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bookslifeandeverythingnice's review against another edition
Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House Publishers, and Elena Forbes for an ARC ebook copy to review. Sorry about the late book review. I was out of power due to a winter storm for 3 days, so I’m a bit behind on book reviews. As always, an honest review from me.
I ended up DNFing this book. It’s not bad but only okay. I found myself not really getting into the read. Despite all of the action, drama and suspense my interest wasn’t held enough to warrant me continuing to read the book.
I think one of the main reasons I didn’t connect with the book was that I didn’t connect with the main character. That’s one of the most vital elements for me loving a book.
The plot does have promise though. There’s intense drama and lots of police investigations. Also a criminal reaching out to a cop makes for an interesting read.
So if you connect with the story at the beginning, then A Bad, Bad Thing is probably for you. Unfortunately the book wasn’t a good match for me as a reader.
I ended up DNFing this book. It’s not bad but only okay. I found myself not really getting into the read. Despite all of the action, drama and suspense my interest wasn’t held enough to warrant me continuing to read the book.
I think one of the main reasons I didn’t connect with the book was that I didn’t connect with the main character. That’s one of the most vital elements for me loving a book.
The plot does have promise though. There’s intense drama and lots of police investigations. Also a criminal reaching out to a cop makes for an interesting read.
So if you connect with the story at the beginning, then A Bad, Bad Thing is probably for you. Unfortunately the book wasn’t a good match for me as a reader.
madisonbell_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
The first installment in An Eve West Mystery series, A Bad, Bad Thing by Elena Forbes is an absorbing mystery starring a likable protagonist.
DCI Eve West is a veteran police officer who is suspended after a police operation goes horribly wrong. She is surprised when John Duran, a murderer she helped put behind bars, contacts her with an intriguing proposition. In exchange for providing information that will clear her name, he would like for Eve to look into fellow inmate Sean Farrell's possible wrongful conviction for murder. Eve is suspicious of John's motive for helping her, but she decides to look into the ten year old murder of Jane McNeil.
Working with Dan Cooper, a journalist who co-founded 4Justice, Eve heads to Jane's former employer, Westerby Racing, which is also near where her body was eventually discovered. Upon her arrival, she is shocked to discover her old childhood friend, Gavin Challis, is now married to Melissa Michaels. While Gavin has recently embarked on a political career, Melissa, along with her brother Harry, run the family business. Will Eve uncover the new evidence she needs to exonerate Sean and thereby secure the information she needs to save her career?
Eve is a resilient, independent woman who deliberately eschews personal entanglements. She is a superb detective with keen instincts and she has no idea what she will do if she loses her job. Immediately throwing herself into investigating Jane's death, she quickly learns the Michaels' clan is not overly thrilled with the new interest in the case. Harry reluctantly offers to assist her, but Eve soon realizes he is not as co-operative as he appears. Despite the Michaels' lack of enthusiasm, Eve doggedly persists in locating clients and co-workers who interacted with Jane along with her former roommates.
While Eve concentrates on Westerby Racing, Dan is dealing with shocking discoveries back in the city. With the police focuses their attention on him during their investigation of a murder close to him, he begins to lose hope he will be able to find new evidence that allow Sean's case to go to the Appeals court. Dan is also nursing a broken heart and he is dealing with his misery in a very unhealthy manner. He has been uncertain whether or not he can completely trust Eve so he is reluctant to share information with her. Will Dan believe her assertion he can trust her not betray his confidences? Will his puzzling discovery provide the new evidence they need to exonerate Sean?
Despite a bit of a slow start, A Bad, Bad Thing is a clever mystery with a unique storyline. Eve is a strong woman who, although haunted by her past, refuses to let it define her. She is a brilliant detective who refuses to let anything, even her doubts about John's intentions, interfere with her investigation. Dan is a flawed but likable man who is deeply dedicated to 4Justice. The investigation into Jane's death is quite interesting and Elena Forbes does an absolutely superb job keeping the perpetrator's identity and motive for the crime completely under wraps until the novel's action-packed conclusion. A marvelous beginning to An Eve West Mystery series that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend to fans of the genre.
