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the complete review - fiction

The Goldenacre

by
Philip Miller

general information | review summaries | our review | links | about the author

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Our Assessment:

B : solid, and a good read

See our review for fuller assessment.

  From the Reviews:

• "There is a nice cast of of well-conceived characters (.....) In general, Edinburgh is well-evoked (.....) (T)his is for the most part a more more convincing novel than the common run of Tartan Noir." - Allan Massie, The Scotsman

Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.

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The complete review's Review:

       The Goldenacre takes its name from a watercolor by Charles Rennie Mackintosh which has been in the family of 'the Lords Melrose and Roxburgh since 1927'. Hidden away at their residence, Denholm House, it has never been on public display. The family are now 'giving' it to the Public Gallery in Edinburgh as part of the British 'Acceptance Instead of Tax'-scheme, "generating a tax deduction of more than £12 million" for the heirs. (The scheme is actually called Acceptance in Lieu; it's unclear why Miller did not use the official term (and a bit disappointing that he didn't).)
       Thomas Tallis is the government inspector of provenance who is sent to Edinburgh to sign off on its authenticity -- his first big assignment at his new job. The first we hear of him is from a colleague telling journalist Shona Sandison that Tallis has been sent to Edinburgh -- though they don't why. What they do know is that Tallis left his former job at the Civic Gallery under a massive cloud -- "A whole weather system" --, having: "evidently fucked up royally" -- and also that Tallis happens to be the son of a retired deputy director of MI6.
       Tallis did indeed make a mess of a promising career -- readers do eventually learn what went very, very wrong -- but the government job he's landed isn't a bad one; still, he has other problems, too -- in particular, his marriage, to a musician, is collapsing. Shona Sandison has problems too: she's still hobbled by an injury she sustained, and the newspaper she works for has been bought by someone who doesn't understand the business and wants to reshape it into a digital-first property; it had already been: "reduced to a distressed rump after various management and editorial system changes" (and yet, implausibly, is still making a good profit). They are the two main characters in this story, but their paths only cross late on, with Sandison pursuing other stories -- beginning with that of the murder of an old painter, Robert Love, with local City Councillor John Cullen killed in similarly brutal manner soon after.
       Readers will have guessed at the connection between the two storylines soon enough -- Love was a painter ... -- but it takes a while for the pieces to come together, in no small part because little information is shared between various parties much of the time. That something fishy is going on is made clear early on from the way everyone reacts to Tallis' assignment: his boss is hurrying him to return to London, while the director of the Public Gallery goes so far as to argue (absurdly) that: "you didn't need to see it in person, and that it would be a waste of time and you are here to do paperwork only". And when Tallis heads to Denholm House to check it out, the painting is (in)conveniently -- and ridiculously -- not there; it's out: "having a little brush and tickle before it goes. Bit of an assessment and a bit of conservation". (Given the money involved here, it's astonishing that Tallis doesn't immediately demand to be brought to the painting, wherever it is.)
       There's also the mysterious package delivered to Tallis, obviously and strongly suggesting he hold his tongue, but if not forceful Tallis is at least dutiful enough to try to get to the bottom of things. As is Sandison with her stories -- leading her ever closer to Tallis' own pursuits. But there are powerful interests involved here -- people who don't want either Sandison or Tallis following up. Even the 2018 fire that destroyed The Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art comes into play -- apparently sacrificed to keep certain information out of Tallis' hands .....
       With its back and forth between its two struggling characters, The Goldenacre is a quick, engaging read. Parts of the mystery are fairly obvious -- all that suspicious behavior would make anyone think that there's something not quite right about the painting -- but the layers of motive and what this might all be part of, with mystery-figures such as Ms.Peters (who works for the heirs that are giving the painting to the state), make for a menacing and murky bigger picture lurking within.
       One odd aspect of the novel is the extent of the deceit and dishonesty: the bad guys, unsurprisingly, have a lot to hide, so it's expected from them, but both Tallis and Sandison constantly lie too -- often about small and almost inconsequential things (as well as hiding small (and bigger) truths about themselves). Presented in many ways as morally upright in their actions -- with Sandison an idealist about the good old newspaper days and ways, and Tallis determined to dutifully perform the task he has been assigned -- it's interesting to see that they are also repeatedly presented as in at least some ways fundamentally dishonest.
       All in all, Miller layers on a bit much in The Goldenacre -- there are some subplot-lines (including one on the 'decolonisation of museums'); there's Tallis' relationship with his father; there's Tallis worrying about his seven-year-old son -- but it all moves fast and sharply enough to make for a solid read, with a fairly satisfying and not too simple resolution, not least concerning the painting.

- M.A.Orthofer, 31 July 2024

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Links:

• Soho Press publicity page
• Polygon publicity page

• Gumshoe
• Kirkus Reviews
• Lizzy's Literary Life
• Mystery & Suspense
• Publishers Weekly
• The Scotsman
• Snack

• Official site

• See Index of Mysteries and Thrillers
• See Index of Contemporary British fiction

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About the Author:

       Philip Miller is a British author.

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© 2024 the complete review

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