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A review by sandygx260
Birdman by Mo Hayder
3.0
I have a hard time rating this book due to the lacking main character.
Let's leave that problem for later. First off, the intriguing crime drama definitely held my interest. Hayder has a deft hand in throwing out red herrings to the reader. She uses the "look over there" school of writing while something important is happening two feet away. Unfortunately she uses a little too much telegraphing ala Stephen King; the annoying "Little did Sue know she'd never set foot in her apartment again" nonsense. Still, when writing about the crime scenes or the criminal mind, Hayder weaves a tight story.
Here comes the problem. Jack Caffery, a clever detective on the rise, is the main character. He's set up as this brooding, introspective character because he has a *gasp* PAST! The thing is I don't think his "past" should allow him to act in certain ways, such as threatening to kill his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. What sane detective would threaten the daughter of a wealthy man? Cue one helluva huge plot hole, especially since said ex-girlfriend never comes after him for such a threat. The incident is swept under the plot rug.
A parade of characters marches along: the arty free spirit, the crusty old leader, the ambitious racist asshole detective who falsifies evidence, the tried and true blue sidekick, the trusty morgue doc... you know the drill. The thing is Hayder gives the secondary characters real personality, well, aside from the cliche racist asshole detective who is toxic from the get-go.
Too often Hayder fails to make Jack Caffery realistic enough. OK, he makes mistakes, but on the whole he's unrealistic because he is too much of an insensitive ass. Fine, he's a brilliant detective but a lousy human being. That's a bit trite.
Summation: liked the plot, liked the unusual criminal, wasn't sold on the main character and his obsession.
Sooo... let's go with a three. Sounds good to me. I'm already reading the second book in the series which means I cared enough to keep going.
Let's leave that problem for later. First off, the intriguing crime drama definitely held my interest. Hayder has a deft hand in throwing out red herrings to the reader. She uses the "look over there" school of writing while something important is happening two feet away. Unfortunately she uses a little too much telegraphing ala Stephen King; the annoying "Little did Sue know she'd never set foot in her apartment again" nonsense. Still, when writing about the crime scenes or the criminal mind, Hayder weaves a tight story.
Here comes the problem. Jack Caffery, a clever detective on the rise, is the main character. He's set up as this brooding, introspective character because he has a *gasp* PAST! The thing is I don't think his "past" should allow him to act in certain ways, such as threatening to kill his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. What sane detective would threaten the daughter of a wealthy man? Cue one helluva huge plot hole, especially since said ex-girlfriend never comes after him for such a threat. The incident is swept under the plot rug.
A parade of characters marches along: the arty free spirit, the crusty old leader, the ambitious racist asshole detective who falsifies evidence, the tried and true blue sidekick, the trusty morgue doc... you know the drill. The thing is Hayder gives the secondary characters real personality, well, aside from the cliche racist asshole detective who is toxic from the get-go.
Too often Hayder fails to make Jack Caffery realistic enough. OK, he makes mistakes, but on the whole he's unrealistic because he is too much of an insensitive ass. Fine, he's a brilliant detective but a lousy human being. That's a bit trite.
Summation: liked the plot, liked the unusual criminal, wasn't sold on the main character and his obsession.
Sooo... let's go with a three. Sounds good to me. I'm already reading the second book in the series which means I cared enough to keep going.