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Devil in the Detail

Ed James

9.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

For fans of Ian Rankin, Ed McBain and Christopher Brookmyre, Devil in the Detail is the second novel...

ClareR (5721 KP) rated The Colours of Death in Books

Apr 18, 2022

The Colours of Death

Patricia Marques | 2021 | Crime, Paranormal, Thriller

8.7

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

The Colours of Death is a detective novel set in a present day, alternative Lisbon. A minority of the population are Gifted with either telepathy or telekinesis, and they are heavily regulated. When it comes to light that a death on a train might have some Gifted involvement, Inspector Isabel Reis is put on the case with her team. She is a telepath, and her own problems with that gift soon make themselves known.

They’re a fantastic cast of characters, and they work well together )literally, in the case of the police team). It’s another angle on discrimination: instead of religion or skin colour, the Gifted are discriminated against because of their gifts - something they have no choice or control over.

This novel feels a little dystopian in places: when people go ‘missing’ if they lose control of their gifts, for example. And all Gifted are kept on a register where they’re regularly assessed. If they exceed a certain level, they’re removed from society for everyone else’s safety.

I really enjoyed this - the storyline was interesting, gripping, in fact, and exciting when it needed to be. The main character was flawed and very likeable, and the food constantly made me feel hungry!

I will be looking out for the next book in the series.

Kudos

Midge (525 KP) rated The Next to Die in Books

Feb 17, 2019

The Next to Die

Sophie Hannah | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Original And Very Unique

Five well deserved stars! This is such a good book for me - the witticisms, the sarcastic put-downs, as well as the hilarious musings and anecdotes, all help this book along for me. It’s nothing like any other novel that I can recall reading before and it is especially refreshing for a crime novel.

I love novels that feature out of the ordinary protagonists, so this one fitted right into that category. The story is actually told from the points of view of two people - stand up comedian, Kim Tribbeck & DC Simon Waterhouse.

Quirky Kim Tribbeck has a dark side, and I really enjoyed the insight into her world as told through her POV. Her contribution is told through an autobiographical book called “Origami.” DC Simon Waterhouse, the other protagonist, is inspired, well respected, and talented as a detective and he doesn’t like public speaking. The story is also told via a number of newspaper articles and random emails.

The chapters vary between different characters, excerpts from “Origami”, the emails, newspaper columns, short stories, and letters. In addition to the burning question, “Who Is Billy Dead Mates?” (the nickname of the killer who appears to be targeting pairs of best friends), there is an obsessed journalist who claims the victims have been murdered by a mad misogynist. Before they die, each of the victims is given a small white book.

I particularly loved the chapters that were told from Kim’s point-of-view. For me, Sophie Hannah’s portrayal of Kim was brilliant. She turned this novel into something much more than a police procedural. In THE NEXT TO DIE, Hannah managed to combine a wonderfully clever and complex plot with some extremely unforgettable characters.

THE NEXT TO DIE by Sophie Hannah is a highly recommended, layered mystery with a surprising and fulfilling ending.

{Thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}

Kudos

Becs (244 KP) rated The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot #4) in Books

Aug 4, 2019

Not my favorite novel

You can also find this review on my blog at bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
TRIGGER WARNINGS: death, murder, talk of suicide

Review:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd follows detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates the murder of Roger Ackroyd. Ackroyd was murdered in his study that was locked, but not before he received a letter from the person that was blackmailing the widow he was having an affair with. This same widow was being blackmailed and rumors spread about her murdering her own husband. She ends up committing suicide because of these rumors and blackmailing.

King's Abbot is full of suspects but it's up to Hercule Poirot to figure out who is guilty of murdering Roger Ackroyd. He is aided by the village doctor and narrator of the story, James Sheppard and his sister, Caroline Sheppard.

I really wanted to love this novel, as it seemed really interesting. It didn't get interesting until the very ending and I wouldn't recommend reading this book first if you've never read an Agatha Christie novel. This was the first ever novel I've read by Agatha Christie and I'm just not really bothered to read any more novels by Agatha Christie.

The story was somewhat interesting, but the execution wasn't there. I wasn't able to guess the killer, so that was a fun little plot twist. But the ending came abruptly and the overall story lacked. It lacked that punch that most mysteries have. There was hardly any development and background for both the story and the characters.

I listened to the audiobook version of this so I wasn't sure if there wasn't any grammatical and/or spelling errors. The narrator was a bit monotone but was otherwise a decent speaker. I forced myself through this, when all I wanted to do was DNF it. It lacked, was confusing, and was rather boring. I did not enjoy this and was disappointed with the overall story.

"The things young women read nowadays and profess to enjoy positively frighten me."

Kudos

Fruit Bat (42 KP) rated The Strange Case of Caroline Maxwell in Books

Mar 1, 2018

Recommended reading "The Strange Case of Caroline Maxwell "Paperback – 12 Sep 2014 by Amanda Harvey Purse.

This book has all the ingredients that makes a great mystery novel. The question is what is there not to love history mixed with fiction, Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper with a great references to Agatha Christie and a famous little Belgian detective.

Amanda's book deserves so much more then the twos reviews it has on Amazon .

The book is truly well researched and comes across as a great labour of love , I loved spotting the historical cases that where mixed among the fiction. If you have the opportunity to read this book I recommend you do it's not to be missed.

Amanda I loved this book from start to finish thank you for the opportunity to read it I hope to see more of this wonderful character