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mrsbooknerd's review
4.0
I have been harbouring this novel on my shelf for quite a few months, but the sheer size of it had really dampened any enthusiasm that I had on finding it. 533 pages of police procedural?? No one could ever sustain the tension, pacing and my ever-waning enthusiasm for that long!
Except, it seems, Sean Slater.
The pacing was wonderfully crafted; although the over-arching plot was only gradually revealed, short term obstacles or events were placed to divert our attention. A constant bubbling in the pot before an explosion. The change of narrative voice meant that even when the police had no leads and seemed inactive, we jumped on board with "The Monster" or "Violet" and we were transported straight into an active universe within the novel, which would progress Striker's investigation and boom we were back into an explosion.
Details or characters that often seemed insignificant were suddenly the base of bigger twists and turns, and my detective brain was kept interested constantly. One of my pet hates is when authors won't trust the reader to understand the nuances and clues that they leave. Slater is not guilty of this at all.
I enjoy reading about Striker, whether through his case or his personal life. I enjoy the fact that he is just a regular guy, a real detective. He gets knocked out by the bad guy and gets beaten up on quite a regular basis. There are so many police novels where the lead detective seems to be inhuman. He can see signs and patterns and clues that no other can, even when they seem entirely improbable, and he can take hit after hit and never buckle. That is boring. I love that Striker gets frustrated and snaps at witnesses, I love that he has to go home to sleep because his body gives up. It makes it feel more realistic, and I champion him more.
Another positive is that though familiarity comes from it being a series, there is little to no recapping of previous novels. You could read this as a standalone. Other series, say the Roy Grace novels by Peter James, is a long series now, but each installation picks up where the last left off, and half the book is harking on about incidents past rather than pushing us forward with the story or character development.
I would say that the testament to this novel was that I read all 533 pages in two days. I would certainly recommend.
Except, it seems, Sean Slater.
The pacing was wonderfully crafted; although the over-arching plot was only gradually revealed, short term obstacles or events were placed to divert our attention. A constant bubbling in the pot before an explosion. The change of narrative voice meant that even when the police had no leads and seemed inactive, we jumped on board with "The Monster" or "Violet" and we were transported straight into an active universe within the novel, which would progress Striker's investigation and boom we were back into an explosion.
Details or characters that often seemed insignificant were suddenly the base of bigger twists and turns, and my detective brain was kept interested constantly. One of my pet hates is when authors won't trust the reader to understand the nuances and clues that they leave. Slater is not guilty of this at all.
I enjoy reading about Striker, whether through his case or his personal life. I enjoy the fact that he is just a regular guy, a real detective. He gets knocked out by the bad guy and gets beaten up on quite a regular basis. There are so many police novels where the lead detective seems to be inhuman. He can see signs and patterns and clues that no other can, even when they seem entirely improbable, and he can take hit after hit and never buckle. That is boring. I love that Striker gets frustrated and snaps at witnesses, I love that he has to go home to sleep because his body gives up. It makes it feel more realistic, and I champion him more.
Another positive is that though familiarity comes from it being a series, there is little to no recapping of previous novels. You could read this as a standalone. Other series, say the Roy Grace novels by Peter James, is a long series now, but each installation picks up where the last left off, and half the book is harking on about incidents past rather than pushing us forward with the story or character development.
I would say that the testament to this novel was that I read all 533 pages in two days. I would certainly recommend.
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