The Scottish writer Iain Banks belongs to my favourite circle of writers ever since I read ‘The Wasp Factory’ over a decade ago. His books are full of suspense and mystery, very dark and a little fantastic without becoming true horror, and with a few injections of absurdity and satire.
‘Complicity’ is again a very exciting thriller, which is perhaps a little less dark and more detective-like than most books I know of him. Though you can’t exactly call it light-reading. Already on the first pages you are looking through the eyes of a twisted murderer, who does not treat his victim too kind. As becomes clear later, this wasn’t the first nor last mysterious death…
Later you follow Cameron Colley, a journalist searching for criminal scoops. He lives on white powder, drinks and cigarettes to live up to his deadlines, spends his nights playing the strategic game ‘Despot’ on his computer and listens to The Pixies at high volume on his car stereo. This constant lifestyle is only alternated for on occasional night of kinky sex with the wife of an old classmate. But then he gets interested in a series of murders of some years ago, in which some powerful men are assassinated. Cameron gets more and more involved, perhaps a bit too deep. At the same time the police is investigating some recent brutal killings, which are described in full detail through the eys of the offender. A remarkable amount of traces seems to lead to Cameron…
‘Complicity’ is absolutely a book that gets you in its grip. The plot is very good, it’s much more than a series of murders that has to be resolved, it’s also a tale of power and corruption, of responsibility and involvement, with does of sex, mystery and high-tech. cameron Colley is also an interesting character to follow. As usual Banks does not refrain from criticizing British society, between the lines you can often discern discontent with the Thatcher era. A book which you want to read in one breath.
By the way, Banks also writes SF novels, under the name Iain M. Banks, and always easily recognizable by spaceships on the cover and the statement ‘this is a SF novel’.