DCI Eve West is a veteran police officer who is suspended after a police operation goes horribly wrong. She is surprised when John Duran, a murderer she helped put behind bars, contacts her with an intriguing proposition. In exchange for providing information that will clear her name, he would like for Eve to look into fellow inmate Sean Farrell's possible wrongful conviction for murder. Eve is suspicious of John's motive for helping her, but she decides to look into the ten year old murder of Jane McNeil.
Working with Dan Cooper, a journalist who co-founded 4Justice, Eve heads to Jane's former employer, Westerby Racing, which is also near where her body was eventually discovered. Upon her arrival, she is shocked to discover her old childhood friend, Gavin Challis, is now married to Melissa Michaels. While Gavin has recently embarked on a political career, Melissa, along with her brother Harry, run the family business. Will Eve uncover the new evidence she needs to exonerate Sean and thereby secure the information she needs to save her career?
Eve is a resilient, independent woman who deliberately eschews personal entanglements. She is a superb detective with keen instincts and she has no idea what she will do if she loses her job. Immediately throwing herself into investigating Jane's death, she quickly learns the Michaels' clan is not overly thrilled with the new interest in the case. Harry reluctantly offers to assist her, but Eve soon realizes he is not as co-operative as he appears. Despite the Michaels' lack of enthusiasm, Eve doggedly persists in locating clients and co-workers who interacted with Jane along with her former roommates.
While Eve concentrates on Westerby Racing, Dan is dealing with shocking discoveries back in the city. With the police focuses their attention on him during their investigation of a murder close to him, he begins to lose hope he will be able to find new evidence that allow Sean's case to go to the Appeals court. Dan is also nursing a broken heart and he is dealing with his misery in a very unhealthy manner. He has been uncertain whether or not he can completely trust Eve so he is reluctant to share information with her. Will Dan believe her assertion he can trust her not betray his confidences? Will his puzzling discovery provide the new evidence they need to exonerate Sean?
Despite a bit of a slow start, A Bad, Bad Thing is a clever mystery with a unique storyline. Eve is a strong woman who, although haunted by her past, refuses to let it define her. She is a brilliant detective who refuses to let anything, even her doubts about John's intentions, interfere with her investigation. Dan is a flawed but likable man who is deeply dedicated to 4Justice. The investigation into Jane's death is quite interesting and Elena Forbes does an absolutely superb job keeping the perpetrator's identity and motive for the crime completely under wraps until the novel's action-packed conclusion. A marvelous beginning to An Eve West Mystery series that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend to fans of the genre.
vesper1931's review against another edition
3.0
Eve West, a police officer, with her married lover investigate a tipoff. But all goes wrong and while on suspension she gets involved in trying to prove a jailed man innocent of his murder charge.
Although a somewhat enjoyable and interesting read I didn't especially take to the main character which is a big problem for me in any book.
A NetGalley Book
Although a somewhat enjoyable and interesting read I didn't especially take to the main character which is a big problem for me in any book.
A NetGalley Book
fictionophile's review against another edition
5.0
Having read this author before, albeit quite some time ago, I knew in advance that I admired her writing. My memory served me well, because I found this to be a stellar crime fiction read! A book which has the reader questioning just who are the good guys, and who are the bad guys. That there are many shades of grey in a world where nothing is every purely white or black.
The characters were well described and empathically drawn. The settings were easy to visualize and the plot contained several red-herrings. Besides the search for justice, this story delves into the horse racing world with all of its attendant avarice and corruption.
This crime thriller is not really a police procedural, as Eve's career is very much on the back-burner during the course of the story. As of today's date, there is no sequel available, though it is listed on several sites as being the first in the Eve West series. If a second title in the series becomes available I will definitely be adding it to my TBR.
