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margivan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ckanta's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
gray5217's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
eleanorkt93's review against another edition
4.0
Did enjoy the Audible version of this book, thought the plot was quite fast paced with different threads weaving together nicely, although I did think it was quite easy to work out the perp earlier in the book than I would have liked (although you don't learn why until the end).
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
The Murderer's Son
4 Stars
D.I. Rowan Jackman and his team investigate the murder of a woman stabbed to death in her kitchen, a crime that is reminiscent of a case from two decades prior. The case becomes even more convoluted when a disturbed young man comes into the station convinced of his guilt despite a lack of evidence. Is Daniel Slater a deranged killer or is someone even more sinister out there ready to kill again?
Joy Ellis's debut novel is an entertaining British police procedural despite one or two obvious plot twists. The mystery is gritty and gripping without any unnecessarily gruesome descriptions and the pacing is excellent. There are several red herrings to keep the reader guessing up to a certain point at which the identity of the villain becomes glaringly obvious.
The characters are compelling with sufficient characterization to engage the reader. That said, there is room for additional development for each of Jackman's team members, which will hopefully be forthcoming in future installments. Jackman's partnership with his D.S., Marie Evans, is particularly engaging as is his intriguing fear of the brilliant yet scary IT tech, Orla Cracken. It will be interesting to see how these relationships progress.
On a final note, the audiobook is narrated by the incomparable Richard Armitage. His range of voices is excellent even for the women, which is quite something given he has such a deep baritone.
Overall, an enjoyable listen and I will be continuing with the series.
4 Stars
D.I. Rowan Jackman and his team investigate the murder of a woman stabbed to death in her kitchen, a crime that is reminiscent of a case from two decades prior. The case becomes even more convoluted when a disturbed young man comes into the station convinced of his guilt despite a lack of evidence. Is Daniel Slater a deranged killer or is someone even more sinister out there ready to kill again?
Joy Ellis's debut novel is an entertaining British police procedural despite one or two obvious plot twists. The mystery is gritty and gripping without any unnecessarily gruesome descriptions and the pacing is excellent. There are several red herrings to keep the reader guessing up to a certain point at which the identity of the villain becomes glaringly obvious.
The characters are compelling with sufficient characterization to engage the reader. That said, there is room for additional development for each of Jackman's team members, which will hopefully be forthcoming in future installments. Jackman's partnership with his D.S., Marie Evans, is particularly engaging as is his intriguing fear of the brilliant yet scary IT tech, Orla Cracken. It will be interesting to see how these relationships progress.
On a final note, the audiobook is narrated by the incomparable Richard Armitage. His range of voices is excellent even for the women, which is quite something given he has such a deep baritone.
Overall, an enjoyable listen and I will be continuing with the series.
amy_da1sy's review against another edition
5.0
I actually really liked this book because even though you can guess who the killer is by half way through the book, the pure chaos of the book keeps you intrigued. There are so many different plot lines and red herrings some go absolutely nowhere but the chaos of it is funny. I’m a sucker for crime detective books where it’s just pure joy to read because they aren’t that good but it’s just chaos.
stacylmoll's review against another edition
5.0
Just when I thought it couldn’t get better it does! The characters are great and only a few make really dumb choices. Most say I’m happy the one person that caused me to slap my forehead seems to come out on the other side okay. I couldn’t wait to get to the end of this and was ecstatic to learn this is a series! Can’t wait to start the next one.