'Down The Rabbit Hole' : The Lost By Simon Beckett

Serious interest in Detective fiction developed in the twentieth century and the popularity of the genre has continued to grow. The reader takes pleasure in discovering the different ways each detective uncovers the criminal and their means, motive and opportunity. Oh yes, I’ve read a few! It seems there is no end to the number of detectives, with their idiosyncratic personalities – the more the merrier, I say - and The Lost is the first of what promises to be an exciting new series of detective novels by Simon Beckett.

The story features Jonah Colley, a police officer with the elite firearms unit of the London Met. Ten years ago, he lost his four-year-old son when he disappeared from the play park, while in Jonah’s care. It was assumed that his son wandered away and drowned in a nearby culvert, although his body was never found. Jonah has never forgotten the event which almost destroyed him and he has, ever since, carried the burden of guilt, knowing that he fell asleep on the park bench while his son played. His not-so-solid marriage to Chrissie broke down and for reasons as yet unrevealed, he also fell out with his long-time friend, Gavin Mackinney. They had been best friends from school, joined the force and trained together, and stayed in touch even though their careers took different paths. What happened?

At the beginning of this novel, as the members of the firearms unit enjoy a drink together in a local pub at the end of a shift, Jonah takes a call from Mackinney who suddenly rings his old friend, “the only person [he] can trust”. He sounds scared as he asks Jonah to come to a disused warehouse on the aptly named Slaughter Quay, a desolate stretch of the Thames. Jonah senses he cannot ignore his old friend’s plea for help and, against his better judgement, without telling his colleagues where he’s going, he sets off alone. Slaughter Quay is not a good place to be, especially alone, and at midnight. There is danger lurking in the shadows and the plot thickens as Jonah first makes the gruesome discovery of several dead bodies wrapped in polythene, then is savagely attacked and forced to watch, helpless, as the body of his old friend is dragged away. It is a dramatic start to a gripping novel.

Jonah is regarded with suspicion by the investigating officers who arrive on the scene; more than once, he is treated as a suspect. A female reporter tricks him into giving her enough of an interview to make a splash in the papers and he goes on to discover that his old friend might not have been quite as clean a cop as he thought. In fact, as Gavin’s background over the last few years is slowly revealed, the plot becomes more complex and fascinating and raises more questions than answers. Moreover, there appear to be links between events at Slaughter Quay and the disappearance of his son; for Jonah, who has never quite had closure, the hope that his son might not have died, is reawakened. Desperate to find out more, Jonah investigates on his own, despite the many obstacles which seem to impede his progress, and he ultimately discovers that “it’s not the missing who are in danger but those left behind”.

Beckett does not hold back on the violence, but it is not gratuitous; instead, he helps the reader to understand the dangerous people with whom Jonah finds himself embroiled. His injuries from that first savage attack are perhaps also a physical reminder of the emotional pain he feels. There are twists and turns and any number of misdirections to increase the tension. There are many secrets too: Jonah hides things, as do other characters, and discovering the brutal and shocking truth doesn't come easy at all. The real cruelty is only revealed at the end.

The plot is character driven. The reader sympathises with the central protagonist, Jonah, who is living under the weight of his unbearable loss, and willing to do whatever it takes to find out what happened to Theo. He is flawed but likeable and is prepared to take risks, to stretch the boundaries of the law to get to the truth. His decisions are sometimes driven more by emotion than by common sense but the reader is on his side. Beckett interweaves two timelines and in this way, is able to reveal important details more slowly.

Exploring the relationship between Jonah and his former wife intensifies the emotion; their lives have taken different paths since the disappearance of their son. Both were affected by the terrible loss. Chrissie, who blamed Jonah, appears harsh at first but our attitude towards her softens and we feel her pain. Jonah’s relationship with Gavin, meanwhile, is complicated as is his obsession with Owen Stokes, a suspect in his son’s disappearance; all add facets to his character.

Fletcher and Bennet are the two investigating officers whose lack of emotion and compassion, especially on the part of the former, makes them less endearing, but Beckett uses them to explore the blurred lines between those who break, and those who enforce, the law and he considers how far any of us would go to protect those we love. Other characters are realistically drawn, appropriately developed and believable, their motivations eventually made clear. Corinne Daly, Marie, Dylan, even Wilkes and Eliana, all make important contributions to the narrative.

The Lost is a crafted work with hooks and cliffhangers. A tense, dark and compulsive read, it’s well-paced with an exciting, unexpected and dramatic conclusion.


The Lost is published by Orion