A review by jlmb
A Sudden, Fearful Death by Anne Perry

1.0

UGH - I forced myself to finish this book. I can't read any more of this series - it's soooo formulaic. OK, yes, a lot of mystery series could be accused of following a formula, but this series - wow. I think Anne Perry has a blank template that she just fills in for each book. I am pretty sure each book has had the same number of pages. The structure is the same in all 4 books I have read. Every book ends in a long, drawn-out dull-as-dishwater trial with a "surprise" twist that isn't a surprise. The characters have the same interactions. Enough with Monk & Hester arguing over nothing. There is zero sexual tension between them, though Perry obviously wants there to be. The investigators follow the same boring interview prompts with about a billion minor characters that add nothing to the story. The whole thing is just....so boring. I couldn't care less what happens to any of these characters. This is time out of my life I will never get back. Maybe Anne Perry should read some Elizabeth George if she wants to learn how to create in-depth characters that the reader cares for. Or some Patricia Cornwall for some frightening killers. Or even Lee Child(who is also very formulaic) for some insight into how to pace a novel so it's a page-turner instead of a sleeping pill. Good grief.