An elegant mystery story. I admittedly didn't have high standards (I'd requested out of curiosity of what Norton was like as a writer) and so was very pleasantly surprised by how good this novel was. The characters was developed well enough that you actually wanted to know what was happening on the Burke farm and Norton let his sense of humor permeate just the right amount.

Terrific debut novel with a very sympathetic central character. Hopefully this will be first in an ongoing series about the amiable Gardai Sgt PJ Collins. Well done, Graham Norton, your talents seemingly have no bounds!

I've feel like I've been watching the charismatic Graham Norton for years so was quite excited to hear about his new novel. With much intrigue I requested a copy from NetGalley and was delighted to receive an ARC. My thanks to all those involved for that.

Set in a remote village called Duneen in Ireland, Holding is a charming whodunit of a tale. It has larger than life characters that you would expect in a village that goes back generations with everyone knowing everyone. Mysterious spinster sisters that hold intrigue for the other villagers and a Garda to keep locals in check. The body of what was thought to be a missing local is discovered on local land and becomes the subject of much gossip and speculation. The local garda, Sergeant PJ Collins, has to call in outside help to take on the case. This is the most excitement the local village has seen in years and Collins is almost disappointed that the big city boys have to be called in. He wouldn't mind solving a big time case all by himself!

Norton has produced an utterly charming cosy mystery that kept me enthralled as we're taken steadily through the book. Taking time with characters and seeing how their pasts are linked the book read with ease and had a feel of a Agatha Christie mystery. I loved the Irish remoteness of the setting beautifully captured by Norton and I especially loved the bumbling and very shy Collins who exuded warmth and bashfulness in abundance. The mystery itself had me guessing throughout and I changed my mind more than a few times!

I have to say I'm really relieved that this book is as good as it is. Being a big name has high expectations but Norton pulled this off brilliantly and with humour too ..... well I think so anyway!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this steady character driven tale and hope that there will be more to come.


My review as posted on Goodreads and Amazon.

Thanks again!

A good who dunnit with a likeable main character PJ Collins.

No one for the school library, but well worth a read. Graham is an excellent writer. I hope there's more to come.

For all of Graham Norton’s warm and funny presence as a TV host, it’s never easy to tell if this will translate to the page. Holding, though, shows all of that warmth and humour – and then some – but also reveals a darker and at times more melancholy feel.

This tale of small town life, and small town drama, but with far-reaching consequences is beautifully written, with appealing characters, and a solid mystery plot. In this book though, it’s much more about why the body is in the ground, rather than who put it there, and the secrets that are revealed because of it are almost more compelling.

Holding really examines what is most uncomfortable about small town life, and everyone knowing – or so they think – your business, even years down the line. As a debut novel it really is fantastic and, hopefully, there’ll be more coming from Graham Norton soon.

Holding is published by Hodder & Stoughton. To find out more about the book, check out the Hodder website, and you can follow Graham Norton on Twitter – he’s always good for a giggle!

Good characters, easy pace, well written and some funny bits. A bit like Graham himself. Enjoyable, easy read.

I absolutely love Graham Norton and was surprised to learn that he had debut novel out so I was excited to delve into this story.

Holding is set in a little rural Irish village called Duneen, where everyone knows everyone and the little main street is nothing more than a wee shop and a pub (ok there are more but you get the idea!) The whole time I was reading you could see the humour on Norton coming through and I think for a first novel it was well written and the characters that we come across were relatable and real.

Duneen is rural and small that the local policeman spends most of his time being fed by his housekeeper and various others in the village with very little police work needing to be done, that is until not one by two bodies are unearthed in a field by construction workers.
This thrusts the sleepy wee Duneen into a murder enquiry that has the whole who village speculation as to who is in the field and who did it.

I had my suspicions about one character - which proved to be right, and the stories about how the main characters all intermingled were well woven. There was a wee moment at the end when I thought the worst, but you have to read to see what that was all about.

I really enjoyed this, it was a quaint little cozy mystery with some humour - Brid was by far my favourite character, there were a few moments with her that made me laugh out loud. I can't wait to read more Mr Norton!

I was unsure as it is a celebrity book, but needn't have worried. Norton is writing about what he knows and it shows. He sets a believable scene with real characters. A joy to read.

