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glassmd's review
2.0
I loved the first two and a half books in this series. This book felt, shall I say, tired? Predictable? It felt like a chore to get through, unfortunately.
eclipsee's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I was unaware of this book being part of a series - partly the reason of my rating, at no fault of the book. Having said that, it did not move me enough to want to pick up the rest of the series.
chenoadallen's review
1.0
OK, this series has gone off the rails. Super disappointing, because in book 1 I liked the characters a lot (especially Claire). But now the characters are flat and one-dimensional.
If your whole plot depends on your ~brilliant inspector~ main character being to effing stupid to notice that, for example, people he's supposed to be working with go missing (or notices and doesn't think it's a problem), then you have a problem. And Hammersmith, oh jeeze. I've been known to put my pants on inside out just like anyone else, but can you hammer (heh) home enough times that oh, he's just so dedicated to his work, he can't button his own darn shirt up right?
Also, way too much gratuitous violence for me in this one. Literally made me sick to my stomach.
If your whole plot depends on your ~brilliant inspector~ main character being to effing stupid to notice that, for example, people he's supposed to be working with go missing (or notices and doesn't think it's a problem), then you have a problem. And Hammersmith, oh jeeze. I've been known to put my pants on inside out just like anyone else, but can you hammer (heh) home enough times that oh, he's just so dedicated to his work, he can't button his own darn shirt up right?
Also, way too much gratuitous violence for me in this one. Literally made me sick to my stomach.
apriltwilights's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
ndiganci's review
2.0
I've liked the previous two Murder Squad books, but this left a LOT to be desired.
The story finds Detective Inspector Walter Day embroiled in a search for fugitive prisoners of the local prison after a train went off its tracks and crashed into the prison, destroying the wall and allowing 4 prisoners to escape, at the same time as his wife Claire is in the final weeks of her first pregnancy. We the readers also learn that Jack the Ripper (or Saucy Jack, as they keep referring to him as, which grated my teeth each time I read it) is alive and not-well, having been captured by a vigilante group hell-bent on bringing justice to criminals in their own way and kept in underground catacombs for a year.
This book was just...ugh. I'm not squeamish of violence, but here, the violence was just for the sake of violence, for shock value rather than contributing to the story. There was a several-page spread of Jack killing a stray dog that I had to flip through as I hate reading about unnecessary violence towards animals. There was very little character development, although I guess since this is the third book it's not as expected. Just the whining of Walter about becoming a father, the whining of Walter when he realizes his mentor is part of the aforementioned vigilante group, the whining of Walter...oh, there did seem to be a lot more whining by Walter in this book. In the first two, he seemed much more stalwart and level-headed, so this was a turn of character for him, and not really in a good way.
And speaking of Jack -- look, I know we still don't know much about the man and probably never will. But the way Grecian has characterized him here seemed SO ludicrously evil, SO over the top that I found myself rolling my eyes at Jack's scenes rather than being drawn into his story. All his talk of "transforming" people, how he's "transcended humanity and is now a god" just...blurgh. Grecian had a real chance to bring in Jack, the man who terrorized London, and instead we get a one-dimensional villain. He even gives his monologue to Walter after Walter was trapped in the catacombs! Too cliche, too OTT.
And the climax...it was just all too much all at once. Too many people in Walter and Claire's house, too many people killed. It was just a mess of storytelling and I didn't care one whit about who was killed (except Hammersmith. His character I was rooting for to pull through).
I have The Harvest Man and I'll read it eventually since I have it, but if the quality on that one is the same as Devil's Workshop, I do believe I'll be abandoning this series.
The story finds Detective Inspector Walter Day embroiled in a search for fugitive prisoners of the local prison after a train went off its tracks and crashed into the prison, destroying the wall and allowing 4 prisoners to escape, at the same time as his wife Claire is in the final weeks of her first pregnancy. We the readers also learn that Jack the Ripper (or Saucy Jack, as they keep referring to him as, which grated my teeth each time I read it) is alive and not-well, having been captured by a vigilante group hell-bent on bringing justice to criminals in their own way and kept in underground catacombs for a year.
This book was just...ugh. I'm not squeamish of violence, but here, the violence was just for the sake of violence, for shock value rather than contributing to the story. There was a several-page spread of Jack killing a stray dog that I had to flip through as I hate reading about unnecessary violence towards animals. There was very little character development, although I guess since this is the third book it's not as expected. Just the whining of Walter about becoming a father, the whining of Walter when he realizes his mentor is part of the aforementioned vigilante group, the whining of Walter...oh, there did seem to be a lot more whining by Walter in this book. In the first two, he seemed much more stalwart and level-headed, so this was a turn of character for him, and not really in a good way.
And speaking of Jack -- look, I know we still don't know much about the man and probably never will. But the way Grecian has characterized him here seemed SO ludicrously evil, SO over the top that I found myself rolling my eyes at Jack's scenes rather than being drawn into his story. All his talk of "transforming" people, how he's "transcended humanity and is now a god" just...blurgh. Grecian had a real chance to bring in Jack, the man who terrorized London, and instead we get a one-dimensional villain. He even gives his monologue to Walter after Walter was trapped in the catacombs! Too cliche, too OTT.
And the climax...it was just all too much all at once. Too many people in Walter and Claire's house, too many people killed. It was just a mess of storytelling and I didn't care one whit about who was killed (except Hammersmith. His character I was rooting for to pull through).
I have The Harvest Man and I'll read it eventually since I have it, but if the quality on that one is the same as Devil's Workshop, I do believe I'll be abandoning this series.
csdaley's review
3.0
Oh man I am worried. This was more like a 2.5 star for me. I hated the Jack the Ripper story line and felt most of the plot ridiculous. I loved the first two books of the series but if this is the way the series is going I might be out. I still love Day and Hammersmith but that was about it.
wagmore's review
2.0
It's rare for me to not finish a book once I start it, unless the writing is really atrocious. I *almost* stopped reading this books at several different points. But not because of poor writing. The book is too graphic and mean-spirited for my druthers. I won't be reading any more books in this series.
addy1991's review
4.0
Plans have a habit of not going the way one expects. Four vicious murderers are allowed to escape from prison and it is up to Inspector Day, Sergeant Hammersmith and the rest of Scotland Yard's Murder Squad to capture them before they pick up where they left off at. To make matters worse, another notorious murderer is set free ... Saucy Jack (aka Jack the Ripper). It was difficult to put this book down and I found myself keeping track of the statuses on those five as the police and criminals played a deadly game of cat and mouse.