I found the ending to be unusual in that I as the reader was given enough hints via the plot that I knew an elemental fact about Eve's history that the author chose to NOT spell out, and NOT make her protagonist aware of. Very clever.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed "A Bad, Bad, Thing" and would highly recommend it to other crime fiction fans.
The characters were well described and empathically drawn. The settings were easy to visualize and the plot contained several red-herrings. Besides the search for justice, this story delves into the horse racing world with all of its attendant avarice and corruption.
This crime thriller is not really a police procedural, as Eve's career is very much on the back-burner during the course of the story. As of today's date, there is no sequel available, though it is listed on several sites as being the first in the Eve West series. If a second title in the series becomes available I will definitely be adding it to my TBR.
I found the ending to be unusual in that I as the reader was given enough hints via the plot that I knew an elemental fact about Eve's history that the author chose to NOT spell out, and NOT make her protagonist aware of. Very clever.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed "A Bad, Bad, Thing" and would highly recommend it to other crime fiction fans.
nietzschesghost's review
3.0
A Bad, Bad Thing, the first novel featuring DCI Eve West of the Metropolitan Police, is a tale of two halves. It is complex in terms of the number of different threads to the plot but is straightforward in terms of the linear timeline and being told primarily from Eve's point-of-view. I enjoyed the mix of complex and straightforward right from the get-go. However, our main protagonist, Eve, is not a particularly likeable individual. She is rather cold, distant and detached but that may be due to her past experiences, and she may become warmer over the upcoming additions to the series. I feel many will find the plot quite exhausting as there was a little too much going on, and it definitely has the potential to become confusing. I look forward to discovering how this new series and characters will evolve.
Many thanks to Severn House Publishing for an ARC.
Many thanks to Severn House Publishing for an ARC.
pgchuis's review
3.0
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
3.5* rounded down.
DI Eve West is suspended after she seemingly gets a colleague killed, although she knows she was not entirely to blame. Then Duran, a brutal killer she put away years ago asks her to look into the conviction for murder of a fellow inmate Sean 10 years ago. In exchange, he will provide Eve with evidence that she was set up.
I have read and enjoyed the Tartaglia series by this author, but this book is very different. My main issue with it was that there was simply too much going on. There was enough plot for at least one other novel. There is Eve and her suspension, Eve and her mysterious past and original identity, Eve and her reunion with her first love, the mystery of why Eve and he broke up, and the mystery of why Duran wants to help Eve and why he wants to help Sean.
All of that is barely even touching on the parts of the plot dealing with the death of Jane McNeil, whom Sean may or may not have killed. People were tortured, offices were set on fire, there was a sniper, a rape, possible race fixing, a hit and run, a man killed running from the police. It was exhausting and confusing. I didn't really like Eve, although I did quite like Dan, the journalist she worked with on Sean's case. The ending very clearly points to further instalments, but I may not have the energy.
3.5* rounded down.
DI Eve West is suspended after she seemingly gets a colleague killed, although she knows she was not entirely to blame. Then Duran, a brutal killer she put away years ago asks her to look into the conviction for murder of a fellow inmate Sean 10 years ago. In exchange, he will provide Eve with evidence that she was set up.
I have read and enjoyed the Tartaglia series by this author, but this book is very different. My main issue with it was that there was simply too much going on. There was enough plot for at least one other novel. There is Eve and her suspension, Eve and her mysterious past and original identity, Eve and her reunion with her first love, the mystery of why Eve and he broke up, and the mystery of why Duran wants to help Eve and why he wants to help Sean.
All of that is barely even touching on the parts of the plot dealing with the death of Jane McNeil, whom Sean may or may not have killed. People were tortured, offices were set on fire, there was a sniper, a rape, possible race fixing, a hit and run, a man killed running from the police. It was exhausting and confusing. I didn't really like Eve, although I did quite like Dan, the journalist she worked with on Sean's case. The ending very clearly points to further instalments, but I may not have the energy.
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