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Provender Gleed by James Lovegrove
01/01/2006 . Source: Sue Davies 
pub: Gollancz. 330 page enlarged paperback. Price: £14.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-575-07684-4. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out websites: www.orionbooks.co.uk and www.jameslovegrove.com
Provender Gleed has it all. He is blessed with being the first born and a son of one of the most powerful families in the land. Approaching his 25th birthday, he wants for nothing except his freedom. It's time for Provender to take a wife and find his true place in the world but he won't be rushed.
At their summer ball set in the Gleed estate which has been transformed into a faux Venice, Provender meets a girl who might just be 'the one' but his mother's plans are rudely interrupted when he is assaulted and kidnapped.
The Family are ready to apportion blame. Prosper, Provender's father and head of the Gleeds is convinced that another Family is to blame and sets out on a plan that could see Europe laid waste in war. Cynthia, Provender's mother, seeks solace in God but hedges her bets by getting the family retainer, Carver, to discreetly investigate. Meanwhile, Cousin Arthur continues to plan his own unique version of Hamlet.
Carver engages the services of Milner and Moore, the Anagrammatic detectives. They believe that the power of the word will save Provender. Starting with only names, they decide to split up to get to the heart of the case and they reach their own startling conclusions.
Set in an alternative modern era, the families of the rich and powerful rule, thanks to the historical prominence of the Borgias. This is a country where there are tramlines for use of Family only, there is a divide between the rich and poor and the under-classes are fans of the celebrity of 'Family' rather that pop stars and footballers. Background detail is imaginatively filled with the addition of dirigibles, a family who pretend they are vampires and truly a housing estate from Hell.
Alternative funny, dramatic, sad and thought-provoking this is a quality page turner and a little different from a normal detective story. It does incorporate many elements of the 'whodunit' but also manages to slip in some interesting political and social points.
The wonderful creation of the Anagrammatic detectives brings to mind Tin-Tin for some reason and their obsessive nature along with the use of the anagrams adds another dimension to this unusual novel.
Concluding with the traditional unmasking of the villains, this novel entertains in throughout its 330 pages and doesn't disappoint at the end.
Sue Davies
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