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jlong021's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
vickleanne's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mystereity's review
4.0
It's always a pleasure to sit down with an Ed James book, because I know it will be a deftly plotted, action packed thrill ride and In For the Kill lived up to the hype. Fenchurch has a lot on his plate at the moment, with dealing with the aftermath of finding Chloe, his long ago abducted daughter, his wife nearing the birth of their second child, and a the terrifying case of a college co-ed found murdered in her bed at the same university Chloe attends.
This was a great read, I loved the thrilling fast paced chase through London solving this complex crime. There were one or two points where the pace slowed a bit, but not by much and there was a lot of action to keep my pulse racing and the tense atmosphere kept me turning pages, impatient to see the next bombshell. Although I missed a few books in the series since I read the first book, I was able to get right back into it. Thanks to the great character development and the consistency of the writing, I remembered many of the principal characters, making me feel like I was catching up with people I hadn't seen in a while. Fenchurch is developing as the sort of hangdog character you can't help but root for; intense, persistent, stubborn, and fallible, there's a little Fenchurch in everyone I think. I enjoy watching him methodically pick at the threads of the crime until it all unravels alongside coping with the struggles in his personal life.
Overall, a great read with a fascinating case full of twists and turns to keep me guessing. Definitely recommend for fans of dark and gritty police procedurals.
This was a great read, I loved the thrilling fast paced chase through London solving this complex crime. There were one or two points where the pace slowed a bit, but not by much and there was a lot of action to keep my pulse racing and the tense atmosphere kept me turning pages, impatient to see the next bombshell. Although I missed a few books in the series since I read the first book, I was able to get right back into it. Thanks to the great character development and the consistency of the writing, I remembered many of the principal characters, making me feel like I was catching up with people I hadn't seen in a while. Fenchurch is developing as the sort of hangdog character you can't help but root for; intense, persistent, stubborn, and fallible, there's a little Fenchurch in everyone I think. I enjoy watching him methodically pick at the threads of the crime until it all unravels alongside coping with the struggles in his personal life.
Overall, a great read with a fascinating case full of twists and turns to keep me guessing. Definitely recommend for fans of dark and gritty police procedurals.
brettt's review
2.0
Detective Inspector Simon Fenchurch seems to have weathered one of his life's greatest storms after a reunion with the daughter kidnapped when she was a child. But he and his wife are villains in the girl's mind, as she was raised by another couple she considered her actual parents. And since Fenchurch's investigation into that couple's role in a massive pedophile ring led to their imprisonment, his daughter Chloe has little interest in reforging any familial bonds.
But their paths will be forced to cross when a student at Chloe's college is found murdered and Fenchurch's department catches the case in Ed James' fourth Fenchurch novel, 2018's In for the Kill. Initially, he has a green light to investigate, as long as his daughter is not involved. Naturally she will prove to be, creating personal and professional dilemmas that could cost Fenchurch everything professionally and personally.
As in earlier novels, James does a good job of painting Fenchurch as nearly constantly operating on the ragged edge, exhausting both his own energy and his superiors' patience. But In for the Kill still feels disconnected and incomplete. It features too many characters taken from the headlines in order for James to offer commentary on the 2016 U.S. election, conservative immigration policy and several other issues that would seem to have little bearing on an east London police detective. The ultimate resolution to Fenchurch's family problems is far too pat, with two-thirds of the novel pushing it one way before an abrupt and unearned reversal that is beyond unconvincing.
In for the Kill might be a kind of re-set for the series, closing out one of the major arcs that animated Fenchurch through the first three books and offering some new directions. If so, that would make it more useful; if it's just another book in the series it's by far the low point of the collection.
Original available here.
But their paths will be forced to cross when a student at Chloe's college is found murdered and Fenchurch's department catches the case in Ed James' fourth Fenchurch novel, 2018's In for the Kill. Initially, he has a green light to investigate, as long as his daughter is not involved. Naturally she will prove to be, creating personal and professional dilemmas that could cost Fenchurch everything professionally and personally.
As in earlier novels, James does a good job of painting Fenchurch as nearly constantly operating on the ragged edge, exhausting both his own energy and his superiors' patience. But In for the Kill still feels disconnected and incomplete. It features too many characters taken from the headlines in order for James to offer commentary on the 2016 U.S. election, conservative immigration policy and several other issues that would seem to have little bearing on an east London police detective. The ultimate resolution to Fenchurch's family problems is far too pat, with two-thirds of the novel pushing it one way before an abrupt and unearned reversal that is beyond unconvincing.
In for the Kill might be a kind of re-set for the series, closing out one of the major arcs that animated Fenchurch through the first three books and offering some new directions. If so, that would make it more useful; if it's just another book in the series it's by far the low point of the collection.
Original available here.
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