Tag: Detective

Entry Island by Peter May

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About the book

IF YOU FLEE FATE…When Detective Sime Mackenzie is sent from Montreal to investigate a murder on the remote Entry Island, 850 miles from the Canadian mainland, he leaves behind him a life of sleeplessness and regret. FATE WILL FIND YOU…But what had initially seemed an open-and-shut case takes on a disturbing dimension when he meets the prime suspect, the victim’s wife, and is convinced that he knows her – even though they have never met. And when his insomnia becomes punctuated by dreams of a distant Scottish past in another century, this murder in the Gulf of St. Lawrence leads him down a path he could never have foreseen, forcing him to face a conflict between his professional duty and his personal destiny.

Reviewed by Wallington Village

“Very protracted stories. Unecessary time switches. Too complex for our liking although a great deal was learnt from this book”

star rating – none given

 

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Eye Contact by Fergus McNeill

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you look him in the eye, you’re dead.

From the outside, Robert Naysmith is a successful businessman, handsome and charming. But for years he’s been playing a deadly game.

He doesn’t choose his victims. Each is selected at random – the first person to make eye contact after he begins ‘the game’ will not have long to live. Their fate is sealed.

When the body of a young woman is found on Severn Beach, Detective Inspector Harland is assigned the case. It’s only when he links it to an unsolved murder in Oxford that the police begin to guess at the awful scale of the crimes.

But how do you find a killer who strikes without motive?

Reviewed by Hythe Library

“we really enjoyed this book –the local connection made it more exciting. Normally there is a reason why someone acts in a certain way but not in this case which was refreshing. A definite complex character, not swayed by emotion, although you do see some conflict along the way with the little lad and his personal life. The ending was a little disappointing but I suppose it leaves it open to explore the character further in possible future novels

star rating ***

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Strong poison by Dorothy L Sayers

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About the book

Lord Peter Wimsey becomes fascinated when bohemian Harriet Vane is accused of murdering her lover. He investigates further and finds himself falling in love with her as he visits her in prison and watches her in court. But can he save her from the gallows?

Reviewed by Bookworms

It took a few chapters to get into the book. Lord Peter Wimsey was an irritating character but he did give a flavour of the 1920s. As the book progressed his intellect was shown as he began to unravel the truth.

Star rating: ***

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The Body Wore Brocade by James Melville

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“Melville’s strength lies in creating complex and beguiling characters and…he’s never been better.”
THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
Wandering among New Year’s revelers, Superintendent Otani is shot in the back. By strange coincidence, the Noh performer he had been watching earlier in the day is later found strangled in his luxurious home, clad in full Noh costume. The crime rivets the attention of Otani’s entire force, for the late Noh performer had not only been a dedicated amateur artist but also a wealthy businessman. His death liberates a fortune to his sister and his two attractive nephews and also raises some questions: Is the crime personal or political? And how, if at all, does it connect with the near murder of Otani?

Reviewed by Brookmans Reading Group :

Mixed views. Not a very good detective story, more about relationships and Japanese culture. (We do want to find out more about Noh theatre). Generally easy reading. It was suggested we read the earlier stories to see how the character of Otani develops

Rating: **

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The Vice Society by James McCreet

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In Victorian London, gruesome events are afoot. Some are asking why the Detective Force’s Inspector Albert Newsome is investigating the curious but – apparently – insignificant death that occurred in Holywell Street. What seemed like a common enough incident is complicated when the Inspector discovers his ex-colleague (and master detective) George Williamson is also pursuing the case, as well as a sinister former criminal named Noah Dyson. Then the questions begin to multiply: why are prostitutes being poisoned? Who is exerting pressure on the Commissioner of police? And who, or what, is ‘Persephone’? From the gutter to the drawing rooms of St James, the two detectives choose their allies and plunge into the underworld of Victorian London, where nothing is quite as it seems and the razor’s flash waits around every corner.

Reviewed by Anon Reading Group:

This book has an unusual style and it takes a little while to get used to it, however, when you do it does move at a good pace and keeps the reader interested throughout. There are some intriguing characters with most of the main ones well enough defined to be believable, even if they are a little predictable at times. The setting is generally quite well described enabling the reader to get a good sense of the characters environment. To develop into a series the characters will need a little work and possibly a couple of new characters introduced, but overall it is a decent effort.

Star rating: ***

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Acqua Alta by Donna Leon

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About the book

Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Questura is shocked to hear that Brett Lynch, a friend since a murder case at La Fenice, has suffered a savage beating.
The attack, in the beautiful palazzo home of Flavia Petrelli, reigning diva of La Scala, had come with a message: ‘Don’t keep that appointment with Dottor Semenzato.’
Then, with the storm clouds gathering fast over the city, a man’s body is found . .

