Tag: The Editor

The Editor by Simon Hall: Even after the best of intentions lead to disastrous consequences, there’s hope.

The Editor

The Editor

by Simon Hall

eARC, 352 pg.
Bloodhound Books, 2019

Read: August 30 – September 2, 2019

Hope is the true immortal in life. It never leaves us and it never dies. Sometimes, hope’s gentle voice might be drowned out by all the noise in our lives. But find a hidden corner, listen hard, and you will always hear the quiet song of hope.

A man known only as Ed gathers a large number of people with only a small newspaper advertisement about hope. From that meeting, four strangers embark on a campaign to restore hope to others and themselves via an unusual startup enterprise. Then what starts off as a search for a compelling human interest story, becomes a heartfelt search for a neighborhood’s missing pets, and then turns into something with life and death consequences for a handful of people and something that stirs a nation.

I don’t want to say more about the plot than that brief paragraph—the details of Hall’s story need to unfold slowly for you as you read the book. I spent a lot of time wondering how this qualified as Crime Fiction at all. I didn’t really care about the answer, because I got sucked into the narrative right away and was thoroughly enjoying the book, no matter what genre it ended up being. It does end up as a very compelling Crime Novel, but it takes its time getting to that point. The Editor is a book better experienced and read than explained, so I’m going to be a lot briefer than normal.

Hall’s typically an engaging author, with characters that you like despite not liking the way they always act, and can really tell a story. But in The Editor he pulls out all the stops and adds some extra “writerly flair” to the text. Lines like:

That small hiccup overcome, however, the story not only settled in their laps but purred happily in the process.

And Florence, despite her sad experience of how life could always find a way to confound her, smiled. Optimism was always one of the toughest drugs to quit.

add that je ne sais quoi that elevate this novel.

And then he’ll make you smile with things like this reaction from an elderly woman:

‘What do you think should happen to whoever might have taken George, and the other cats?’

‘Death!’ Elizabeth declared, with all the certainty of her soul. ‘I never understood why we abolished the death penalty in the first place. Here now, if ever there was one, is surely a case for bringing it back.’

There’s a very real sense in which you won’t (and cannot) figure out what’s really going on in The Editor until the end when Hall tells you. It’s frequently an annoying trait/trick when it’s pulled. But if it’s done correctly, it can be very satisfying—and Hall does it perfectly. But I’ve gotta say, even when the curtain is drawn back and the metaphoric Wizard is exposed, I was far more interested in the stuff that didn’t have to be revealed—the story itself, prima facie, is what matters most. It’s what’s going to leave a lasting impression on the reader. The other stuff is interesting and (again) well-executed, but it’s not as important as the rest.

And really, when is the central theme of this book not something that you can use?

“There’s still hope. Of course there’s still hope. There’s always hope. Feel it. Live it, breathe it…”

I think Hall’s TV Detective series is a lot of fun, and one of the things that’s bugged me most about 2019’s reading is that I haven’t made more of an effort to catch up on that series. But this? This is a special kind of book that bears almost no resemblance at all to the other Hall works I’ve read—it’s effective and affecting, inspirational and singular, wholly unexpected. You’ve gotta grab this one.


4 Stars


My thanks to Bloodhound Books for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the novel) they provided.


BOOK SPOTLIGHT: The Editor by Simon Hall

Today I’m pleased to welcome the Book Tour for the unexpected and unconventional The Editor by Simon Hall. Along with this spotlight post, I’ll be posting my take on the novel here in a bit.

Book Details:

Book Title: The Editor by Simon Hall
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Release date: September 2, 2019
Format: Paperback/ebook
Length: 352 pages

Book Blurb:

A mysterious advert in a newspaper promising to restore hope to the hopeless brings together four strangers.

None realising they will end up investigating a twisted and troubling crime that threatens their very futures.

Mitch, a former Crime Scene Investigator, Olivia, a brilliant PhD student, and Florence, a middle-aged solicitor, find themselves working with an enigmatic newspaper editor who refers to himself only as Ed.

But when Maddie, a teenage girl, disappears in sinister circumstances, the team are drawn into the hunt for her. And when a neighbour’s body is discovered in a pool of blood, they realise they must use their unique skills in a race against time.

But can they solve the mystery before it’s too late? And before Ed’s shadowy past overcomes them all?

About Simon Hall:

Simon HallSimon Hall is an author, journalist, communications consultant, and business coach.

He was a broadcaster for twenty five years, mostly as a BBC Television, Radio and Online News Correspondent, covering some of the biggest stories Britain has seen.

He now lectures, and coaches companies at the Judge Business School, part of the University of Cambridge, working on presentation skills, branding, pitching, websites, and media profile, both conventional and social.

Simon has had seven books in his tvdetective series published. They focus on a television reporter who covers crimes and gets so involved in the cases he helps the police to solve them.

He has also contributed articles and short stories to a range of newspapers and magazines, written plays, and even a pantomime.

Alongside his novels and stories, Simon is a tutor in media skills and creative writing, teaching at popular Writers’ Summer Schools such as Swanwick and Winchester, for the National Association of Writers’ Groups, at universities including Cambridge and Exeter, on cruise ships and overseas.

Simon has also become sought after as a speaker, appearing at a variety of prestigious literary festivals. His talks combine an insight into his writing work, along with some extraordinary anecdotes from the life of a television reporter, including the now notorious story of What to do when you really need a dead otter.

He began a broadcasting career as a DJ on the radio and in nightclubs, then moved into radio and TV news. He worked in Europe, London, Ireland, and the south west of England, before settling in Cambridge.

Simon is married to Jess, Director of Libraries at the University of Cambridge, and has an adopted daughter, Niamh. She’s an army officer, which makes her father both very proud and very nervous.

Simon also lectures on careers in the media at Cambridge University, and in schools and colleges. Amongst his proudest achievements, he includes the number of young people he has helped into higher education and jobs in broadcasting, and aspiring writers into publication.

As for his likes, Simon lists beer – he judges at real ale festivals – running, cycling, solving cryptic crosswords, composing curious Tweets (find him @SimonHallNews) and studying pop lyrics.

For more on Simon, see his website – www.thetvdetective.com.


My thanks to Bloodhound Books for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the novel) they provided.

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