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love_books12's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kirkw1972's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to netgalley's free ARC I now have another author where I need to go track down their back catalogue. I really liked this book. Despite the blurb above a lot of the action is centered around two rival Bradburn gangs. Normally I hate gang crime novels but when you throw in a torturer for hire on the run, a crazy Russian and a flamethrowing serial killer you tend to stop grumping about the underlying drugs war being carried out.
Seriously this book packs a lot of action in. There's car chases, shoot outs, renegade cops. For me I felt it was a novel of what would happen if New York was moved to Manchester. The same gritty feel and high drama but don't forget to stop for tea and fish and chips! (I'm from Yorkshire - this is not a negative point...)
Even though this is Book 6, as a first timer it's an ideal read as the return to Heck's hometown reveals a whole backstory that plays into the rest of the novel. We find out why he's a cop, why he has very little links to family and what drives him. There's a lot of character development in this book. Also a good thing.
The pages fly by very fast. The story is set over a couple of weeks & it's nearly 500 pages long but it takes no time to read the book. Every character had their own unique character and something I always like is to see/read the strong female ones and here we have two both senior to Heck and both very good at their jobs.
Excellent book and can't wait to get the chance to go back and read the others.
Seriously this book packs a lot of action in. There's car chases, shoot outs, renegade cops. For me I felt it was a novel of what would happen if New York was moved to Manchester. The same gritty feel and high drama but don't forget to stop for tea and fish and chips! (I'm from Yorkshire - this is not a negative point...)
Even though this is Book 6, as a first timer it's an ideal read as the return to Heck's hometown reveals a whole backstory that plays into the rest of the novel. We find out why he's a cop, why he has very little links to family and what drives him. There's a lot of character development in this book. Also a good thing.
The pages fly by very fast. The story is set over a couple of weeks & it's nearly 500 pages long but it takes no time to read the book. Every character had their own unique character and something I always like is to see/read the strong female ones and here we have two both senior to Heck and both very good at their jobs.
Excellent book and can't wait to get the chance to go back and read the others.
hookerkitty's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
I did noooot like the main character. He does NOT respect his ex-girlfriend’s/boss’s opinion or listen to her AT ALL. She repeatedly tells him she doesn’t have feelings for him and wants him to leave, but he just insists that she’s wrong and he’s right. Badgering someone until they give in and date you is not healthy or attractive, despite what Hollywood portrays. He’s also sexist - at one point thinking “The Incinerator was strong, robust. He launched his attacks wearing heavy, flame-retardant armour. That could only be a man, not a woman.” 🙄🙄 ughh, because women are fragile and weak and couldn’t possibly lift weights and be strong.
Also at the beginning of the book a female cop shows up while chasing the suspect. The author referred to her as “the girl cop.” She’s a woman, not a girl. And why the clarification? If a male cop showed up would they be referred to as a boy cop?
Another issue I had with this is that abbreviations and nicknames were used a lot without telling the reader what they meant. For instance, they used the abbreviation MIR, and didn’t say what it meant until 50 pages later (at least that I noticed). It was especially frustrating since this takes place in the UK and I’m in the US, so I’m not already familiar of the terms used.
Also, I think I only looked up the translation for one or two of the Russian sentences, but from what I could find, one was written incorrectly. I don’t speak Russian though, so I’m not positive on that, but that’s what Google and some translation websites told me.
Despite all that, I did enjoy reading the book, but I definitely had issues with it as well. I do not see myself reading anymore of this series, as I have too many issues with the main character.
Also at the beginning of the book a female cop shows up while chasing the suspect. The author referred to her as “the girl cop.” She’s a woman, not a girl. And why the clarification? If a male cop showed up would they be referred to as a boy cop?
Another issue I had with this is that abbreviations and nicknames were used a lot without telling the reader what they meant. For instance, they used the abbreviation MIR, and didn’t say what it meant until 50 pages later (at least that I noticed). It was especially frustrating since this takes place in the UK and I’m in the US, so I’m not already familiar of the terms used.
Also, I think I only looked up the translation for one or two of the Russian sentences, but from what I could find, one was written incorrectly. I don’t speak Russian though, so I’m not positive on that, but that’s what Google and some translation websites told me.
