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mekamaree's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
luellen1990's review
5.0
The Girl in the Green Dress by Cath Staincliffe
Title - The Girl in the Green Dress
Author - Cath Staincliffe
Published - April '18
Publisher - Constable
Genre - #MurderMystery #LGBT
Pages - 336
Price on Amazon - Paperback - £7.43 Kindle - £4.99
ISBN - 147215398
A young girl is murdered in Manchester town centre one evening. Police arrive at the scene and soon realise all is not what it seems. Alley, the murder victim is a transgender woman. Could this be a hate crime? The officer in charge of the case a detective named Donna has to put all her training into action to solve this crime in a sensitive manner and ensure all her fellow officers do the same.
Being part of the LGBT community myself, this book is close to home for me. I have to praise Cath Staincliffe for how well she has written this book and how well she has highlighted the issue of hate crimes within the LGBT community.
The story is wonderfully written, extremely interesting and keeps you hooked from the very beginning. I found I didn't like the character of Jade and I found myself questioning how she ever made it into the police force with an attitude like she has but at the same time I also found myself impressed with the way she was determined to find the truth and solve Alley's murder.
Without giving away any spoilers I thought the plot twist towards the end of the book was a very good one and one I did not see coming. All in all a fantastic read.
Rating - Five out of Five Stars
Would I Read Again? - Yes
Would I Recommend? - Yes
Would I read other books by the same author? - Yes I already am
Reviews for this book can be found on:
SmashWords (LusReviews)
Barns & Noble (Lus-Reviews)
Links to this review can be found at:
Twitter: @lusreviews
Facebook: @lusreviews
Instagram: lusreviews
Title - The Girl in the Green Dress
Author - Cath Staincliffe
Published - April '18
Publisher - Constable
Genre - #MurderMystery #LGBT
Pages - 336
Price on Amazon - Paperback - £7.43 Kindle - £4.99
ISBN - 147215398
A young girl is murdered in Manchester town centre one evening. Police arrive at the scene and soon realise all is not what it seems. Alley, the murder victim is a transgender woman. Could this be a hate crime? The officer in charge of the case a detective named Donna has to put all her training into action to solve this crime in a sensitive manner and ensure all her fellow officers do the same.
Being part of the LGBT community myself, this book is close to home for me. I have to praise Cath Staincliffe for how well she has written this book and how well she has highlighted the issue of hate crimes within the LGBT community.
The story is wonderfully written, extremely interesting and keeps you hooked from the very beginning. I found I didn't like the character of Jade and I found myself questioning how she ever made it into the police force with an attitude like she has but at the same time I also found myself impressed with the way she was determined to find the truth and solve Alley's murder.
Without giving away any spoilers I thought the plot twist towards the end of the book was a very good one and one I did not see coming. All in all a fantastic read.
Rating - Five out of Five Stars
Would I Read Again? - Yes
Would I Recommend? - Yes
Would I read other books by the same author? - Yes I already am
Reviews for this book can be found on:
SmashWords (LusReviews)
Barns & Noble (Lus-Reviews)
Links to this review can be found at:
Twitter: @lusreviews
Facebook: @lusreviews
Instagram: lusreviews
emmadobson_2812's review
5.0
If I could give it more stars, I would. A brilliant book. Moving, heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting. Highlights the power of love and acceptance, and recognises the amount of courage it sadly still takes to be who you are.
marxistjudas's review
CW (for the book): transphobia, violent transphobia, hate crimes, transphobic language, racist language, discussion of transphobic views
Having the one trans character in the book be the murdered girl doesn't seem like the best choice to me - having at least one of the other characters be trans would have made the book more effective, especially in terms of how the crime would have affected them, a living trans person, and having their perspective on the aftermath. It's also important in terms of representation - to have trans representation only/mostly be tragedies and dead people is a disappointment, to have trans people living & thriving so that every variant of trans experience is represented is an infinite improvement.
Having the one trans character in the book be the murdered girl doesn't seem like the best choice to me - having at least one of the other characters be trans would have made the book more effective, especially in terms of how the crime would have affected them, a living trans person, and having their perspective on the aftermath. It's also important in terms of representation - to have trans representation only/mostly be tragedies and dead people is a disappointment, to have trans people living & thriving so that every variant of trans experience is represented is an infinite improvement.
bgg616's review
4.0
I waivered between 3 and 4 stars on this but at the end, it wrapped up quite satisfactorily. Steve, a father of two, and widower, sends his elder daughter, Allie, age 18, to her end of secondary school dance and celebration. A few hours late, the police come to his house. Allie has been murdered. Allie is a transgender teen who after a few years of struggle at school, is experiencing support and acceptance. This detail is not a spoiler as the book's back cover reveals that this is the story of a transgender teen.
