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Author
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Title
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Review
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Simon Beckett
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Chemistry of Death
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Taut thriller set in the Fens, Dr David Hunter recovering from tragedy finds his old life coming back when he least expects or wants it to. First of three books so far.
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Simon Beckett
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Written in Bone
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Action takes place on a remote Hebridean island. A peaceful community is revealed to be not as it seems.
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Lawrence Block
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Everybody Dies
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Part of the Matt Scudder series.
" So many layers to it from earlier books in the series, this is obviously built on his earlier life"
"Could picture New York very well - sets the scene well"
"Very violent but the atmosphere good, dialogue was punchy"
"Trying to put over the violence of New York and how a detective has to adapt to live within it"
"Thought it was horrid - no morality - wasn't interested in any of the characters"
"Lots of morality in it - a lot of friendship, confessionals, religion and so on"
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Anne Cleeves
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The Crow Trap
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A well-written book with each of the main characters having a different viewpoint.
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Edmund Crispin
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Buried for Pleasure
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"This to me is a "quicky" book, a pleasure tp read, interspersed with words unknown to me before, but a joy to find and learn. A certain amount of concentration is needed, but well worth it. Gervaise Fen is a character unlike any other."
"A ramshackle inn and a non-doing pig set the scene for Gervaise Fen to try his luck as a parliamentary candidate. A naked lunatic, a girl oblivious to oncoming traffic and a poisoned woman soon test the erudite Fen's investigative skills. The cleverly comstructed plot moves along with unexpected developments and justice finally is done. Read this!"
"This is a delightful though not "easy" read. It is set in a country areain the 40's with several rustic characters. The detective - Gervaise Fen- is an unusual character - well aware of his abilities, whicha re somewhat idiosyncratic. There is a great deal of story beside the "detecting", and it has much to commend it."
"Slow moving but enjoyable storyline with an intelligent, self-assured detective hero Gervaise Fen, an Oxford professor of english literature. Our hero is standing as a local Independent candidate but stumbles across murder and mayhem. The humour is subtle and tongue-in-cheek and the language is polite and careful. A treat if you enjoy a well thought out plot and clever characterisation."
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Hazel Holt
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Death in Practice
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A very easy read for holidays. Suspend your disbelief over police and solicitors “talks” about victims’ information.
Most of the crime group said that they might read another one but probably not; some found it irritating;I called it so cosy as to be comatose!
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Donna Leon
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About Face
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The latest in a fascinating series about a detective and his family in Venice.
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Donna Leon
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Friends in High Places
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"Gives a very good feel for Venice"
"Likes his food - gets his priorities right"
"plot weak, but enjoyable read"
"dull - I'm reading another now"
Alternative recommendation - Michael Dibdin - "Dead Lagoon"
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Jeff Lindsay
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Darkly Dreaming Dexter
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American, gory, weird but engrossing. Most readers finished it but overall felt it was unrealistic and a little trite. One reader loves the series and the US TV series. She likes the way he writes Dexter from the inside trying to be human and abiding by his foster father’s code.
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Peter Lovesey
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The Detective Wore Silk Drawers
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"Researched the subject of fist-fighting very well"
"The descriptions of the fighting were very well researched and graphic - just the story lacked substance"
"I have read several "Cribbs" and have thoroughly enjoyed the others"
"I really like his Diamond Series"
"Very plodding, nothing to get you interested"
"Unconvincing plot"
"The most interesting thing was the plot"
"Lovesey portrays Victorian London very well"
"Not enough characterisation to make you want to find out what happened"
"I am not interested in boxing - so gave up"
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Jessica Mann
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The Mystery Writer
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Lots of characters to get to grips with- some people liked this but most found it confusing and muddling. Historically interesting but general feeling was that though it started quite well, the plot was confusing and the addition of the author’s voice did not help to clarify it. Other book recommendations: Martina Cole; Rebecca Tope; Mary Ann Shaffer
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Val McDermid
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Dead Beat
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"Fairly ordinary book which didn't grab me"
"Obviously a first in the series as rather thin plot and two-dimensional characters"
"Readable, fast paced - not bad enough to give up on"
"Some witty one-liners"
"Can't remember anything witty at all!"
Recommended "A Place of Execution" also by Val McDermid - Excellent
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Anne Perry
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Farriers' Lane
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"With one or two exceptions, I'm not a big fan of historical crime novels and Anne Perry's "Farriers' Lane" didn't convert me to the genre. But it's a good yarn and is cleverly plotted. The large cast of characters is well delineated, though I didn't find the husband and wife sleuth team, Inspector Thomas Pitt and the aristocratic Charlotte, particularly appealing. Moreover, the dialogue seemed to me to vary between the arch and the stilted. But the setting, late 1880's London, seems quite convincing, and the extent of anti-semitism in Victorian society is intriguingly explored. I think at 374 pages, the book is overlong, and in places rather tedious, but if you like crime fiction with a historical flavour, and have a couple of days to spare, the "Farriers's Lane" is worth a try"
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Ian Rankin
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Hide and Seek
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"Excellent dialogue"
"Good interaction between Rebus and his collegue Holmes"
"The characters didn't interest me and the plot became a little flat"
"Very readable"
"Entertaining and well written"
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Peter Robinson
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Caedmon’s Song
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An excellent read- not an Inspector Banks novel – violent attack on a young lady and the far-reaching results.
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Lisa See
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The Interior’
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Gripping thriller about murder and corruption in an American owned toy factory in Beijing China.
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P J Tracy
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Play to Kill
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5th in series. Interesting analysis of Internet, YouTube video viral killers. We liked how Gino and Magozzi talked and Grace is an interesting shut off character. Surprise at end.
Did't finish - language! Gave up.
Missed a lot of character development as it is book 5.
Some good tense bits.
Struggled to get on with it, very American.
Liked the characters, perhaps not her best book.
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Minette Walters
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The Breaker
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"I liked the style of incorporating crime reports and felt this helped the development of the plot. The atmosphere was well developed and the surrounding area was well described. However I did not feel that the culprit was entirely believable and that many of the sexual descriptions were unnecessary."
"This is a different approach for Minette Walters - more towards a conventional detective story. The setting is very real but most of the characters are unsympathetic and there is some gratuitous violence. On the whole readable but not particularly memorable."
"Very readable, real page turner, a venture into the detective style for this writer. Good use of place. Rather weak ending."
"The book has a great sense of place, with photographs, a map and plenty of geographical detail. Good narrative style, plot moves along at a good pace. Some gratuitous violence. Nasty bunch of characters."
"A carefully constructed whodunnit which kept me gripped until the end. Rather different from her previous novels and in many ways more readable and convincing. Worth reading."
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