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A review by rowena_m_andrews
Six Feet Under by Colin Garrow
4.0
This is my first venture into the Terry Bell Mysteries, but it won’t be my last, as this was an enjoyable read with a memorable cast of characters that really brought the book to life.
It did take a little while to build up the mystery aspect of the story. However, this was more than made up for by the characters from the start, and once it got going there was more than enough twists and turns, and sense of danger to have made the wait worth it.
Terry was a fantastic main character, with a great deal of personality and someone who breaks the mould of what you would typically expect of the ‘detective’ character in a mystery series. I liked how down to earth he was, and the elements and experience that comes from the fact that he’s a regular guy who drives a cab, doesn’t have the extensive education but instead brings a different kind of intelligence and a dogged determination to his efforts. Even better, is that he shares the limelight, he is willing to ask for help, to work with partners and to appreciate the assistance rather than being a ‘lone wolf’. I particularly enjoyed his relationship and partnership with Carol, because they complement one another beautifully in all aspects of their lives, and she is by no means overshadowed or left behind, standing equally beside him.
The balance between them and their involvement and the dangers that they find themselves facing, and the work of DI Charis was well done, and she was another character that I liked. I could feel her frustration and worry about having to do her job and worry about the pair. I will say that Garrow has a talent for writing very believable and relatable characters, that live and breathe on each page, especially when combined with the language – and it was great to see the Geordie dialect bleeding into the story, and adding another dimension to the setting.
This was a short, entertaining book with tons of character that I would highly recommend, and I will be checking out the rest of the series.
It did take a little while to build up the mystery aspect of the story. However, this was more than made up for by the characters from the start, and once it got going there was more than enough twists and turns, and sense of danger to have made the wait worth it.
Terry was a fantastic main character, with a great deal of personality and someone who breaks the mould of what you would typically expect of the ‘detective’ character in a mystery series. I liked how down to earth he was, and the elements and experience that comes from the fact that he’s a regular guy who drives a cab, doesn’t have the extensive education but instead brings a different kind of intelligence and a dogged determination to his efforts. Even better, is that he shares the limelight, he is willing to ask for help, to work with partners and to appreciate the assistance rather than being a ‘lone wolf’. I particularly enjoyed his relationship and partnership with Carol, because they complement one another beautifully in all aspects of their lives, and she is by no means overshadowed or left behind, standing equally beside him.
The balance between them and their involvement and the dangers that they find themselves facing, and the work of DI Charis was well done, and she was another character that I liked. I could feel her frustration and worry about having to do her job and worry about the pair. I will say that Garrow has a talent for writing very believable and relatable characters, that live and breathe on each page, especially when combined with the language – and it was great to see the Geordie dialect bleeding into the story, and adding another dimension to the setting.
This was a short, entertaining book with tons of character that I would highly recommend, and I will be checking out the rest of the series.