The Manchester Police mount a major investigation to find Allie's killers. The unrolling of the investigation is described in detail. There are numerous characters including the police officers, and those caught up in the investigation. The book is written in short chapters each from the perspective of one character. One of the most interesting is Jade, a novice detective, with a complicated but undisclosed history. She is of Asian (Indian, Pakistani or other from the Indian subcontinent) heritage which is relevant because of the hostility directed at her by some. While there was adequate description of Allie's story, some may feel it is too cursory. No one from the LGBT community is asked to provide advice or insights regarding who to look at, what to look for, and more. But one positive touch is the presence of the gay mayor of Manchester at a vigil for Allie, a mayor who appears by name, and has been a guiding force in the fight against violence against people who are transgender.
The culprits are identified fairly early, but there is another twist that makes this an above average crime novel.
The Manchester Police mount a major investigation to find Allie's killers. The unrolling of the investigation is described in detail. There are numerous characters including the police officers, and those caught up in the investigation. The book is written in short chapters each from the perspective of one character. One of the most interesting is Jade, a novice detective, with a complicated but undisclosed history. She is of Asian (Indian, Pakistani or other from the Indian subcontinent) heritage which is relevant because of the hostility directed at her by some. While there was adequate description of Allie's story, some may feel it is too cursory. No one from the LGBT community is asked to provide advice or insights regarding who to look at, what to look for, and more. But one positive touch is the presence of the gay mayor of Manchester at a vigil for Allie, a mayor who appears by name, and has been a guiding force in the fight against violence against people who are transgender.
The culprits are identified fairly early, but there is another twist that makes this an above average crime novel.
kba76's review
4.0
When you find yourself with tears on your cheeks upon finishing a book, you know the author’s got to you. Lots of unanswered questions at the close of this, with a description of a vigil that is tapping into a mood that’s been all too evident in Manchester this year but this book ended on a really hopeful note that should be celebrated.
Cath Staincliffe knows how to deliver a decent police procedural. We follow this investigation from start to a finish of sorts, learning some of the methods used during a major investigation the likes of which most of us will never have knowledge of. Thankfully.
The opening of the novel felt a little slow. We’re introduced to Allie (dressed up and about to go to her prom), Oliver (a stereotypical moody teen) and a number of detectives. It felt rather disjointed initially, but when we see one of the detectives arriving at a crime scene and we make the connection with the green dress Allie was wearing it starts to fall into place.
Your child not returning from a night out is every parents’ nightmare. This story taps into our deepest fears as parents, but it’s given contemporary appeal because Allie was transgender and seems to have been murdered because of this.
The shocks, once they arrive, come thick and fast. From pretty early on we can see who is involved and the story forces us to focus on just how far people will go to protect the ones they love.
Unfortunately for me, though I raced through this and thoroughly enjoyed it, I felt outraged and sickened by some of the attitudes expressed here which is part of the reason why I’d give this a 4.5 rating. The outdated law meaning that Allie is referred to as male in the post-mortem is disgusting, some of the racist and sexist attitudes expressed saddened me (though I know they’ll still be around) and I was sickened by one of the central characters. I sense we’re meant to be, but this character was almost a caricature villain and their actions weren’t always believable.
This is certainly one I’d highly recommend, and I must thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.
Cath Staincliffe knows how to deliver a decent police procedural. We follow this investigation from start to a finish of sorts, learning some of the methods used during a major investigation the likes of which most of us will never have knowledge of. Thankfully.
The opening of the novel felt a little slow. We’re introduced to Allie (dressed up and about to go to her prom), Oliver (a stereotypical moody teen) and a number of detectives. It felt rather disjointed initially, but when we see one of the detectives arriving at a crime scene and we make the connection with the green dress Allie was wearing it starts to fall into place.
Your child not returning from a night out is every parents’ nightmare. This story taps into our deepest fears as parents, but it’s given contemporary appeal because Allie was transgender and seems to have been murdered because of this.
The shocks, once they arrive, come thick and fast. From pretty early on we can see who is involved and the story forces us to focus on just how far people will go to protect the ones they love.
Unfortunately for me, though I raced through this and thoroughly enjoyed it, I felt outraged and sickened by some of the attitudes expressed here which is part of the reason why I’d give this a 4.5 rating. The outdated law meaning that Allie is referred to as male in the post-mortem is disgusting, some of the racist and sexist attitudes expressed saddened me (though I know they’ll still be around) and I was sickened by one of the central characters. I sense we’re meant to be, but this character was almost a caricature villain and their actions weren’t always believable.
This is certainly one I’d highly recommend, and I must thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.
kimbui's review
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5