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A review by shrrawat
Splinter in the Blood by Ashley Dyer
3.0
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway, and I was really excited for this one. In fact, I was so excited that I read this book in one sitting the day that it arrived, something that I have not had the chance to do in a long while. And reading the setup the synopsis provides, who wouldn't be?
A serial killer, with a unique modus operandi of poisoning his victims with thorns and tattooing them with eyes. A police officer, shot while trying to chase down the killer. His partner, fixing the scene of the encounter rather than rushing straight to his aid.
Every bit of this appeared to spell out a thrilling new detective series, with nail-biting tension and suspicion. Was it as every bit as good as I thought it would be? Yes....and no.
In terms of story, this book was just as good as most other modern mystery novels out there. Meaning, it has one or two original ideas (the serial killer means of death for example), but everything else appears to follow a somewhat formulaic approach and way of providing clues that, if you are an experienced mystery lover, will remove some of the tension the author tries to set up? Does this make this book bad in any way? Not necessarily. I think that as a debut novel, it is just a sign that the series is finding its feet, and is simply playing it safe. For anyone who dabbles less frequently in mysteries, this is still a solid read in my opinion.
In terms of characters, the series is meant to introduce another "Together, they fight crime!" duo, Greg Carver and Ruth Lake in the Carver and Lake series. Although, to be totally honest, for this first book, the title of the series may as well be called, "Lake does all the work, and Carver occasionally helps out." Part of this is the way the story is structured. Carver gets shot in the first chapter (not a spoiler, this is literally the first two chapters), and is sent to recuperate, and as a result, Lake is the main gumshoe we see working the case.
The consequence of this is that Lake comes across as a really strong, likeable female heroine, while Carver is just.....a name somehow connected to Lake's. We don't truly see much of their partnership, and therefore it's hard to connect with both characters on the same level since one steals so much of the spotlight. That being said, this may change with the next book coming out this year, "The Cutting Room."
In all, I did enjoy "A Splinter in the Blood" for what it was, a debut novel by two authors still trying to find their footing with a pair of new characters. I do believe that this series has promise, and I might be persuaded to check out the next book if I happen to see it at my local library or bargain book bin.
A serial killer, with a unique modus operandi of poisoning his victims with thorns and tattooing them with eyes. A police officer, shot while trying to chase down the killer. His partner, fixing the scene of the encounter rather than rushing straight to his aid.
Every bit of this appeared to spell out a thrilling new detective series, with nail-biting tension and suspicion. Was it as every bit as good as I thought it would be? Yes....and no.
In terms of story, this book was just as good as most other modern mystery novels out there. Meaning, it has one or two original ideas (the serial killer means of death for example), but everything else appears to follow a somewhat formulaic approach and way of providing clues that, if you are an experienced mystery lover, will remove some of the tension the author tries to set up? Does this make this book bad in any way? Not necessarily. I think that as a debut novel, it is just a sign that the series is finding its feet, and is simply playing it safe. For anyone who dabbles less frequently in mysteries, this is still a solid read in my opinion.
In terms of characters, the series is meant to introduce another "Together, they fight crime!" duo, Greg Carver and Ruth Lake in the Carver and Lake series. Although, to be totally honest, for this first book, the title of the series may as well be called, "Lake does all the work, and Carver occasionally helps out." Part of this is the way the story is structured. Carver gets shot in the first chapter (not a spoiler, this is literally the first two chapters), and is sent to recuperate, and as a result, Lake is the main gumshoe we see working the case.
The consequence of this is that Lake comes across as a really strong, likeable female heroine, while Carver is just.....a name somehow connected to Lake's. We don't truly see much of their partnership, and therefore it's hard to connect with both characters on the same level since one steals so much of the spotlight. That being said, this may change with the next book coming out this year, "The Cutting Room."
In all, I did enjoy "A Splinter in the Blood" for what it was, a debut novel by two authors still trying to find their footing with a pair of new characters. I do believe that this series has promise, and I might be persuaded to check out the next book if I happen to see it at my local library or bargain book bin.