Review: All Fall Down (Furnass Towers Trilogy Book 3) by Richard Snodgrass

In All Fall Down, the epic conclusion to Richard Snodgrass’s Furnass Towers Trilogy, the characters and families that loyal readers have come to know so well all come together for one final piece of the puzzle – centered dramatically around the murder of Dickie Sutcliff.

The Sutcliff family, specifically Dickie and his brother Harry Todd, have featured heavily in this trilogy, being at the center of the real estate market in the mill town of Furnass. However, over those many decades and deals, Dickie has certainly made enemies along the way, so when he turns up dead, it is difficult to know where the investigation should begin.

Snodgrass knows how to stretch out suspense, and drop red herrings at random, pulling readers deeper into the thrill of mystery. While some might immediately suspect a family member of foul play, there is also the Lyle family, who holds its own special grudge against the usurping Sutcliffs. As there is still some bitterness towards Dickie in Julian Lyle’s heart, he inevitably gets wrapped up in the investigation, doing his own digging into a seemingly unrelated avenue of crime around Furnass.

That is the beauty of a small-town mystery, especially coming at the end of a trilogy: everyone already has some preconceived notions about the victims, their families, and the potential suspects. A purely objective perspective is almost impossible to achieve, so while the pursuit of justice may be skewed, the pursuit of an engaging and unpredictable novel is not. Drug dealing crosses paths with shady real estate maneuvering and ghosts from the past rise up to haunt the present, thickening this book’s plot in fascinating ways. After two installments of the Furnass Towers Trilogy, it is nice to move away from the buildings and into the brooding heart of this dying town and its complex denizens.

Every scene has a clear purpose, and while a minister may not seem like the normal investigator in a police procedural novel, there are many sections that feel slow-burning and methodical. The interrogations and awkward conversations transform friends and neighbors into suspects and persons of interest, giving the novel a dark, threatening edge as it proceeds. Snodgrass also does an excellent job of scripting the dialogue from start to finish; it is rich and engaging, with small talk and colloquial speech coming as naturally as plot-progressing questions and emotionally charged exchanges. There is a comforting pace and rhythm to organic dialogue, and it is on constant display in these pages.

Snodgrass does have certain tropes that could be done away with or minimized, such as the frequent interruptions of self-reflection, asking internal questions that break up the flow of the narration. Allowing readers to make their own conclusions and understand what is at stake in every interaction is important, rather than spoon-feeding them the critical moments of a chapter. Some of the long stretches of italicized narration also seem out of place, as though the author wants to speed up some sections of exposition without building an entire scene.

Overall, All Fall Down is well-constructed and a pleasure to read. The suspense was second only to the rich character dynamics and intricate plot, and the conclusion is a fitting close to a truly unique and memorable trilogy.