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kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
4.0
There's a bit of a clue to the context for Gemma's death on the front cover of DIE WITH ME - "You could find your new best friend on the net ... or discover your worst nightmare". Oh dear, another the Internet is all bad story? Well no.
Gemma's death is written off as a suicide when she is first discovered. She seems to have jumped from high up in the church, dying on the floor of the dark church on a dark evening. But postmortem tests show a small amount of alcohol and GHB in her system, and there's the astute observation of Dr Fiona Blake who notices a small lock of Gemma's hair has been cut off. Mind you, if this isn't suicide why is Gemma's stepfather concealing a suicide note, and who was the older man that Gemma was seen kissing on the night she died? Emails on her computer reveal that she does seem to have been drawn into a suicide pact with Tom - who is Tom; where is Tom; and how many other suicide pacts have there been?
DI Mark Tartaglia is convinced there's been others and he sets the team to find out. He's in charge for a short while. DCI Trevor Clarke got a new girlfriend and a mid life crisis in the form of a motorbike at around the same time. He promptly crashed the bike putting himself into a coma, with the distinct possibility of never recovering, or of being a paraplegic. Mind you, Tartaglia's not in charge for long and Carolyn Steele takes over as his boss - although Tartaglia and the team still do most of the work. Just to make Tartaglia's life even more miserable Steele brings in a profiler that he can't stand. This profiler, Kennedy, seems to have a rather close relationship with Steele just to add to Tartaglia's sense of unease. Add to this a sister that's convinced Tartaglia shouldn't be single for too much longer, and his considerably more laid back work colleague - Sam Donovan - and you've got a well drawn cast of characters.
DIE WITH ME does a few things incredibly well (especially as this is a debut book). The characterisations of the main police team are strong - Tartaglia is a complex man, a bit of a loner who is fiercely loyal to DCI Clarke, he's equally willing to work with Sam or to go it alone if circumstances dictate. Sam Donovan is a similar character in some ways - more laid back, but as much a loner as Tartaglia. Throughout the book "Tom" is also somebody the reader gets to know a little. Slowly hints are revealed that give the reader a fair chance of working out which of the possible suspects Tom could actually be.
Fans of the pure investigation style books will probably find the failure to ask the glaringly obvious question of one participant in the investigation frustrating. It's a minor point though in a book that was populated by interesting and engaging characters. DIE WITH ME uses an unusual premise and explores that in a sympathetic manner. We also get to meet a new cast of Police characters that have some real potential to grow further as the series continues.
It seems a sequel book is planned, and I'm really looking forward to it's arrival.
Gemma's death is written off as a suicide when she is first discovered. She seems to have jumped from high up in the church, dying on the floor of the dark church on a dark evening. But postmortem tests show a small amount of alcohol and GHB in her system, and there's the astute observation of Dr Fiona Blake who notices a small lock of Gemma's hair has been cut off. Mind you, if this isn't suicide why is Gemma's stepfather concealing a suicide note, and who was the older man that Gemma was seen kissing on the night she died? Emails on her computer reveal that she does seem to have been drawn into a suicide pact with Tom - who is Tom; where is Tom; and how many other suicide pacts have there been?
DI Mark Tartaglia is convinced there's been others and he sets the team to find out. He's in charge for a short while. DCI Trevor Clarke got a new girlfriend and a mid life crisis in the form of a motorbike at around the same time. He promptly crashed the bike putting himself into a coma, with the distinct possibility of never recovering, or of being a paraplegic. Mind you, Tartaglia's not in charge for long and Carolyn Steele takes over as his boss - although Tartaglia and the team still do most of the work. Just to make Tartaglia's life even more miserable Steele brings in a profiler that he can't stand. This profiler, Kennedy, seems to have a rather close relationship with Steele just to add to Tartaglia's sense of unease. Add to this a sister that's convinced Tartaglia shouldn't be single for too much longer, and his considerably more laid back work colleague - Sam Donovan - and you've got a well drawn cast of characters.
DIE WITH ME does a few things incredibly well (especially as this is a debut book). The characterisations of the main police team are strong - Tartaglia is a complex man, a bit of a loner who is fiercely loyal to DCI Clarke, he's equally willing to work with Sam or to go it alone if circumstances dictate. Sam Donovan is a similar character in some ways - more laid back, but as much a loner as Tartaglia. Throughout the book "Tom" is also somebody the reader gets to know a little. Slowly hints are revealed that give the reader a fair chance of working out which of the possible suspects Tom could actually be.
Fans of the pure investigation style books will probably find the failure to ask the glaringly obvious question of one participant in the investigation frustrating. It's a minor point though in a book that was populated by interesting and engaging characters. DIE WITH ME uses an unusual premise and explores that in a sympathetic manner. We also get to meet a new cast of Police characters that have some real potential to grow further as the series continues.
