Woodcutter

An outstandingly good debut from a remarkable Author. I read it cover to cover and couldn't put it down. Well crafted, beautifully written and paced, it kept me guessing from the first page to the last. Highly Recommended.

The name Daytons when mention sends shivers of fear through the recipients,
this English mafia style syndicate empire is falling and it was falling very fast, with a lot of death and chaos. Using a little girl to get her father back was a devious thing to do, money gives one a lot of bravadoes especially if they are involved in the criminal fiber of the society. To the king on the throne, Ed, the only one that could save them and help give them back their fearful countenance, was the one bird that flew the coup. Daniel the one who seeks change and walked away from a life of crime came for one thing and that's revenge. now they have brought him back and the one who did such a dastardly evil to his daughter would pay the price dearly for hurting her. It's a real man's world with this book, but you know what I enjoyed it, it was gripping and nail-biting from beginning to end very intriguing indeed.

My only complaint about this book is that it was impossible to put down!
An excellent, gripping plot about a dysfunctional mafia family from North East England. As with most criminal gangs, there are always violent people who want to take over their nefarious activities by whatever means is necessary.
I rarely get totally immersed in a book, but Woodcutter exceeded all my expectations.
A very violent novel and perhaps not for the more squeamish readers. Every character was very well portrayed, most had incredible inherent levels of violence. The author is indeed inventive with horrific methods of killing and torture. The Spanish Inquisition appear quite tame in comparison to the leading characters in the book.
There are a number of twists in the novel, enough to provoke the reader into not stopping reading.
Congratulations to the author on his debut book. I am sure it will be a great success and will lead to similar novels in the future.

Awell written crime novel even if in some places is a bit shocking eith the violence and the end that people will go to.
Rich assortment of characterd.

Woodcutter is a dark, mean, drama involving some of the most despicable people you ever will come across in a book and, yet, it also was one of the most gripping novels I have read in a long time. 

This is the debut novel of Shaun Baines, a writer from Scotland, who focuses on noir story-telling about the underbelly of Scotland;  the dark, Scottish streets. Woodcutter is primarily the story of Daniel Dayton, son of one the most powerful mob bosses in Scotland. Daniel left home to escape the killing, the family and the darkness, leaving behind his daughter in the care of her aunt. But the family business wasn't finished with Daniel and, when he learns that his daughter is in a coma as a result, he returns to seek his revenge. 

Woodcutter is a slow simmering tale that allows Baines to fully develop his characters. While I've read others suggest that the characters are stereotypes, I think there is a reason for those stereotypes and Baines uses them well and to his advantage. He also exposes these characters' inner conflicts: fathers who hate and love their sons, wives and ex-wives who are loyal yet still betray the family, love and hate are presented as two sides of the same coin and the writer presents it in a unique and carefully crafted manner. I found myself in conflict as I was "rooting" for the worst of people who were doing horrific deeds. In the end, I re-read the first and last chapters twice because the ending was so apropos that I thought I was imagining its perfection.

While I don't consider this a "thriller," it is suspenseful. I simply would consider it Scottish Noir and read it because it is a great example of this type of literature. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

A very gritty tale of inter-gang feuding set in and around Newcastle. But with a difference. Much of the viciousness, and there is plenty of it, can be sourced back to the dreadful childhoods experienced by the main participants on both sides. The outcome is never predictable in a story full of clever twists but the adage that "there is no honour amongst thieves" certainly applies here. Shaun Baines gives us a coherent tale and, as a result The Woodcutter holds your attention until the last page.

The book is set against a background of a violent feud between Newcastle gangs. The Dayton gang is under threat from an up-and-coming unit, led by Fairbanks, and one of the sons, Daniel Dayton, who has left this life behind him, is inveigled into returning and becoming involved on the pretext that his daughter, Eisha, who he has previously deserted, is said to be in a coma.

That means he is angry. He already has a quick temper, as well as being 6′ 8″ tall, muscular and attuned to violence from his upbringing. He assumes that Fairbanks is behind his daughter’s condition but he also has little love for his father and brother so violence is meted out on anyone who gets in the way. Daniel doesn’t have it all his own way and seems to be regularly beaten in return. There is a lot of violence in this book, graphic descriptions of torture, stabbings and shootings. The city police are in the pockets of the gang leaders as are local lawyers and doctors so much of the violence is covered up with a general assumption that the bottom of the Tyne is a safe place to lose a body. In order to resolve the plot, a large number of people have to die fairly violently. Daniel survives to leave with his daughter although that requires some lucky escapes so, perhaps, there is some hope at the end.

If you like gangster violence, twisted loyalties and seriously damaged romantic relationships this will be a good read. The Newcastle context provides a different setting and the story romps along, albeit by disposing of several characters on the way. With characters like these, you feel it might be nice to find some element of humanity which would ground them but some of these bad people are just plain bad although, interestingly, Fairbanks turns out at the end to have just had a hard life from which he can’t escape and that’s true of Daniel as well.

Maybe that’s one of the messages of the book to show that this kind of evil is inherited and perpetuated by the system which brings up the next generation to be as sinful as their parents. That’s something which is just about being recognised as a problem in London gangs so the book is on the ball there.

