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A review by whatkatisreading
The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
‘The In Crowd’ by Charlotte Vassell is a sequel to the savage and smart ‘The Other Half’ and again stars DI Caius Beauchamp and features high society, twisted relationships and death. In this novel, Caius and his likeable colleagues Amy and Matt are assigned to investigate a mysterious body found in the Thames near Richmond, and what initially seems like a tragic accident pulls at a loose thread in the fabric of London’s upper class. Alongside his team’s focus on the Richmond death and a parallel cold case, Caius begins to date a new woman - Callie - after being cheated on for a second time by his ex. His sleuthing in the first book taught him that connections were everything, but DI Beauchamp is set to uncover more connectivity than he bargained for in this captivating follow-up!
I really like Caius as a main character, and enjoy his slight pretensions as well as how much his team make fun of him! His “meet-puke” (this made me laugh!) with Callie was eventful and cute and their relationship progression felt genuine. The scathing tone employed by Vassell as she describes certain members of the upper class is just as present as in the first book (I knew I was in for a treat and some laugh-out-loud moments when on the first page we met an investment banker who rowed to have an excuse to avoid his family). Despite not describing them kindly, the author feeds avid fascination with the crème-de-la-crème by name-dropping their favourite haunts and immersing the reader into the best London postcodes!
The mysteries in focus in this novel were twisting, compelling and dark. I guessed an intermediate twist, for which seeds were unsparingly planted, but that didn’t in any way spoil my enjoyment. The last chapters - set in an exclusive, secretive gentlemen’s club and our main character’s flat, are intriguing and have me wondering what will come for Caius in Book 3 before this one officially releases!
I received a free review copy of this ebook from the publisher Faber and Faber via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I really like Caius as a main character, and enjoy his slight pretensions as well as how much his team make fun of him! His “meet-puke” (this made me laugh!) with Callie was eventful and cute and their relationship progression felt genuine. The scathing tone employed by Vassell as she describes certain members of the upper class is just as present as in the first book (I knew I was in for a treat and some laugh-out-loud moments when on the first page we met an investment banker who rowed to have an excuse to avoid his family). Despite not describing them kindly, the author feeds avid fascination with the crème-de-la-crème by name-dropping their favourite haunts and immersing the reader into the best London postcodes!
The mysteries in focus in this novel were twisting, compelling and dark. I guessed an intermediate twist, for which seeds were unsparingly planted, but that didn’t in any way spoil my enjoyment. The last chapters - set in an exclusive, secretive gentlemen’s club and our main character’s flat, are intriguing and have me wondering what will come for Caius in Book 3 before this one officially releases!
I received a free review copy of this ebook from the publisher Faber and Faber via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.