July book club - The Deaths by Mark Lawson

Thanks so much for my copy of The Deaths. I am slowly working my way through the book at bed time every night and am thoroughly enjoying so far. Totally different to anything I would normally read but I'm definitely converted to this type of novel. Thank you!

Thank you for my copy of The Deaths. Been on Scottish islands and have just finished reading. It is a brilliant complex book, partly social satire and part crime mystery. I enjoyed it very much. Do not wait so long Mark for our next reading fest! Thanks again

Sorry, I really wanted to like this book as it is obviously written with skill in characterisation and plots, but I found it hard going and often lost interest. The only set piece I found really held my interest was the funeral scene and ironically the characters came alive to me then!

I did enjoy reading this book, an interesting story but did find it hard to follow at times.

I liked the mix of characters but would have liked more details about them, think it would have made it easier to keep track of who was who.

Ah - now I understand why I received a copy of The Deaths. Thank you. I'm a great fan of Mark Lawson's radio and T.V. work, but I found this book 'difficult'. For a start I found it hard to tell one couple from another - they all seemed somewhat cloned. Having eventually sorted that problem out I discovered that I didn't really like any of them and found it hard to empathise with any of them except, perhaps, Tasha and Emily, so I wasn't really sorry for any of them. Perhaps that was the point - I wasn't meant to! I also found the jumping from one scene to another so rapidly a bit irritating. I did read it to the end because I was determined to find out which family had perished and why. I know a similar scenario happened, in real life, to a family in the Midlands some years ago, but I just wasn't convinced that this character would have done what he did. Sorry Mark!

No - you're not the only one who thinks reading in the daytime is decadent and a terrible waste of time! We were obviously exposed to Puritan values as children . I think we need to change .

When folk are saying how it was hard to work out which character was which, I wondered if the author deliberately did this to show that the rich are as faceless as the sort of folk they would sneer at ie the Jeremy Kyle type. Some of them were so cruel, more concerned about appearances than anything else. Although their idea of "hard up" would not be most folk's! They all needed a good lesson in thrift and common sense. The way they spurned folk if they were no longer in their income bracket was shocking! Some really funny lines. Very cleverly written.

Watched Mark Lawson interview Jo Brand last night and thoroughly enjoyed.
But his book 'the Deaths' I've given up on .Is it a joke?
Tried several times and only got to page 60 so have given up on it .

Thanks for sending me this book. I was delighted to find it waiting for me when I got home from holiday and am looking forward to starting it this week

It's skilfully constructed to be as intriguing as possible. Every time I think I have worked out which family is dead, I find another clue that points to another family. Although I find most of the characters distasteful it is this that has kept me reading.
I have noticed a distinct resemblance to the style of John le Carré's later novels, especially the use of the present tense. I wonder if Mark has been consciously or unconsciously influenced.

Like others on here I found The Deaths awkward to read at first. Sorting out the characters and their connections was difficult. I eventually hit upon the idea of making up a chart which I kept adding to as I read (I know... I'm a little obsessive!) I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience after that, finishing the book in a day and even managing to work out who had been killed. I enjoyed how different writing styles were used with different characters. It made the characters more real.

Mark - how did you keep track of everyone, their relationships, their jobs, their pets, their lifestyles, their taste in coffee? I am visualising you in front of a huge board, like those we see in detective series, with names and lines running everywhere.

Finished this book last night - have to say I found it rather patchy almost as if it was written by two different people. Some of the writing seemed rather juvenile with pseudonyms for various body parts and actions. The characters were confusing and interchangeable and I found it hard working out who was married to who and which children belonged to which parents. Some of the language used, especially when quoting social networking sites was strong but unfortunately this is merely reflecting what does appear on those sites.

Once we found out which family had been killed the writing became stronger and was well crafted and made the last chapters the most enjoyable.

It was confusing switching from past to present, perhaps if a date had been inserted at the beginning of the chapters it may have made the book easier to follow.

Are we to assume that one of the characters was the cause of the train hold up at the end?

Are the characters based on real people (or a composite of various people)?

Did you set out to write a "whodunnit" which turned into a social commentary or was the killing always meant to be secondary.?

Thank you so much for my copy of "The Deaths", As it only arrived quite recently I haven't completed it. However I have enjoyed it so far. My question would be "I am enjoying the different couples and their fascinating different personalities. Are any of them based on people you have encountered or are they simply "figments of your imagination"?

