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williamlowe11's review
2.0
An OK read but nothing special or surprising in either the story or writing.
claudetteb's review
2.0
London Police Procedural..... Just not a very good one. The main characters are just sketched in, basically we are TOLD what they are feeling but not shown. The story is basic, and could be told in 90 pages (if that). The filler is mostly anectodes about peripheral characters who may or may not ever appear again in the story - which is fine if you've bought a short story collection, but which added nothing to this story at all. The only thing I learned about London while reading this book is that the traffic is bad - much like this book.
seanbyrne92's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up for this one
Not really sure where to start with this one, first half of the book I wasnt quite sure what to make of this. I'm a big fan of Kernick having read 8 other books of his. I read Relentless before (which is installment 2 of the Tina Boyd series) so I thought I would go back to the beginning.
We are introduced to Stegs Jenner, undercover cop involved in taking down a Colombian drug bust with colleague Paul 'Yokes' Vokermann when things don't go according to plan. The fall out from the drug bust sees Stegs pit his wits against the rest of the force as all his colleagues are keen to point out his flaws and suspicious circumstances surrounding Operation Surgical Strike (hoping I got the name right).
In steps DI John Gallan and DS Tina Boyd, who were involved in setting up the operation to take down the Colombian drug bust. Trying to deal with the blowback at how the operation went asunder, John and Tina go to work in putting the pieces back together to try find out how it could have all went wrong. John and Tina meanwhile are involved in a behind the scenes relationship outside the workplace and agree to keep it from their colleagues for now as the relationship develops.
For the first 20% or so I wasnt really convinced I was going to enjoy this - we were introduced to a graphic violent scene around this as we discover a bit more about Stegs undercover operations that have lead him to this point. I found his character hard to like, and much preferred the moments of DI John Gallan and DS Tina Boyd investigative movements leading them on this case.
The book's pace increased as I hit the 50% mark and became more enjoyable and ended up coming to a worthwhile conclusion at the end.
As I am a big fan of Kernick I will read 'Deadline' (Tina Boyd 3) and see if the series progresses much better than the first one.
Not really sure where to start with this one, first half of the book I wasnt quite sure what to make of this. I'm a big fan of Kernick having read 8 other books of his. I read Relentless before (which is installment 2 of the Tina Boyd series) so I thought I would go back to the beginning.
We are introduced to Stegs Jenner, undercover cop involved in taking down a Colombian drug bust with colleague Paul 'Yokes' Vokermann when things don't go according to plan. The fall out from the drug bust sees Stegs pit his wits against the rest of the force as all his colleagues are keen to point out his flaws and suspicious circumstances surrounding Operation Surgical Strike (hoping I got the name right).
In steps DI John Gallan and DS Tina Boyd, who were involved in setting up the operation to take down the Colombian drug bust. Trying to deal with the blowback at how the operation went asunder, John and Tina go to work in putting the pieces back together to try find out how it could have all went wrong. John and Tina meanwhile are involved in a behind the scenes relationship outside the workplace and agree to keep it from their colleagues for now as the relationship develops.
For the first 20% or so I wasnt really convinced I was going to enjoy this - we were introduced to a graphic violent scene around this as we discover a bit more about Stegs undercover operations that have lead him to this point. I found his character hard to like, and much preferred the moments of DI John Gallan and DS Tina Boyd investigative movements leading them on this case.
The book's pace increased as I hit the 50% mark and became more enjoyable and ended up coming to a worthwhile conclusion at the end.
As I am a big fan of Kernick I will read 'Deadline' (Tina Boyd 3) and see if the series progresses much better than the first one.
amothersmusings1's review
5.0
Simon Kernick writes brilliant books and I still enjoy his books today (2016), he always writes fast paced books that have you wanting to keep reading til you finished! Would highly recommend!
si0bhan's review
4.0
After reading and enjoying Simon Kernick’s Dead Man’s Gift and Other Stories, I was eager to read a full-length novel from the author. The Tina Boyd series has interested me for a while, and I was happy to dive into it.
Although I enjoyed The Crime Trade, it didn’t really feel like a Tina Boyd read. She was in the book, she played a vital role, but less of the story followed her than expected. I’m hoping the series will go in the same way Lisa Gardner’s D.D. Warren series went – that is, we’ll get more Tina Boyd with each book. Despite this, the book certainly hooked me. I was pulled right in, and there was plenty of action packed into the pages to keep me guessing. It’s not my favourite in the genre, as there were some things that were a bit too cliched and predictable, but it certainly has me wanting to grab the second book in the series.
Without a doubt, I’m eager to see what the second book brings.
Although I enjoyed The Crime Trade, it didn’t really feel like a Tina Boyd read. She was in the book, she played a vital role, but less of the story followed her than expected. I’m hoping the series will go in the same way Lisa Gardner’s D.D. Warren series went – that is, we’ll get more Tina Boyd with each book. Despite this, the book certainly hooked me. I was pulled right in, and there was plenty of action packed into the pages to keep me guessing. It’s not my favourite in the genre, as there were some things that were a bit too cliched and predictable, but it certainly has me wanting to grab the second book in the series.
Without a doubt, I’m eager to see what the second book brings.
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