Rumer Cross is cursed. Scraping by working for a dingy London detective agency, she lives in the shadow of her mother, a violent criminal dubbed the ‘Witch Assassin’ whose bloodthirsty rampage terrorised London for over a decade.
Raised by foster families who never understood her and terrified she could one day turn into her mother, Rumer has become detached and self-reliant. But when she’s targeted by a vicious mobster who believes she’s hiding an occult relic, she’s drawn into the very world she’s been fighting to avoid.
Hunted by assassins and haunted by her mother’s dark legacy, Rumer must also confront a terrible truth: that she’s cursed, because no matter what she does, everybody she’s ever grown close to has died screaming.
Always a pleasure to feature some independent fiction here at The Eloquent Page. Last week, we had the fantastical second book in The Breed Chronicles: Tooth and Claw by K T Davies. This week, things take a significantly more sinister turn. Prepare yourselves for Josh Winning’s latest, Vicious Rumer, an urban thriller with a pitch-black heart.
At first glance, Rumer comes across as a brittle, acerbic type. She has had a tough upbringing, and this has left all manner of scars. As far as the rest of the world is concerned Rumer Cross is not a person to be messed with and she is quite happy with that arrangement. Her exterior may be hard as nails, but it becomes increasingly obvious that inside, Rumer is fundamentally broken. She feels a personal responsibility for all the deaths she witnessed in her short life. Is she truly cursed or is she just terribly unlucky?
As if being plagued by death wasn’t bad enough, Rumer also has family issues. Her mother, Celene, was known as the “Witch Assassin”. Rumer is more than keen to avoid anything to do with mommy dearest, but the killer’s legacy will not remain confined to history. All Rumer really wants is to be normal but what with curses and semi-mystical killers in her life that is never going to happen. What can you do when your parent was a legendary hit-woman with a brutal reputation?
The other characters are all just as well realised.
There is Bolt, an acquaintance of sorts. Calling him a friend would be way too risky for either of them. Let’s just say, he is the only constant in Rumer’s life. Much as she may wish to shun all human contact, there is something deep within her that craves even the smallest amount of compassion. Bolt might just be the only person that can provide anything close to that.
Every good hero deserves a good villain, and Rumer is no exception. Reverend Mara is a gang boss who has become convinced Rumer is the solution to all of his problems. There is a delightfully unhinged quality to the Revered. I do love a protagonist who appears cool, calm and collected but you can tell that just under the smooth exterior there is a maniac who could surface at any given moment.
It’s probably worth mentioning at this point that Vicious Rumer does contain some pretty violent and graphic moments. Put it this way, the first page in the novel starts with a torture scene involving a hammer. Those of a delicate constitution may wish to look away. Personally, I loved it. Winning isn’t messing around, this is purposefully adult fiction and it shows.
Disused industrial estates, crumbling tower blocks and rundown cemeteries give Winning’s vision of London a bleak, almost lonely tone. Crime and violence are rife, and the various locations heighten that sometimes inhospitable feeling. Rumer lives in a world where life and death are the flip side of the same grubby coin. The author is shining a light on London’s dark underbelly. We are getting a glimpse behind the curtain of civility to view a city in its rawest, most undiluted form.
Much as I’ve enjoyed Joshua Winning’s other novels, for me Vicious Rumer is a move to the next level. It feels like the author has really hit his stride and is delivering on the promise he displayed in his earlier work. Vicious Rumer is a rare treat. Dark, demented and dangerous to know, I can guarantee you’ll love Rumer Cross – just pray that you never ever meet her. I love it when an author discovers a character and it makes their writing click. Joshua Winning has created someone that readers are really going to enjoy. I can only hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Miss Cross.
There is something uncompromising about Rumer and the version of London she lives in. It is a city full of nasty people where nasty things can, and do, happen. I didn’t have to think much about my choice of musical accompaniment in this instance. There is an album I am particularly fond of that is the ideal choice. Back in 2012 there was a small independent movie, directed by Ben Drew, that portrayed the harsh existence of London inner city life. The soundtrack to Ill Manors also by Drew, using his stage name Plan B, has the same stark quality as Vicious Rumer. They complement one another perfectly.
Vicious Rumer is published by Unbound, more details are available via the author’s website. Highly recommended.
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