Reviewed by Museum Book Group

A light enjoyable read. A reasonable plot with rather stereo typed characters. A look at Venice from the locals viewpoint.
Star rating: ***

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Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane

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Amanda McCready was four years old when she vanished from a Boston neighborhood twelve years ago. Desperate pleas for help from the child’s aunt led investigators Kenzie and Gennaro to take on the case. The pair risked everything to find the young girl—only to orchestrate her return to a neglectful mother and a broken home.
Now Amanda is sixteen—and gone again. A stellar student, brilliant but aloof, she seemed destined to escape her upbringing. Yet Amanda’s aunt is once more knocking on Patrick Kenzie’s door, fearing the worst for the little girl who has blossomed into a striking, clever young woman—a woman who hasn’t been seen in weeks.
Haunted by their consciences, Kenzie and Gennaro revisit the case that troubled them the most. Their search leads them into a world of identity thieves, methamphetamine dealers, a mentally unstable crime boss and his equally demented wife, a priceless, thousand-year-old cross, and a happily homicidal Russian gangster. It’s a world in which motives and allegiances constantly shift and mistakes are fatal.
In their desperate fight to confront the past and find Amanda McCready, Kenzie and Gennaro will be forced to question if it’s possible to do the wrong thing and still be right or to do the right thing and still be wrong. As they face an evil that goes beyond broken families and broken dreams, they discover that the sins of yesterday don’t always stay buried and the crimes of today could end their lives

Reviewed by Lippy Ladies

Being a group of ladies we were apprehensive that this book may be a little too “butch” for some readers. Those that did finish it, all enjoyed it and some even went in search of other titles and movies connected witth this author. It was a gritty storytline but with good plot twists to keep you guessing. Would recommend to ladies and gents alike!
Star rating: ***

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Above Suspicion by Lynda La Plante

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About the book

Young Anna Travis has been assigned to her first murder case – a series of killings that has shocked even the most hardened of detectives. They started eight years ago – now the body count is up to six. The method of killing is identical, the backgrounds of the girls identical – all drug-users and prostitutes. Then a seventh body is found. The modus operandi is the same – but the victim is a young student with the ‘face of an angel’. The profile of the murderer has changed dramatically. Determined to earn the respect of her male colleagues, Anna stumbles on a vital piece of information which links one man to the killings, a much-loved actor on the brink of international stardom. His arrest would create a media frenzy. But if he were found innocent, his wouldn’t be the only career over – Anna’s hard fought for reputation would be destroyed once and for all …

Reviewed by Yateley and District U3A

Most people enjoyed the book. The storyline started well but was a bit slow in the middle. Good ending. Three members thought it quite horrific. Anna Travis is a resourceful detective and would like to read more books based on this type of murder.
Star rating ***

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The Lighthouse by P D James

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About the book

Combe Island off the Cornish coast offers rest and seclusion to over-stressed professionals who have paid the price of getting to the top. But when one of these distinguished visitors is found hanging from the top of the island’s lighthouse, murder – not suicide – is suspected.
Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team are immediately called in: the investigation must be swift, discreet, decisive. However, Dalgliesh has his work cut out, since both residents and visitors to Combe Island guard their privacy well – even when murder makes them a suspect. Does the islanders’ reticence betray a knowledge of the crime? Another death and Dalgliesh’s own life in danger throws the entire investigation into jeopardy . . .

Reviewed by Southsea Literature

More that ‘just’ a detective story. We finished with respect for James’ command of language, structuring technique and phrasing. The novel is notable for its descriptions of the sea and the night sky; the sea, in fact, is as much a character as any described therein. James’ views on the role of women in society threads through the novel. All in all the book and its author gave much material for wide ranging discussions.
Star rating ****

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Death in Holy Orders by P D James

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About the book

When the body of a theology student is found on a desolate stretch of coast in East Anglia, his wealthy father demands that Scotland Yard should re-examine the verdict of accidental death. Commander Adam Dalgliesh agrees to pay a visit to the young man’s theological college, St Anselm’s, a place he knew as a boy, expecting no more than a nostalgic return to old haunts and a straightforward examination of the evidence. Instead he finds himself embroiled in intrigue, secrets and mystery as the college is torn apart by a sacrilegious and horrifying murder . . .

Reviewed by Bookends

Very mixed response. Few felt too many troubled characters, dark miserable setting. Others thoroughly enjoyed – good mix of characters. ‘A real page turner’.
Star rating ***

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