YvonneSo as not to show any spoilers I have not included a synopsis, however, if you want to find out more about the story, just click on the book image, or to read more about both book and author go here.
If you don’t really want to read any major spoilers, then you can tease yourself a little more, by reading the first few lines of the story … here.
Barlinnie prison is one of these places that should have the effect of discouraging criminals from their chosen profession – the grey imposing exterior is matched inside by a cold drabness that no amount of modernisation and bright paint can cover up.
On the particular day in question, a couple of us were there to interview a lifer who was a significant witness in an old case that we had re-opened after further evidence had come to light.
Kindle edition 52%
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As this was an author review request, a Kindle download of, ‘The Cabinetmaker’, was sent to me by author Alan Jones.
This will in no way influence any comments I may express about the book, in any blog articles I may post. Any thoughts or comments will be my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this, or any other article.
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by … MizB of ‘Should Be Reading’.
Anyone can take part, by just doing the following:
Grab your current read.
Open to a random page.
- Share a couple of “teaser” sentences, from somewhere on that page.
- Be careful not to share “spoiler” sentences.
- Remember to share the title and author too.
- Head on over to ‘should be reading’ and leave a link to your post, so that others can share it and you can share other people’s.
It would be great if you then decided to leave a comment for MizB, as we all like to receive them and are interested in sharing your thoughts.
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I like your teaser for this week. It seems like there are times when prison isn’t the deterrent it should be and that prisoners have more rights and amenities than many poor folk in the outside world. This doesn’t sound like one of those places.
Here’s a bit from my current read, A Body at Book Club by Elizabeth Spann Craig:
(77% into the Kindle edition) “Myrtle headed to the kitchen to make lunch. She could catch up on some of her soap opera while she ate. Things moved so fast on ‘Tomorrow’s Promise’ that if she didn’t watch for a couple of days, babies could suddenly be preschoolers and sweet teenagers could end up as shoplifting drug dealers.”
Hi Kelly,
The Barlinnie of today certainly sounds a little closer to your astute observations about modern prison life in general (with which I fully agree by the way!).
However the Bar-L prison of the 1970s and 80s, which is the period under discussion in ‘The Cabinetmaker’, was a totally different place altogether. With areas such as the ‘Hanging Shed’ and the ‘Special Unit’ and the prison’s direct reputation and alignment with such institutions as Alcatraz , you will probably be building a good picture as to what it was like and the type of inmates who were housed there!
I found this great article from 2009, which really brings those images to life –
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/the-dark-secrets-of-the-bleak-and-brutal-barlinnie-1038246
I only regularly watch one of the British television soaps and although if I take a break from viewing, it isn’t too difficult to pick up the threads of the storylines, I can see exactly what Myrtle means. We also tend to catch up with our daily dose of ‘Eastenders’ whilst eating our evening meal, so we are not actually spending any of our quality time glued to the TV set.
The Myrtle Clover series does sound a bit too ‘cozy’ for me, although I will read from the genre occasionally and of course, anything which has books or bookshops in the storyline, has to be worth a second glace:)
Thanks for sharing and have a great week.
Great teaser Yvonne. It’s amazing how a few lines can give a sense about this story.
Hi Pat,
Back in the 1970s and 80s, inner city Glasgow was definitely ruled by gangs and was a pretty violent, dog-eat-dog society. This is reflected in both the teaser lines about the infamous Barlinnie prison and the gritty premise and storyline of the book.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your comment.
I like the TT and would want to know more..
Mine’s the new WWI release Of Love and War series HOPE RISING
Hi Sharon,
It is always good when a teaser selection piques other peoples interest. It re-affirms in my own mind that I have made a good choice in reading a particular book.
I shall be stopping by your blog to check out your own teaser lines, as historical fiction is another of my favourite genres.
I appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Your teaser piqued my interest in this book.
Hi Mary Ann,
I guess that means that author Alan Jones is doing a good job at keeping the interest and suspense levels of the story to a high standard throughout the book, as my random lines are taken from more than half way through the story. ‘The Cabinetmaker’ is an intriguing read so far.
Thanks for the visit today, I always appreciate it.
I’d like to read more. I don’t think prison is a deterrent anymore. Most of the prisoners have friends inside and have been there more than once. It does keep the truly evil ones from hurting the innocents though.
Here’s my TT – http://fuonlyknew.com/2014/12/16/teaser-tuesdays-92-dependent/
Hi Laura,
I have to agree with just about everything you say, although many of the truly evil ones have already committed heinous crimes before they ever get as far as prison, so perhaps incarceration is too good for them?
I was wondering just where this storyline was going, however I suspect that ‘The Cabinetmaker’ is going to throw up a few unexpected twists and turns before long and I have no idea about the eventual outcome of events.
Thanks for stopping by, it is always good to chat with you.
I don’t know if visiting prisoners is a deterrent…probably not; but seeing that world can only remind us of the value of freedom and how to keep it. Hopefully.
Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
Hi Lorraine,
I don’t think that I could ever become a prison visitor, as if I am totally honest, I am of the view that if ‘you don’t want to do the time then don’t do the crime!’
Admittedly, I also accept that there are some in prison who truly shouldn’t be there and who would have been much better punished by society, whilst still enjoying some sense of freedom.
Any crime involving violence though, should be dealt with in the most severest of ways and prisons should reflect the sentence in their austerity and severity, after all, they are not holiday camps!!
There is something of a moral dilemma brewing in ‘The Cabinetmaker’, and I am not at all certain how author Alan Jones is going to play this storyline out.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your comments.