Take a photo of a barcode or cover
rowingrabbit's review
4.0
This is book #4 in the series & picks up where the last left off. Detective Jack Lennon is still recovering from being shot by a dirty colleague & fighting for his job. Off work & addicted to pain killers, he's at an all time low. The single light in his world is daughter Ellen.
Out of the blue he receives a call from Rea Carlisle, an old flame. Her uncle died recently & while cleaning out his home she found a scrapbook. We're not talking wedding photos or travel pics, here. Instead, page after page reveals intimate details of murders that have occurred over a decade or so. Rea's first reaction is to call police but that is quickly squashed by her father, a politician more concerned with publicity than the truth.
Jack is sceptical but after an horrific crime is committed he's determined to investigate. He's got nothing else to do & besides, it'll get him out of the house. He's been living with Susan & her daughter and their relationship has gone from tepid to nonexistent. But that's not his biggest problem.
DCI Serena Flanagan has been brought in to handle the same crime. Unfortunately, her investigation points to Jack as the main suspect. His reputation is far from stellar & there are those on the force who'd like nothing better than for him to be taken out of circulation. Flanagan has 2 weeks to solve the case before she'll have to hand it off. She recently got some bad news in her personal life & is still reeling form the implications for her & her family.
This is the author's home turf & it shows. We're treated to atmospheric descriptions of Belfast's grittier neighbourhoods & the hard lives of their residents. There's a real sense of desperation to the characters, some of whom are still fighting to escape the cycle of unemployment & violence. Others gave up the struggle long ago.
In alternate chapters we travel with an anonymous killer, listening in on his thoughts as he ponders how he became the monster he is today. This is one creepy guy & it's inevitable that he & Jack will cross paths before it's all over.
It's a fast paced, easy read with short chapters & punchy dialogue. Characters include those close to Rea & Jack, good cops, bad cops & lowlifes. Rea's parents in particular are well fleshed out & provoke a strong reaction. My sympathy for her mother was equally matched by my disgust for her father. But he's a product of his environment like so many others & this makes Belfast itself another character in the story.
At the centre of it all is Jack. He's his own worst enemy & hard to like at times. But even as you question some of his choices, you never doubt there is a decent man hidden behind the self destructive behaviour. I desperately wanted him to find a little peace but the ending leaves much to be resolved. As in real life, not everything is neatly tied up & I look forward to seeing where he lands in the next book.
Just as an aside, it's not necessary to have read the others to enjoy this instalment. There is a lot of history between returning characters evident in continuing story lines but each book contains a stand alone case.
For fans of Ken Bruen, Michael Robotham & Mark Billingham.
Out of the blue he receives a call from Rea Carlisle, an old flame. Her uncle died recently & while cleaning out his home she found a scrapbook. We're not talking wedding photos or travel pics, here. Instead, page after page reveals intimate details of murders that have occurred over a decade or so. Rea's first reaction is to call police but that is quickly squashed by her father, a politician more concerned with publicity than the truth.
Jack is sceptical but after an horrific crime is committed he's determined to investigate. He's got nothing else to do & besides, it'll get him out of the house. He's been living with Susan & her daughter and their relationship has gone from tepid to nonexistent. But that's not his biggest problem.
DCI Serena Flanagan has been brought in to handle the same crime. Unfortunately, her investigation points to Jack as the main suspect. His reputation is far from stellar & there are those on the force who'd like nothing better than for him to be taken out of circulation. Flanagan has 2 weeks to solve the case before she'll have to hand it off. She recently got some bad news in her personal life & is still reeling form the implications for her & her family.
This is the author's home turf & it shows. We're treated to atmospheric descriptions of Belfast's grittier neighbourhoods & the hard lives of their residents. There's a real sense of desperation to the characters, some of whom are still fighting to escape the cycle of unemployment & violence. Others gave up the struggle long ago.
In alternate chapters we travel with an anonymous killer, listening in on his thoughts as he ponders how he became the monster he is today. This is one creepy guy & it's inevitable that he & Jack will cross paths before it's all over.
It's a fast paced, easy read with short chapters & punchy dialogue. Characters include those close to Rea & Jack, good cops, bad cops & lowlifes. Rea's parents in particular are well fleshed out & provoke a strong reaction. My sympathy for her mother was equally matched by my disgust for her father. But he's a product of his environment like so many others & this makes Belfast itself another character in the story.