When I saw there was a book to be reviewed by Graham Norton, I assumed that it would be a comedy, as that is what Mr Norton is best loved for. Although having the odd comedic line here and there, nothing could be further from the truth. It's a family drama, full of secrets, a lot of lies and a great deal of heartache.
With all that aside there are some warm hearted moments, mixed with crime and intrigue. There's the lovable PJ who is the SGT from the local Garda, with the setting being the Irish hamlet of Duneen, who lives in the police house, watched over by Mrs Meaney who cooks and cleans for him. Life seems easy and laid back in this quiet part of Ireland, that is until the local developers unearth some bones on a new development. What or who do they belong to? Time to open a whole can of worms. You must pick up the book to find out more.
It is descriptive in that it helps you picture the locations of each chapter and each character . It's an intriguing debut novel; written with some simplicity rather than a hard hitting gritty crime novel, but nonetheless it was not predictable and did keep the reader guessing. It was a surprisingly good read, and I look forward to what else there is to come from the author.

This was far better than I thought it would be. Very engaging and well written.

This book is absolutely brilliant and written by the famous Graham Norton. The story is set in a wonderful quaint Irish village called Duneen. The characters are all likeable and the storyline put me in mind of the late Maeve Binchy. The setting is so beautifully described that the characters come to life. The story is easy to follow with a satisfactory ending. I really hope that there are more books to come. Wonderful.

First things first, yes this is the Graham Norton, host of Eurovision and his eponymous chat show and bringer of life to Father Noel Furlong. Now I'm not generally drawn to celebrity penned novels but the description of Holding sounded exactly the sort of book I enjoy and eschewing a book because its writer is a celebrity is as ridiculous as choosing it for that reason.
And I'm very glad I did! Holding isn't a game changer but it is a well written, observant and warm novel. It does feel a little anachronistic, despite being set in the present it isn't a gritty, modern thriller, it's more gently paced and brought to mind the sort of Sunday night crime dramas that families can sit down to together - Midsomer Murders Irish style perhaps...? However, it doesn't shy away from the darker side of life despite not being brutally realistic. The characters, perhaps unsurprisingly, are what drive the novel. PJ Collins, in particular is the heart of the story, an outsider but not in the exciting, dangerous sense. PJ is overweight, dissatisfied in his career and often socially awkward. However, he is also immensely likeable, a warm and empathetic character who serves as our eyes into this seemingly quiet community that actually hides dark secrets and regrets. A sense of dissatisfaction and disappointment runs through the book, this is a very human story, although a murder may have occurred it's really more about life and the decisions people make, rightly or wrongly. It is occasionally over descriptive and as I say isn't a game changer but it is a warm and enjoyable slice of small town life with a satisfying mystery that kept me guessing for the most part. An assured debut then and I hope Norton writes more, particularly if it means we have more Sergeant Collins.

Holding is published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton. Thank you for my copy received through NetGalley in return for my review.

Holding

This is Graham Norton's first novel and I wasn't sure what to expect. As a TV personality, I find him amusing, unpredictable and generally entertaining. I enjoyed Holding, a mainly quiet, but engrossing tale about secrets,love and loss.

It's a very easy read; the style reminds me of the late Maeve Binchy. The characters are small town and provincial in almost every way. Graham Norton captures a way of life and attitudes that have changed very little in the last thirty or forty years. I particularly liked Sgt. Collins, local bobby; he's obese and his life is dominated by the fry ups prepared by his housekeeper. His discomfort as he attempts to get in and out of a small police car is almost palpable. Bones are found at a building site and the investigation is taken over by an officer from Dublin. There's an interesting conflict between the big city ways of policing and the provincial approach.

The discovery uncovers some dark secrets and alongside the comic moments, there are some genuinely poignant moments too. The characters are well drawn and the plotting is intricate enough to keep you reading. I enjoyed it.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

I started this in kindle the end of 2016 and only got to about 10% before I started picking up other books in between reading a few pages at a time. Though it was pleasant enough it just didn't excite me into needing to read it. Re started this in audiobook early 2017 in hopes to finish it to finally review it.
Though the little village mystery was pleasant I'm used to reading much faster paced crime thrillers so for myself it just didn't give me the excitement side of the story. It is based around a small Irish village community where during building work the remains of a body are unearthed. It was nice having Graham Norton narrating his own story but I did find the use of swearing a tad over the top for the quiet village setting and off putting at times. The twists in the story and needing some closure to the mystery were really all that kept me going.

DNF @ 85%

A truly impressive debut from what I've read so far but I just wasn't feeling it. Would return at a later date.

This is an easy book to read and it is well written for a debut novel. I could hear the Irish voices in my head as I read.
Graham Norton has done a good job and the characters are believable. Well done!

An entertaining story set in a quiet Irish village where nothing much happens. Some great characters and well developed interactions. The investigation progresses steadily and everything tied neatly together in the conclusi0n.

Ok read. Look forward to reading more from this author