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qu073179's review
3.0
Wow. I must say this lady is a great writer. Everything was clear and clean. Both a positive, and a negative is that it is VERY police procedural. I can see how this can be very annoying, or very comforting (if you prefer this type of mystery). I say VERY police procedural because Lorne runs around a LOT at the police department and to crime scenes--- you get every day every four hours of it. But, I don't know how that could be resolved. At least there's no lack of action, that's for sure. Plus there's a continuing love spat to make it even more interesting.
I did care about the case. I did care about the characters. I did feel extreme polarities for the characters. It held interest from the beginning, and was an enjoyable time. This is more like3.5 stars, it was pretty good, it didn't blow me away, nor was it truly excellent. Good though. Some triggers: abuse, infidelity, gross crime scenes.
I did care about the case. I did care about the characters. I did feel extreme polarities for the characters. It held interest from the beginning, and was an enjoyable time. This is more like3.5 stars, it was pretty good, it didn't blow me away, nor was it truly excellent. Good though. Some triggers: abuse, infidelity, gross crime scenes.
susannes_pagesofcrime's review
2.0
Hmmm, so so I guess. Plus an eye roll inducing "cliff hanger" ending!
jennyonthebook's review
3.0
Great mystery. A lot of language and adult situations. But a fast paced thriller that hooked me from the start!
karynmoo's review
2.0
This book is frustrating in so many ways. First of all, the stars I have given are for the story and the follow on suspense at the end.
So DI Simpkins is probably the most frustrating character ever. She leads a team in the book which is baffling considering she is literally all over the place. I reckon the character was written like this to show that people can have multiple layers to the personality but she just read like a train wreck.
There were a lot of instances in the book where her reaction didn't seem to fit the situation for example, scolding the younger police officer for his mistake she calls him "a cretin" that is surely messed up in a professional environment?! And when she was delivered a fairly gruesome package, she was quite cool about it....that made no sense considering she seemed to freak out at crap like that all the time!
The story between her and her husband was infuriating. Both had valid points with their frustrations but they were so so so bad in expressing their frustrations...surely marriage is about being a team. The way in which her husband kept referring to their daughter as HER child was bloody annoying. Both of them were selfish in their own way and neither were likable. The husband's relationship with her sister (his sister in law) was just simply weird....telling the sister in law about him and his wife having sex was just too odd.
I feel there was some instances where the writer writes in sarcastic tones which was very odd. The story is written in third person when not in dialogue so it is weird to have the narrative be sarcastic.
Overall the story was good, a good crime story but the characters were deeply unlikeable. The continuation of the follow up books has interested me but I don't know if I could put up with the main character again.
So DI Simpkins is probably the most frustrating character ever. She leads a team in the book which is baffling considering she is literally all over the place. I reckon the character was written like this to show that people can have multiple layers to the personality but she just read like a train wreck.
There were a lot of instances in the book where her reaction didn't seem to fit the situation for example, scolding the younger police officer for his mistake she calls him "a cretin" that is surely messed up in a professional environment?! And when she was delivered a fairly gruesome package, she was quite cool about it....that made no sense considering she seemed to freak out at crap like that all the time!
The story between her and her husband was infuriating. Both had valid points with their frustrations but they were so so so bad in expressing their frustrations...surely marriage is about being a team. The way in which her husband kept referring to their daughter as HER child was bloody annoying. Both of them were selfish in their own way and neither were likable. The husband's relationship with her sister (his sister in law) was just simply weird....telling the sister in law about him and his wife having sex was just too odd.
I feel there was some instances where the writer writes in sarcastic tones which was very odd. The story is written in third person when not in dialogue so it is weird to have the narrative be sarcastic.
Overall the story was good, a good crime story but the characters were deeply unlikeable. The continuation of the follow up books has interested me but I don't know if I could put up with the main character again.
rainnbooks's review
2.0
I couldn't like the character portrayal of Lorne Simpkins.I kind of felt her coming on like a selfish woman. The mystery element was good but why does the serial killer have to be fascinated with the DI?
lsmoore43's review
4.0
I can’t believe I didn’t leave my review. So sorry.
I enjoyed this book very much. It was a gruesome story but also showed a side to people that you rarely see. Lorne Simpkins is the DI on a case where women are being murdered in terrible ways. She has a husband who is home with their children and seems like she is away on cases a lot. But she is a good wife and mother too.
This book gets into some pretty awful details so if you don’t have the heart for it you might consider this before reading. I loved it. It is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I intend to read more.
Very good book. Sure gives a look into what police go through at times when it’s a murder or murders.
I enjoyed this book very much. It was a gruesome story but also showed a side to people that you rarely see. Lorne Simpkins is the DI on a case where women are being murdered in terrible ways. She has a husband who is home with their children and seems like she is away on cases a lot. But she is a good wife and mother too.
This book gets into some pretty awful details so if you don’t have the heart for it you might consider this before reading. I loved it. It is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I intend to read more.
