Reviews

No Human Involved by Barbara Seranella

wyrmdog's review against another edition

4.0

Short, tight, and unflinching without indulgence, No Human Involved is a great little crime novel that also operates as a meditation on hard lives, lost souls, human cruelty and kindness. It's about second chances that come long after they've all run out, and how those moments of compassion can shape a life for the better.

I got this digitally and read it on my Kindle but when I went to look for the next one, I found out that Amazon no longer carries this, nor does anyone else, it seems, including the library system. So...used books it is. I really want to see where this goes and how it evolves.

nocto's review against another edition

[These comments are taken from a mailing list discussion and as such contain spoilers....]

[on the characters]

I've been looking forward to reading this book for yonks and was expecting to love it and I wasn't disappointed. I was surprised that Mace had a bigger role than Munch as I hadn't heard about him and having read the book I'm surprised to find that Mace doesn't come back again straight away in the next book. If I hadn't known that this was Munch's series before reading the book then I would have expected it to be Mace's series.

Most of the characterisations in the book were great, I loved both Munch and Mace. The various mechanics, Ruby and Digger were the other characters who made an impression on me. Some of the characters with less redeeming characteristics seemed a bit thin and stereotyped. In particular I thought Potts wasn't fleshed out enough. I got a vague idea that Mace didn't get on with him but he didn't make enough of a mark on me that the resolution seemed believable.

[on the setting]

The setting felt vaguely out of place to me but this has been resolved by reading the discussion. I had absolutely no idea that this was set in the 70s. In the bit about bicentennial coasters in the bar I thought that either the landlord had stocked up enough coasters to last 20 odd years or my recall of dates in American history was rather wonky; the latter was quite feasible and the former was hilarious!

Knowing that the book is in the 70s makes it feel less out of joint and explains the lack of worries about AIDS, condoms, dirty needles etc. which was festering in the back of my head as a little incongruous as I read. As well as why a suspect could mistake a photocopier for a lie detector which bugged me a bit too.

The physical setting didn't envelope the book as it does in some others but I got a good feel of a big city where Munch had just about never seen countryside and I liked the little details of settings like the filled in canals around Digger's house.

[on the plot]

I didn't feel that this book was a great mystery, it wasn't really about the plot and was far more character based. The Bellona Creek Butcher murders were interesting but seemed to fizzle out a bit to me the mystery of who killed Flower George didn't really grab me as I knew it wasn't Munch; I was far more concerned with how Munch was coping really. The resolution was good from Munch's point of view but Potts didn't really work as a killer for me.

[on the pacing, scenes]

The pacing seemed fine to me, I didn't feel that there were any dull lulls or filler (and the pacing would have been better if I hadn't had to put the book down every ten minutes but I can't blame the author for that!) The only thing in the book that really didn't work for me now I've got the time of the book right was the unmasking of the killer but I may just have not been paying enough attention to those bits of the story in my worries about Munch. The bits I find most memorable in the book were little details like Munch stealing syringes from the hospital and then chucking them away, the kid on the street helping Digger out, and Munch using brains rather than brawn to take engines to pieces.

[on this being a first book]

As I said at the top it wasn't clear to me from reading this book what the "concept for the series" was, if I hadn't already known that Munch was to star then I would have expected Mace but probably because having the detective as the central character is what I'm used to. Whilst I like Mace a lot I think Munch is going to make a great central character and I'm really looking forward to the next book.

This book didn't feel like a first book to me, if I had to pick on something as not seeming fully polished it would be that some of the mystery elements could have been stronger without destroying the great character parts of the book, and that the time period wasn't clear enough to me. Mostly this book was great stuff and I'd read the next one even if it wasn't for a discussion and I doubt I'll stop until the series is over.

jakewritesbooks's review against another edition

4.0

I don’t usually seek out drug addict fiction. I’m not an addict or a recovering one but like many, I have loved ones who are both and it’s not something I really try to engage with when reading for leisure. I did enjoy Sara Gran’s Dope earlier this year, but besides that, I can’t recall really engaging with a fictional work featuring a drug addict in the lead.

I can’t remember where I originally read a recommendation for Barbara Seranella’s Munch Mancini series. Maybe Christa Faust, who is always recommending random, obscure authors or perhaps it was crimereads.com or some other online listicle. Either way, the premise looked interesting so I decided to try it.

I’m glad I did. This is sort of a cat-and-mouse game featuring a cop and possible criminal revolving around biker gangs and a potential serial killer. There’s a mystery but this is more of a character study between the two. And I think Barbara Seranella does a great job of bringing them both to life. I was invested in their stories, Munch’s more so than the cop’s, but I found myself caring about both of their respective well beings and not as much about the case itself.

And again, since addict fiction is not my forte, it’s not for me to say definitively how Sernallea handled Munch’s struggle to stay off drugs but I think she did well. It felt authentic enough to see her hurdling through withdrawal and fighting off cravings. And this added desperation to her already desperate character, who while not necessarily trying to walk the straight and narrow, is at the very least making a new life for herself and avoiding one of crime, one she was forced into against her will.

This is a bleak, gritty look at the American underbelly in lower class south California. It will not uplift you. But if you like interesting characters trying to figure their loves out with a mystery in the middle, you’ll enjoy this one.

wealhtheow's review against another edition

2.0

A mystery novel, split between the detective on the case and the runaway it affected. Much of the story concerns the daily minutia of their lives rather than the investigation of Munch's father's death. Munch is a fascinating and heartbreaking character--an addicted teen with nothing going for her but stubborn will and experience as a mechanic. The mystery isn't great, and the ending is just ridiculous.

pelicanfreak's review against another edition

2.0

I just couldn't handle this book. I cannot think of any other time that I didn't see a book through, even if I did fail to get into it but this one - I just couldn't go on... it just never picked up, grasped me and was highly predictable -what I did manage to read of it. The description sounded incredibly griping but - it doesn't seem to totally fit - unless of course it takes more than 53% of the book to get to the point where it does fit the synopsis.

I'd give the author another chance for sure and feel bad to write a poor review but the authors I do know say to always write honest reviews either way so there it is.