Mayhawke (97 KP) rated Elevator Pitch in Books
Jun 28, 2019
Over a decade ago I stopped reading crime fiction from the U.S. because I found what seemed to be a an unpleasant dwelling on the suffering of victims; a voyeurism which I found uncomfortable, and highly unpleasant. It was as though American crime writers were incapable of exploring the darkness of humanity, or giving clarity to events without relishing the pain and terror that must have been experienced by those on the receiving end of them.
Of course this was never true of all U.S. crime fiction, but I couldn't be asked to keep searching for the other kind. It was easier to just stay away from it all.
So, this is the first American crime novel I have read in nearly fifteen years.
What a joy it was. Barclay sets out a gripping thriller, an excellently plotted story which will educate you just a bit more than is comfortable on the ease of hacking lift controls in the technical age, whilst carefully leading you up and down the garden path a couple of times. The reading style is comfortable, the exposition is well paced. Eventually you arrive at a satisfying, and prompt conclusion. Barclay avoids the temptation to draw out the end like a cheerleader pulling gum, something that only works in Golden Era crime, and I always feel is out of place in otherwise fast-paced books of a more recent age.
Against this the characters have a slightly superficial feel, as though they have only been given the complexity they need for the book, and the denouement was not a huge surprise, though it was batted back and forth between two potential subjects nicely. But these really are minor complaints I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be going back and reading some more of Linwood's books on the basis of this one.
A Perfect Crime
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8.0
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After a previous case got him sidelined to a drugs investigation, DS Scott Cullen of Police...
Mentor, The
7.0
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Nikki Massey (8 KP) rated Death of a Nurse (Hamish Macbeth, #31) in Books
Feb 7, 2019
I found it interesting, if a little out there.
Without giving it away, I found place names a little difficult to get my head around and although the accents portrayed were maybe needed to give more of a feel for the location and characters, it made reading a little difficult.
I'm not sure I fully warmed to the characters and felt they were a little clumsy and slapstick.
But that is just my opinion, I'm sure many love these quirks.
Still an entertaining read.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Bootlegger's Daughter (Deborah Knott Mysteries, #1) in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Margaret Maron's books are quite engaging and fun-to-read... I blew through this book in a few days.
Moll Flanders
Keith Carabine, Daniel Defoe and R.T. Jones
9.0
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With an Introduction and Notes by R.T.Jones, Honorary Fellow of the University of York. The novel...
The Long Drop
8.0
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William Watt wants answers about his family's murder. Peter Manuel has them. But Peter Manuel is a...
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Watchmen - Season 1
10.0
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Set in an alternate history, 30 plus years after the events of graphic novel, where masked...