Very good book. Sure gives a look into what police go through at times when it’s a murder or murders.
leona_omahony's review
5.0
Having read a few of the Justice series I thought it was time to read the ones I had missed out on.
So pleased that I started with this first book. It was just excellent. What a page turner of a book.
So pleased that I started with this first book. It was just excellent. What a page turner of a book.
vesper1931's review
3.0
D.I. Simpkins and DS Childs are assigned to the case of the headless body, then other bodies turn up. Can they track the killer before it takes more victims.
ericwelch's review
4.0
Surprisingly good. Comley’s series featuring DI Lorne Simpson and DS Pete Childs, were being offered free for my Kindle. Being always open to new authors, especially if the price is right, I quickly downloaded and dove right in. I was hooked from the first chapter, which, I must add is extremely brutal. Once past that, the investigation was up to my usual standards for police procedurals.
Lorne is going through a very rough patch with her husband Tom, a stay-at-home dad who resents his role in the marriage. (OK, now we have that irrelevant detail out of the way, a theme the author could have easily dispensed with.)
A headless corpse is discovered to be the twin of another woman who is killed shortly thereafter. The question for Lorne becomes whether one was the target and the killer, realizing he has made a mistake, must kill the twin. The first clue is when the head arrives in the mail along with a note: “HERE LIES THE MISSING PART TO YOUR FIRST PUZZLE.”
The key lies long in the past and the reader is kept guessing. Some of the character interactions seemed superfluous and I remain skeptical of books where the killer targets a particular policeman. It’s so unrealistic and unnecessary.
Nevertheless, good plot and investigation.
Lorne is going through a very rough patch with her husband Tom, a stay-at-home dad who resents his role in the marriage. (OK, now we have that irrelevant detail out of the way, a theme the author could have easily dispensed with.)
A headless corpse is discovered to be the twin of another woman who is killed shortly thereafter. The question for Lorne becomes whether one was the target and the killer, realizing he has made a mistake, must kill the twin. The first clue is when the head arrives in the mail along with a note: “HERE LIES THE MISSING PART TO YOUR FIRST PUZZLE.”
The key lies long in the past and the reader is kept guessing. Some of the character interactions seemed superfluous and I remain skeptical of books where the killer targets a particular policeman. It’s so unrealistic and unnecessary.
Nevertheless, good plot and investigation.
embosso's review
3.0
I enjoyed the novel, for what it was, and am rating it a solid 3 star. If you are looking for a quick read, this novel wouldn’t be a bad choice. It’s kind of the Harlequin Romance of crime fiction. It wasn’t deep, it wasn’t tense, and it wasn’t overburdened with unnecessary technical jargon. If I had to compare it to a British Crime Television series, I would say it is most similar to a B version of Prime Suspect. Many of the themes seemed quite similar.
As for "feeling real", there were enough words like “lividity” to make it sound well researched even though it was questionably accurate. I frequently felt like all a suspect had to do was say, “It wasn’t me” and the entire English legal system was ready to move on to someone else. From that perspective alone, the novel lacked depth and any type of tension.
The sub-plots and characterizations were somewhat shallow but, with it being the first in a series, I would imagine the characters develop more in later books. The only character that was remotely likeable was the French medical examiner and even he was a bit sketch at times.
The villain, although he did some horrendous things, wasn’t terribly intimidating either. He was far more of a tragic figure to sympathize with than an evil mastermind able to pull-off multiple murders, evade the police (no matter how inept), and pull off some surveillance tactics that would leave a seasoned spy scratching his head.
Finally, I don’t know what the obligatory psychic was doing in this novel, or why she was necessary. Her character felt like she was just thrown in because the author couldn’t figure out any other way for the detective to find a clue that would lead her in the right direction.
As I began, this is an average, technically well written, novel that’s fine for a quick summer read but if you are looking for a masterpiece, or get hung up on technicalities, you may be disappointed.
As for "feeling real", there were enough words like “lividity” to make it sound well researched even though it was questionably accurate. I frequently felt like all a suspect had to do was say, “It wasn’t me” and the entire English legal system was ready to move on to someone else. From that perspective alone, the novel lacked depth and any type of tension.
The sub-plots and characterizations were somewhat shallow but, with it being the first in a series, I would imagine the characters develop more in later books. The only character that was remotely likeable was the French medical examiner and even he was a bit sketch at times.
The villain, although he did some horrendous things, wasn’t terribly intimidating either. He was far more of a tragic figure to sympathize with than an evil mastermind able to pull-off multiple murders, evade the police (no matter how inept), and pull off some surveillance tactics that would leave a seasoned spy scratching his head.
Finally, I don’t know what the obligatory psychic was doing in this novel, or why she was necessary. Her character felt like she was just thrown in because the author couldn’t figure out any other way for the detective to find a clue that would lead her in the right direction.
As I began, this is an average, technically well written, novel that’s fine for a quick summer read but if you are looking for a masterpiece, or get hung up on technicalities, you may be disappointed.