I can't wait for the time to finish this book and will be looking for more Mark Lawson books to read and recommend to my book club.

I was so delighted to receive the book - many thanks - I took it to Spain to enjoy during a week's holiday!

A real treat.

The book is bang up to date and refers to current issues, fashions and way of life, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed and found very amusing. At times I too found it tricky to recall which character was which and I totally gave up where the children were concerned!

I loved the book overall and thought it was cleverly written. My only disappointment was the last "death" which in my judgment seemed out of character with the person concerned. I would love to know why it was put in? It seemed to me an incomplete scenario or perhaps its the theme for the next book in the series!?

I loved this book & in no way did I find it confusing - haven't quite finished but can't wait to do so -would love to know why he chose to have the murders in it

I am half way through the book and I have now sorted out the characters. How on earth did Mark remember all of the inconsequential twittering which was part of the story?

I also liked the fact that it was up to date and referred to current issues but the use of the C word I thought was unnecessary. Also the mention of condoms as a contraceptive was more late 1950's than 2014 because nowadays there are implants, IUD, coil, the pill etc. and the man after 2-3 children could opt for a vasectomy. As somebody said earlier, some of the sex talk was more 14 year old boys than late 40's professional men.

Normally it is not a book that I would complete until the end but maybe my views will be changed. There is so much detail that I cannot skim through it but I want to find out who has been murdered and why.

I am about 1/3 way through the book. I am afraid I am another who is struggling. I have only just got to grips with the names of the couples and their children. I will stick with it though, suspect the ending will be clever. I have not dared read many posts on here in case of a 'spoiler'!

shysal luckily there is no spoiler!

In common with many other readers, I haven't finished this yet. It is my "book to read in the garden" but it so wonderfully hot (the weather, not the book) that I have to lie down indoors occasionally and contemplate the fate of Mark's characters, rather than read another chapter. Simon has a chip on his shoulder about class. Is this you, Mark? So he does stand out as a character. As does saintly Dr Emily, though only for appearances' sake I suspect. As for the other characters I, too, am confused at times. They seem to be living parallel lives in parallel communities, although I suppose that's the point. Unfortunately the protagonists are also interchangeable. So far I have very little sympathy for any of these people. Not because they are rich, middle class, smug etc. etc. But because Mark doesn't seem to dare dig deep into their souls or their psyches. There are, however, some LOL (yes, Mark, we all got that one) moments and this is a good debut novel, despite its irritating flaws. I haven't finished it yet but will send another message (if I'm allowed to) when I have.

Finished it sitting in the garden all afternoon. This book's like an onion consisting of layer upon layer. And it packs a kick! If I have a major criticism, it's the juvenile attitudes of one (maybe two) of the main characters and the obsession with sex and seeing innuendos where none is intended - shared with his unappealing wife.

Same here. Very good read.

What can I read now!

Finally finished 'The Deaths', I found it difficult to find my rhythm in reading this book with the erractic lengths of the chapters - some relating the narrative of 'The eight' being up to a hundred pages and those relating to the conduct of the investigation of the event being only 6 pages long.

I would like to ask Mark if this was a deliberate device and if so to what purpose. I could not relate to or like any of the characters and this made it difficult for me to maintain interest in their shallow lives.

On a lighter note does Mark have any connection to Bolton (Wanderers) or was that town randomly selected as a sharp contrast to Middlebury?

Thank you for the copy of The Deaths, what a lovely surprise. I've read it and absolutely loved it. I felt I was actually "in there" with the characers. I'd love to ask other people what they thought about the end, as in "Did he?" but don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't yet read it. Brilliant read and totally absorbing, loved it.

I have not yet found time to read the book since it arrived as we have our family staying from Dubai so will read Mark's comments and am following all your threads and will look forward to getting 'stuck in ' soon!

I was delighted to receive a copy of The Deaths by Mark Lawson and have made good inroads into it already. I have found it very readable and certainly keeps you turning the pages. The blurb gave some indication of what to expect but even so I have been quite surprised at the depth of observation shown in the opening chapters so my question to Mark Lawson is

"You have a number of main characters with the four couples yet each is very different and readily identifiable which is great for the reader. Are you a conscious people-watcher or does your characterisation come from the people you meet or see on the media for example?"