Two dysfunctional families; a heap of cash; a couple of swords and a whole bucketload of blood - the perfect combination for a best selling novel. Tommy Savage is being blackmailed and has no idea why, while Andy Park has an axe to grind but passes out at the sight of blood. And then there is Smith - an altogether unsavoury character who wears a ski mask and pokes his tongue out when he is concentrating. Just what does he really want? Savage isn't entirely sure but the trail of of dead bodies is enough to convince him that the guy means business.

The opening scene in Guthrie's latest novel treats us to the grisly sight of a headless corpse, lying naked in a bath tub in somebody's living room. And this is just the beginning of the blood letting. Fairly soon there are bits of body everywhere and there is so much blood you can practically taste it. You need to keep alert to remember who is who, what they want and who they have just cut up. A very masterful chopping and mixing of the sequence of events in the book only adds to the tension. Just when you think you know what will happen next there is another gruesome twist to the plot and your adrenalin starts to pump even harder. If you are looking for relaxing bed time reading with this book, think again.

A delightfully clever mixture of humour, tragedy and violence that stays with you long after the final page has been read: SAVAGE NIGHT is noir fiction at its best.

Amanda C M Gillies, Scotland
April 2008