The Grower

So you thought allotments were nice quiet friendly places. Think again. This intelligent and darkly humourous thriller by Robbie Smith centres around the small town allotments tended by champion grower and enthusiastic bully, Malcolm Pottle. When mysterious newcomer, Rupert Clemence arrives on the scene, taking the adjacent plot, he quickly begins to outgrow them both. Not taking kindly to this, Malcolm begins a campaign of sabotage on Rupert`s plot. Little can he know Rupert`s past - he has just served twenty five years for the murder of the last person who offended him, or rather his vegetables. Throw into the mix an ex prostitute called Mary, hell bent on revenge, and a disabled but spiritually gifted boy named Jonathan, and you have the makings of one of this years most interesting and original novels. The book is presented in short chapters that drive the plot along quickly. The writing is fluent and the characters vivid, with the killer, Rupert being one of the most ruthless and unsettling villains you will ever encounter. By the time you get towards the end of the book, the pages are flashing by and you are running to keep up. Brilliant!