It seems a sequel book is planned, and I'm really looking forward to it's arrival.
nikkitaylor19's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
roshk99's review against another edition
3.0
A bit grim and do not recommend if you cannot stand reading about sadistic serial killers and children. Set in London with main characters that you somehow don't care that much about. It doesn't seem like that much detecting happens, more of psychological profiling and guesswork, which ironically is what the main character is so vehemently opposed to. Still, a good time-pass read.
myranda_the_bookwyrm's review against another edition
4.0
A good procedural, though the attention to process detail may deter those who prefer a fast-paced mystery. More like Rankin than Patterson, a decent mystery read.
quiraang's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Great story, well written, interesting characters - I enjoyed it
urlphantomhive's review against another edition
2.0
READ IN DUTCH
After reading the following blurb I was really interested in reading this book:
A new detective series in the style of 'Prime Suspect' from a great new talent from the UK. A series of deaths -- apparent suicides -- of vulnerable young girls is baffling police in London: the bodies are found in the naves of churches after having fallen from a great height. Thanks to a badly-handled leak, the press are all clamoring for a serial killer called The Bridegroom, and amidst the maelstrom of conflicting theories from the media, criminal profilers, politically competitive colleagues and the general circus surrounding a major murder enquiry, the chilling deaths mount up... Elena Forbes writes the kind of creepy and atmospheric crime novel that we love, populated by a cast of fresh and engaging characters: Mark Tartaglia, the Italian-Scottish detective whose good looks get him in to all sorts of trouble, and whose single status is a constant challenge for his sociable sister and extended family; his spiky yet emotionally intelligent colleague Sam Donovan; and his old boss Trevor Clarke, who tries to give Mark good advice while lying in a hospital bed . Together they are piecing together evidence that will lead them to the worst kind of serial killer, one for whom the hunt for a victim and the crime squad's hunting of him are both an equally seductive and irresistible game.
However, the book really disappointed me. I couldn't engage to any of the characters, and (thus) found the story not interesting at all. I'd hoped that the Italian-Scottish culture clash might supply some lighter notes between the suspense-packed parts, but both the humour and suspense were lacking, in my opinion. I never read another book by Elena Forbes, this just wasn't it for me.
After reading the following blurb I was really interested in reading this book:
A new detective series in the style of 'Prime Suspect' from a great new talent from the UK. A series of deaths -- apparent suicides -- of vulnerable young girls is baffling police in London: the bodies are found in the naves of churches after having fallen from a great height. Thanks to a badly-handled leak, the press are all clamoring for a serial killer called The Bridegroom, and amidst the maelstrom of conflicting theories from the media, criminal profilers, politically competitive colleagues and the general circus surrounding a major murder enquiry, the chilling deaths mount up... Elena Forbes writes the kind of creepy and atmospheric crime novel that we love, populated by a cast of fresh and engaging characters: Mark Tartaglia, the Italian-Scottish detective whose good looks get him in to all sorts of trouble, and whose single status is a constant challenge for his sociable sister and extended family; his spiky yet emotionally intelligent colleague Sam Donovan; and his old boss Trevor Clarke, who tries to give Mark good advice while lying in a hospital bed . Together they are piecing together evidence that will lead them to the worst kind of serial killer, one for whom the hunt for a victim and the crime squad's hunting of him are both an equally seductive and irresistible game.
However, the book really disappointed me. I couldn't engage to any of the characters, and (thus) found the story not interesting at all. I'd hoped that the Italian-Scottish culture clash might supply some lighter notes between the suspense-packed parts, but both the humour and suspense were lacking, in my opinion. I never read another book by Elena Forbes, this just wasn't it for me.
mfeibel's review against another edition
4.0
Another book club offering and a good start to what I assume will be a series. I liked that the inside cover made it seem like Tartaglia was the main character but then Donovan was given just as much "air-time". I felt like all the characters mattered. Though I was able to guess the culprit (after one red herring), it was a fun ride. I look forward to whatever's next.
fictionophile's review against another edition
4.0
The debut novel "Die with me" was a pleasant surprise!
Forbes included all the elements of a mystery/psychological thriller that much more seasoned novelists sometimes have difficulty with.
The protagonist is the broodingly handsome DI Mark Tartaglia who inherits a murder case because of the fact that his mentor/DCI is in the hospital recovering from a serious accident.
A modern police procedural mystery set in West London, the crime involves the apparent suicide of a young girl.
However it soon come to light that the girl was 'assisted' in her death by a man and that this was not the first young girl to meet her end in the same manner! Someone seems to be targeting the most 'lost' girls and exploiting their vulnerability for his own sadistic pleasure.
Just when things get interesting for Tartaglia and his sergeant Samantha Donovan a new DCI is appointed to the case in a position above him... a woman, the formidable Deputy Chief Inspector Carolyn Steele. With her comes a profiler, Dr. Patrick Kennedy.
What I particularly liked about this novel was the deep characterization. I felt I knew all the characters well and the satisfactory ending left me wanting more. Since it said on the jacket flap that Forbes is now writing the sequel, I look forward to another quality series!
Forbes included all the elements of a mystery/psychological thriller that much more seasoned novelists sometimes have difficulty with.
The protagonist is the broodingly handsome DI Mark Tartaglia who inherits a murder case because of the fact that his mentor/DCI is in the hospital recovering from a serious accident.
A modern police procedural mystery set in West London, the crime involves the apparent suicide of a young girl.
However it soon come to light that the girl was 'assisted' in her death by a man and that this was not the first young girl to meet her end in the same manner! Someone seems to be targeting the most 'lost' girls and exploiting their vulnerability for his own sadistic pleasure.
Just when things get interesting for Tartaglia and his sergeant Samantha Donovan a new DCI is appointed to the case in a position above him... a woman, the formidable Deputy Chief Inspector Carolyn Steele. With her comes a profiler, Dr. Patrick Kennedy.
What I particularly liked about this novel was the deep characterization. I felt I knew all the characters well and the satisfactory ending left me wanting more. Since it said on the jacket flap that Forbes is now writing the sequel, I look forward to another quality series!
celebrin's review against another edition
3.0
Excellent mystery. Cross Prime Suspect with NYPD Blue-like Grit and you have this book. I would read the sequels that are no-doubt coming.
It lost one star because I did guess who did it.
It lost one star because I did guess who did it.