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lyrasbookshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
5.0
This, for me, is definitely a 5-star police procedural. I'm genuinely so surprised at how good this was because – and you can call me biased – I'm always wary picking up crime novels written by men, especially one that's not very recent, because I'm tired of reading about sexist policemen with antiquated and gross views on women. I had to check multiple times when this was written because I just couldn't believe this was published more than twenty years ago.
First and foremost, the story itself was so utterly gripping. It hooked me from page 1 and I just knew that this would be good. I loved the way everything was put together. There was balance between all the POVs and I felt like I really got to know the characters. And speaking of the characters, I was very impressed with how fleshed out they all were, not just the MC. Something I absolutely love in crime novels are (male) detectives who aren't emotionally stunted douchebags and Robinson definitely delivered on this.
First and foremost, the story itself was so utterly gripping. It hooked me from page 1 and I just knew that this would be good. I loved the way everything was put together. There was balance between all the POVs and I felt like I really got to know the characters. And speaking of the characters, I was very impressed with how fleshed out they all were, not just the MC. Something I absolutely love in crime novels are (male) detectives who aren't emotionally stunted douchebags and Robinson definitely delivered on this.
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
4.0
This story begins with the culprit being caught, kind of. It's then that we join the current investigation into the crimes. The story is backward compared to many crime novels but that is what I enjoyed about it so much. Plus I do enjoy the characters in the Inspector Banks series and interested to enough to know and care what happens to them. Unfortuantely I've not read the books in order but it's still enjoyable.
chartsh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
breadonelove's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
legohelmet's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lediamond4's review against another edition
2.0
Writing was good, that’s about all I liked (almost) consistently. It did get rushed and disjointed at the end. The story was pretty interesting but also fairly predictable.
The main character is sexist and objectifies women at every turn, co-worker, victims, you name it. And he’s the hero of the story? At the end he basically says “I told you so” to a victim. I will not be reading another “Inspector Banks” novel. Stephen King’s review is on the front cover and let’s be real, if we all had a dollar for every time Stephen King mentions a woman’s body in a completely unnecessary way, we’d all be nearly as rich as him. This book definitely had a lot of that and I hated every second of it.
The main character is sexist and objectifies women at every turn, co-worker, victims, you name it. And he’s the hero of the story? At the end he basically says “I told you so” to a victim. I will not be reading another “Inspector Banks” novel. Stephen King’s review is on the front cover and let’s be real, if we all had a dollar for every time Stephen King mentions a woman’s body in a completely unnecessary way, we’d all be nearly as rich as him. This book definitely had a lot of that and I hated every second of it.
charlieandolliesdad's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gracenow's review against another edition
4.0
Great mystery, well handled, but I had a lot of trouble with how bad the bad guys were, but that's probably just me. Clever evolution of the story. I really enjoyed reading more about Banks' life, as it's unfolding, like that about this series.
rojo25's review against another edition
5.0
Captivating multi layered novel. Intelligent writing here. None of the characters know anything, can’t remember anything nor do they tell the truth. Awesome! Banks is relentless and investigates the crimes using old fashioned detective methods. The characters are intriguing. Was not aware of Peter Robinson’s work before but I’m becoming a fan.