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jo_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Before television there was the novel. However in this case television came first, with the series Scott and Bailey. Cath Staincliffe has written a prequel to the popular ITV1 crime drama series. An interesting idea but Staincliffe was the creator and scriptwriter of ITV’s Blue Murder, is familiar with Manchester so is a perfect position to write a book without simply regurgitating something from the television to appease fans.
It is not a prerequisite that you have had to watch the programme as this being a prequel it is the beginning of the story for the three main characters DC’s Janet Scott and Rachel Bailey and DCI Gill Murray. I have only seen one or two episodes so their characters as they are in the programme are not really fully formed in my mind. Finding out their backgrounds and what has shaped them into the police roles they are in now and what they will be in the future and how well their dynamic will be in solving the case that brings them together is what makes this book an excellent read.
A girl has been stabbed, there is a possibility of rape, drugs play a part somewhere and the victim’s mother wants justice; she is convinced it is the boyfriend. She wants blame to be apportioned so that she feels after leaving her daughter in care to be looked after the system has not failed her.
DCI Gill Murray is heading up the investigate team and she has her faithful DC Janet Scott with her, but there is a new girl on the block Rachel Bailey; gun-ho, arrogant and a bit of a risk to a well established team. Murray teams her up with Scott in the hope that Scott’s calmness, experience and ease with events takes some of the arrogance away. Bailey on the other hand thinks she is being mothered and wants to prove she is worthy of her place without the help of a colleague. It is this arrogance that makes Bailey a strong character within the book, and I felt as irritated by her as her colleagues did.
Bailey has something to prove not because she is a woman, but because her background and past would have brought her on the other side of the law if she had not taken the path she had. She needs to fix everything to heal the wounds of the past.
Scott, knows that some wounds of the past cannot be healed permanently and it is the experience in dealing with them that makes them stronger in the future. She has empathy for a mother who has lost her daughter and knows that trying to juggle a life is not an easy job when you are in the police force.
Murray on the other hand, as the ‘boss’ got their on her own merit, and would have got further had her family unit not been turned upside down. Career paths had to change and the past perhaps can never be far away.
If you have never read a crime novel before then start with this one, ignore the fact that it is based on a television programme. It covers police procedural well, and explains for all us non police readers some of the language and shorthand used. You can understand the process and the outcomes if everything does not go right, have they really got the right person? If you loved the programme and very rarely read then read this novel as it will get you into the joy of reading.
It is not a prerequisite that you have had to watch the programme as this being a prequel it is the beginning of the story for the three main characters DC’s Janet Scott and Rachel Bailey and DCI Gill Murray. I have only seen one or two episodes so their characters as they are in the programme are not really fully formed in my mind. Finding out their backgrounds and what has shaped them into the police roles they are in now and what they will be in the future and how well their dynamic will be in solving the case that brings them together is what makes this book an excellent read.
A girl has been stabbed, there is a possibility of rape, drugs play a part somewhere and the victim’s mother wants justice; she is convinced it is the boyfriend. She wants blame to be apportioned so that she feels after leaving her daughter in care to be looked after the system has not failed her.
DCI Gill Murray is heading up the investigate team and she has her faithful DC Janet Scott with her, but there is a new girl on the block Rachel Bailey; gun-ho, arrogant and a bit of a risk to a well established team. Murray teams her up with Scott in the hope that Scott’s calmness, experience and ease with events takes some of the arrogance away. Bailey on the other hand thinks she is being mothered and wants to prove she is worthy of her place without the help of a colleague. It is this arrogance that makes Bailey a strong character within the book, and I felt as irritated by her as her colleagues did.
Bailey has something to prove not because she is a woman, but because her background and past would have brought her on the other side of the law if she had not taken the path she had. She needs to fix everything to heal the wounds of the past.
Scott, knows that some wounds of the past cannot be healed permanently and it is the experience in dealing with them that makes them stronger in the future. She has empathy for a mother who has lost her daughter and knows that trying to juggle a life is not an easy job when you are in the police force.
Murray on the other hand, as the ‘boss’ got their on her own merit, and would have got further had her family unit not been turned upside down. Career paths had to change and the past perhaps can never be far away.
If you have never read a crime novel before then start with this one, ignore the fact that it is based on a television programme. It covers police procedural well, and explains for all us non police readers some of the language and shorthand used. You can understand the process and the outcomes if everything does not go right, have they really got the right person? If you loved the programme and very rarely read then read this novel as it will get you into the joy of reading.
andforgotten's review against another edition
3.0
I can't say that this book was particularly well written, or even that the case was unpredictable - but it's not about that when you pick up Dead to Me. It's about Janet Scott & Rachel Bailey's background together and it tells this story rather nicely.
And come on, it's official fanfiction, what't not to love about that? I wish we'd get that for every show.
And come on, it's official fanfiction, what't not to love about that? I wish we'd get that for every show.
apopanda09's review against another edition
2.0
This book barely went anywhere. I felt that the character development was oddly placed and weirdly timed, and that the investigation itself felt like it took years, not the 9 days it took from murder to confession. It's not a book I would read again.
julieandlouie's review against another edition
4.0
Really well written! Real characters (loved the strong, female leads) with real problems, a plot that got better throughout the book, and a great ending. A good crime read.
caitlin21521's review against another edition
3.0
I've seen some of the show, and really liked it, so when I came across this my interest was piqued. Essentially, it's a prequel story, so it was cool to read the origins of these characters. The mystery is pretty solid - I would have liked more character development of the growing relationship between Scott & Bailey themselves.
eswee's review against another edition
I received this book in a lockdown mystery package made by my library. I figured I would like it because I know the television show is really good. But instead I decided to DNF on Scott & Bailey. I got so annoyed by them being so annoyed with each other... and after 88 pages the case itself didn't stuck with me either. Maybe it was the wrong book at the wrong time, maybe it's just that I don't like it written in words. Either way, I didn't finish.
kbc's review
4.0
Staincliffe captures much of what I love about the show and gets Rachel, Janet and Gill's voice down well. I'm a bit iffy about her backstory for Janet - something that major would have come out in the show, I would think. But it has all the relationships between the women and how they developed that way and just yay more Scott & Bailey.
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