I had a bit of a query about the timing of the novel. In some ways it harks back to the East London of the Kray Brothers and, possibly, this level of corruption would be hard to achieve these days. The drug trade features but may not be as central as it would be now to a successful criminal gang but people seem to have mobile phones although they operate in a cash economy.

But that’s by the way. I’m not sure this is really one for the Book Club but if you’re travelling to Newcastle and thinking about a night out this might be just the story to read on the train!

Going by his first novel, Shaun Baines can write a gritty crime thriller with sufficient pace and action to keep the reader involved through to the end. That desire to maintain pace in the story-telling left me at times with unanswered questions that were key for me in terms of the overall credibility of the tale. My hope is that the success of this debut novel will allow the author to modify his pace in his next book which would benefit the reader. I am also intrigued to discover whether he will use this as an opportunity to continue with the North-east England theme. Only time will tell.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent first book from the author. I read it over a 48 hour period as I just got so engrossed in the story. It is fast paced with great characters. At times, I laughed out loud, although I don't think I was supposed to find some parts amusing. The nicknames of the characters were spot on, especially Colon! The plot centres around the notorious Dayton family and Daniel finds himself drawn back into the business he tried to leave behind. The ending leaves it open for a follow up.I would recommend this book and give it 3.5 stars.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this novel. The plot is very intriguing & engaging, The characters are well developed & the action is fast-paced. Overall, I would recommend this novel to readers of crime fiction.

A dark and gritty crime novel based in Newcastle, Woodcutter follows Daniel Dayton as he seeks to track down the mob responsible for injuring his family and get his revenge.

Baines writes a sympathetic protagonist in Daniel Dayton, a stereotypical bad man turned straight. He’s easy to sympathise with and has a decent, well thought out backstory that supports his current mentality and actions. I like that he’s rather ambiguous in nature - his moral compass isn’t always right, and he does make bad judgements. It makes him a much more interesting character. The other characters were a little less complex, and more one dimensional, and sometimes I struggled with their motives and actions but overall I thought they were strong enough to carry the plot well.

The story itself is very violent, and has an undercurrent of aggression that permeates throughout the pages even when there’s no physical threats. It’s full of tension, and this builds well throughout the novel to a satisfactory conclusion. There are some side plots etc. that I thought were a little unnecessary and didn’t add much to the plot. I would have preferred more time with Daniel’s family and the mafias ties to them, build on that strong familial relationship and exploring their history, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by this.

Decent gritty British crime novel, perfect for lovers of mobs, the mafia and family dramas.

The Woodcutter is a brutal and unforgiving story that leaves you in a cold sweat as you try to navigate the deception, threats and continuous revelations around the Dayton criminal empire.

Daniel Dayton is hiding out in Scotland from his father and his brother when he is eventually tracked down and given a reason to return to Newcastle Upon Tyne and help his family. The reason is that a killer (Fairbanks) is systematically dismantling the Dayton Empire by killing off main figures and cutting off protection and extortion routes. Most importantly Daniel’s daughter Eisha has been left in a coma. All 6ft 8in of Daniel is back for revenge and he has no compunction in wreaking havoc.

The plot delivers a stereotypical ruthless demanding father (Ed) that drives his sons to rule someday by fear, and he creates a son (Scott) that embraces his methods and the other (Daniel) that rebels and runs away. Nevertheless, all the characters are interesting and well developed, including the minor ones. Family secrets and relationships are intriguing especially between the wives – current and ex. Daniel, whom you can’t help siding with, is described as “You’re gifted, but you’re also dumb, you can’t see what’s right in front of your eyes.” The gift is that he can tell when people are lying, he’s dumb because he doesn’t see the lies and games being played. The characters and their personal motives and duplicity all reinforce the sense of foreboding and a previously feared and violent empire being defeated by a motivated, intelligent and skilful killer.

The story is really gripping especially if you enjoy an unrelenting edgy and dark thriller where there are surprises at every turn. I would expect this debut book to be a success and we’ll hear more from Shaun Baines in this genre. Scotland certainly has a number of great young authors coming through.

Many thanks to Thistle Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.

This is a really good debut. A dark and gritty crime novel set in atmospheric Newcastle Upon Tyne. I hope there is a sequel to this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I cannot believe that this was the author's debut. It was fast paced and the characters were well developed. I found myself rooting for Daniel, even though he was not an entirely good person. I definitely recommend this one!

This is the story of Daniel Dayton. Being the runaway son of an English crime family, he is forced to return to avenge his daughter who is hurt and in a coma. Upon his return he finds out that his family's empire is under attack and his family members have a lot of secrets. Leaving him no choice but to act and thus threaten his plans to leave the criminal life for good.

I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm normally not a big fan of thrillers or crime stories, but this story gave me the opportunity to examine the psychology of the bad guys. Throughout this story I got really attached to Daniel and Lily, hoping I wouldn't hate it all at the end. I didn't.

There are some major plot twists that keep the story interesting from beginning to end. The pace of the story is also great. It kept my brain engaged for a long time. To be honest, if I would have had a couple of hours of uninterrupted reading time, I would have probably finished this in 2 days.