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A review by carla_t
Stalkers by Paul Finch
1.0
In Stalkers we join Detective Mark Heckenberg as he tries to uncover the truth about 38 women who have all vanished without a trace. And while the premise of the story sounds promising, it ultimately falls flat.
There are two main reasons why I didn't like this book. Spoilers may follow.
Sexism
Now, I'm not talking about 'The Nice Guys'. Obviously this is a sexist group, but that's okay in context because we as readers know that we're fighting against them and what they stand for.
I'm talking about the underlying sexism that comes from most of the other men in the novel and even from our protagonist. At one point, Heckenberg is in a bar and a women approaches him, after talking for a while he accuses her of being a whore because she's 'acting like one'. Oh yeah, my bad, she was wearing a skirt. What a slut.
And I'm supposed to be routing for this jerk? Please.
Even the women who behave properly and I'm guessing are supposed to be strong characters are not free from condescension, all of them get refered to as 'darling' and 'love' and they're also all sexualised at some point.
Oh, and there's also bithching about 'positive discrimination'.
Cliches and Predictability
Male detective working on important case? Check
Righteous to the point of self-destruction? Check
Loner with ex-wife/girlfriend troubles? Check
Drinking problem? Check
Suspended for no discernable reason? Check
Still dedicated to the case? Check
Female Sidekick? Check
Romance with said sidekick? Check
Get framed? Check
Bunch of leads that end up dead? Check
Damsel in distress plot device for denouement? Check
Seriously, there was nothing in this book that I couldn't call. So predictable, even if you've only read one other book in this genre, you will know what's going to happen and when.
If you want a good crime book, I suggest
[b:The Big Over Easy|828409|The Big Over Easy (Nursery Crime, #1)|Jasper Fforde|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355116670s/828409.jpg|2504943]
It is much better.
There are two main reasons why I didn't like this book. Spoilers may follow.
Sexism
Now, I'm not talking about 'The Nice Guys'. Obviously this is a sexist group, but that's okay in context because we as readers know that we're fighting against them and what they stand for.
I'm talking about the underlying sexism that comes from most of the other men in the novel and even from our protagonist. At one point, Heckenberg is in a bar and a women approaches him, after talking for a while he accuses her of being a whore because she's 'acting like one'. Oh yeah, my bad, she was wearing a skirt. What a slut.
And I'm supposed to be routing for this jerk? Please.
Even the women who behave properly and I'm guessing are supposed to be strong characters are not free from condescension, all of them get refered to as 'darling' and 'love' and they're also all sexualised at some point.
Oh, and there's also bithching about 'positive discrimination'.
Cliches and Predictability
Male detective working on important case? Check
Righteous to the point of self-destruction? Check
Loner with ex-wife/girlfriend troubles? Check
Drinking problem? Check
Suspended for no discernable reason? Check
Still dedicated to the case? Check
Female Sidekick? Check
Romance with said sidekick? Check
Get framed? Check
Bunch of leads that end up dead? Check
Damsel in distress plot device for denouement? Check
Seriously, there was nothing in this book that I couldn't call. So predictable, even if you've only read one other book in this genre, you will know what's going to happen and when.
If you want a good crime book, I suggest
[b:The Big Over Easy|828409|The Big Over Easy (Nursery Crime, #1)|Jasper Fforde|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355116670s/828409.jpg|2504943]
It is much better.