At the centre of it all is Jack. He's his own worst enemy & hard to like at times. But even as you question some of his choices, you never doubt there is a decent man hidden behind the self destructive behaviour. I desperately wanted him to find a little peace but the ending leaves much to be resolved. As in real life, not everything is neatly tied up & I look forward to seeing where he lands in the next book.
Just as an aside, it's not necessary to have read the others to enjoy this instalment. There is a lot of history between returning characters evident in continuing story lines but each book contains a stand alone case.
For fans of Ken Bruen, Michael Robotham & Mark Billingham.
domino911's review against another edition
5.0
Another excellent Northern Ireland-set thriller from Stuart Neville, 'The Final Silence' is right up there with his debut 'The Twelve' ('Ghosts of Belfast'). For me, Neville's last novel to feature Belfast policeman Jack Lennon, 'Stolen Souls' was disappointing after the very high standards set by 'The Twelve' and its follow up 'Collusion'. After a break in the series with the 1960s set, and very good, 'Ratlines', the news that Neville's next novel was a return to Lennon's somewhat shady cop didn't particularly excite me but i really enjoyed this.
The story rattles along. Lennon, on suspension from the PSNI, is approached by an ex-girlfriend who believes she has found evidence that her recently deceased uncle was a serial killer and off we go. The material could have been cliched in other hands but Neville's writing is pacy and keeps you turning the page. 'The Final Silence' is not ground-breaking but it is a cracking read right up there with the best UK crime. And Stuart Neville continues to find ways to tell Ulster-set stories without resorting to conflicted terrorists and super-smart agents. Highly recommended.
The story rattles along. Lennon, on suspension from the PSNI, is approached by an ex-girlfriend who believes she has found evidence that her recently deceased uncle was a serial killer and off we go. The material could have been cliched in other hands but Neville's writing is pacy and keeps you turning the page. 'The Final Silence' is not ground-breaking but it is a cracking read right up there with the best UK crime. And Stuart Neville continues to find ways to tell Ulster-set stories without resorting to conflicted terrorists and super-smart agents. Highly recommended.
primalmusic's review against another edition
5.0
Stuart Neville is something of a marvel when it comes to writing thrillers. He still focuses on an antihero (What good fictional detective isn't a bit fucked up?), but all of the characters are fleshed out wonderfully without focusing on cliches. Everyone has heart and heartbreak, and I am so, so grateful that this man writes women as more than accessories. I devoured this book in two days. Well done.
twobbema's review against another edition
4.0
Really like the series. I’m awfully tired of Dan Hewitt. He needs to get his due.
emckeon1002's review against another edition
5.0
Stuart Neville can write, plain and simple. His characters breathe real life, and he walks us through the grit and despair of crime in a city complicated by religious divisions, cultural restraints and political ambitions. Jack Lennon is a mess, and he knows it, driven by past miscalculations, lost love and the desire to rehabilitate his reputation and integrity. Neville has an eye for detail that drops the reader squarely into every scene. That he's a master of plot and suspense only means the reader is tearing at the pages to get to the end, and regretting the end when one gets there.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
While this series overall is great, this was not quite up to par. The plot had a couple of my least favorite elements and the main character was even harder to like than usual. However, in the end, everything seemed to come together and the audio narration by Gerard Doyle was excellent as usual.
mariesreads's review against another edition
1.0
The set-up was solid, but I just wasn't connecting with the writing style. The characters, their paths, and the mystery were shaping up well, too. Definitely a case of personal preference rather than a judgment of the novel.
mehitabels's review against another edition
3.0
Really not what I expected at all. Starts off strong, serial killer surprise, and a used-up cop who seems unrelated to the crime. Then all these women get involved, children disappear, Irish gangsters start rumpassing, and despite the disappointing villain and the slap-in-the-face ending, I quite liked it.
librarytech4's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting murder mystery with lots of plot turns and interesting twists I was never expecting. After finishing this book I want to read more stories with Jack Lennon and see him solve more murder cases. Nevillle does a great job with this book and I can see why this book is a national best seller. I definitely recommend this book.