Despite all that, I did enjoy reading the book, but I definitely had issues with it as well. I do not see myself reading anymore of this series, as I have too many issues with the main character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Torture
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Alcohol, Child death, Rape, and Sexism
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
This is very very violent - unnecessarily so at times.
Imaginative too for the ways in which a person can be tortured I suppose, but ultimately it wasn't for me. No surprises that Bradburn where the novel is set, is fictional. If ever there was a reason for a fictional place then this is it.
Imaginative too for the ways in which a person can be tortured I suppose, but ultimately it wasn't for me. No surprises that Bradburn where the novel is set, is fictional. If ever there was a reason for a fictional place then this is it.
bookworm_brad's review against another edition
4.0
Another thrilling installment in the life and times of Mark 'Heck' Heckenberg aka Superman aka the indestructible-one-man-crime-solver. Plenty of action, great dialogue and excellent narration by Paul Thornley, despite a couple of mispronunciations.
The thing that always amuses and frustrates me is Heck's mobile phone. Most of the time he ignores it especially when a superior is phoning, but when he does need to use it it's either broken, the battery is flat, there's no signal or he's left it in the car/house/office etc. On the few times he does use it he's invariably giving chase on foot, going full pelt after a criminal, but, being superhuman, manages to make a coherent call for back up (which of course rarely arrives in time) without breaking stride or needing to catch his breath.
The amount of phones he loses, breaks or throws at villians must cost him a fortune especially when it's clearly stated in this novel that he uses an iPhone, not exactly cheap. And how do people manage to phone him on a phone he's 'acquired' from a bad guy before he's been in touch with them to tell them the phone number of this new phone he's just taken?
Anyway, phones notwithstanding, this is an excellent if sometimes gruesome book and I look forward to the next one.
The thing that always amuses and frustrates me is Heck's mobile phone. Most of the time he ignores it especially when a superior is phoning, but when he does need to use it it's either broken, the battery is flat, there's no signal or he's left it in the car/house/office etc. On the few times he does use it he's invariably giving chase on foot, going full pelt after a criminal, but, being superhuman, manages to make a coherent call for back up (which of course rarely arrives in time) without breaking stride or needing to catch his breath.
The amount of phones he loses, breaks or throws at villians must cost him a fortune especially when it's clearly stated in this novel that he uses an iPhone, not exactly cheap. And how do people manage to phone him on a phone he's 'acquired' from a bad guy before he's been in touch with them to tell them the phone number of this new phone he's just taken?
Anyway, phones notwithstanding, this is an excellent if sometimes gruesome book and I look forward to the next one.
dmsullivan's review against another edition
3.0
I'd say 3.5. This was my first DS Heckenburg book, and I had no problem following the story without reading any of the previous books. I did enjoy this -- the story is well-written and put together, everything ties together (which is amazing, because there is a LOT going on), and is suspenseful. If you're looking for a good crime/suspense novel, check this one out.
I did have a bit of trouble during the first half with the English terminology (which is just ignorance on my part -- you figure it out as you continue reading, it just took me a bit to get into it). I also thought Heck, while bad-ass, was also kind of a ridiculous character -- doesn't listen to anyone, somehow manages to not get fired when he repetitively doesn't listen to his boss, does whatever he wants with no real thought to anyone else, somehow manages to get off these really long monologues of speech without any interruptions, gets out of the most impossible situations, and was a bit creepy towards his boss in the hotel room (like no, means no buddy). I mean, without all of this, it probably wouldn't be that great of a story (and he does end up apologizing to his boss at the end), so I see why people loved it and why there's a whole series with his character.
I did have a bit of trouble during the first half with the English terminology (which is just ignorance on my part -- you figure it out as you continue reading, it just took me a bit to get into it). I also thought Heck, while bad-ass, was also kind of a ridiculous character -- doesn't listen to anyone, somehow manages to not get fired when he repetitively doesn't listen to his boss, does whatever he wants with no real thought to anyone else, somehow manages to get off these really long monologues of speech without any interruptions, gets out of the most impossible situations, and was a bit creepy towards his boss in the hotel room (like no, means no buddy). I mean, without all of this, it probably wouldn't be that great of a story (and he does end up apologizing to his boss at the end), so I see why people loved it and why there's a whole series with his character.
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