are so well drawn from PJ's housekeeper, Mrs Meany, who over feeds him, to the disparate Ross sisters and Brid Riordan with her battles with the demon drink. When the first body is discovered PJ is upstaged by Linus Dunne, the detective superintendent from Cork. Wrong-footed both by his temporary boss and his burgeoning feelings for two very different women, PJ's first foray into detective work has far-reaching consequences both for Duneen and his own future. This book has humour, insightful descriptions of both people and places and a lot of pathos. Because PJ is such a lovable dolt you just want to read on.

A fun, light read. Certainly a beach or holiday read.

I was interested to read this book as fan of Graham Norton as a presenter, I wondered if his writing would live up to the hype. I was not disappointed. The novel was actually quite deep. The atmospheric setting of a farming community was brilliant and really added depth to the book. The novel doesn't rely on twists etc, as so many books do now, often to cover up for poor writing. Instead it is a beautiful, pleasant read about characters that you end up caring about. The characterisation is very believable, you could imagine that they are indeed real.
The plot was intriguing and written with wit and at times sadness. I was actually really surprised that this was written by Norton. I hope he writes another soon.

Absolutely loved this book! Highly recommended. A real page turner

Fabulous book I was looking forward to reading this book By Graham and I was not disappointed.

this book will surprise how easy going it is to read as you follow the events in the sleepy village in Ireland where human bones are found on site of a new development, the guard PJ Collins starts investigating but realises he got nothing to work on and examines over time himself about life. long forgotten secrets come out. Its a page turner to enjoy