• AnnisEditorial Services
  • Anniseed’s Attic
  • About Me
  • Policies

The Tangled Leaves of Anniseed

The Tangled Leaves of Anniseed

Tag Archives: Detective

The Devil’s Cave and The Resistance Man by Martin Walker

27 Monday May 2013

Posted by Anniseed in Book Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Crime, Detective, Murder, Mystery

The lovely thing about sunny bank holiday weekends, the chance to laze about in the garden with good books! Heaven! Being very far from anywhere exotic however, I chose two books set in rural France, so at least I could imagine I was on a proper holiday while I sipped my cheap French beer. I’d not come across Martin Walker and his fictional detective hero Bruno Courreges before, but found myself thoroughly enjoying these murder mysteries set in the small town of St Denis, and although I’d not read previous escapades it did not detract from the experience.

In The Devil’s Cave, Bruno, chef de police, is charged with solving the mysterious death of a young woman found floating naked and dead in a small boat down the river, with signs that her death may involve sinister rituals. Before long the local press are having a field day invoking rumours of a satanic cult and some of the local people are encouraging the stories in an attempt to increase the tourist trade. Dealing with local politics, including protests about the development of a tourist resort in the town, leads Bruno into a complex case of financial, sexual and historical intrigue, all the while trying to balance his own complicated love life. In The Resistance Man, an antiques dealer is found dead and the prime suspect is linked to a conspiracy harking back to the Second World War, while Bruno has to deal with his own guilt about a previous case of homophobic violence that is far too close to his current assignment.

Bruno is a satisfying protagonist with an interesting past and is given an ongoing story arc with his romantic relationships. He is not as tortured as many modern fictional detectives, and if I have one critical comment it would be that I would have liked more insight into his interior world, to understand what is making him tick (other than food – of which there are many loving descriptions – his dog, and his romantic entanglements!). But there are many hints as to a darker past in his armed forces experience, and this leaves you space to construct his character in your own head. The recurrent members of the cast are painted simply but well, and it evoked a similar feel to Midsomer Murders in that although the details of the crimes are gruesome and shocking, they are not dwelt upon, so reading this series is a pleasurable rather than tortuous experience. There are no graphic descriptions, no overwrought pushing beyond the boundaries of taste, that many modern crime novels resort to in order to terrify and titillate. Instead they’re simply highly readable, well-constructed tales, that you can relax into and enjoy. If you like Henning Mankell’s Wallander novels, or Camilla Lackberg’s Patrick Hedstrom stories, you’ll enjoy Martin Walker’s Bruno novels. And they are perfect reads for sunny Sundays, although be warned, the gratutious descriptions of French cuisine will make you hungry (and jealous!). Rating:***

The Devil’s Cave, Quercus, 2012, ISBN 9781780870700

The Reistance Man, Quercus, 2013, ISBN 9781780870717

Copies of these books were provided by the publisher

The Last Policeman by Ben Winters

19 Sunday May 2013

Posted by Anniseed in Book Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Apocalyptic Fiction, Crime, Detective, Murder, Mystery

Now here’s an intriguing twist in the detective genre! The Last Policeman is Detective Hank Palace, and he’s investigating the suicide of an insurance salesman, which he is convinced is really a murder. But it’s difficult to get anyone to care about his case, as an asteroid is hurtling towards Earth, and there are only six months left for the human race…

This is an unusual novel which in many ways is a straightforward detective story – a dedicated cop, beset by family troubles, surrounded by incompetence, following a case mired in conspiracy and replete with red herrings. But set that in a pre-apocalyptic scenario and it starts to question human nature way beyond the norm – not just “why do people act in such a way?” but also “how would you react to imminent, inescapable doom?”. And characters’ complex reactions to the asteroid are integral to the development of the investigation and the big reveal. Just how would you react – would you go into denial, stay at your post, get high on drink or drugs, join a cult offering salvation? The concept neatly messes with characters’ motivation so you as the reader can take nothing for granted. The rules have subtly, inevitably changed.

I really liked Hank’s character – his single-minded determination to do the right thing, his compassion, his dry perspective. I really, really wanted the resolution to the murder mystery to save the world, but that would be too simple, and as there are two more forthcoming novels about Hank Palace, I fear that he will be staying at his post until the inevitable end of days… The Last Policeman is a very good genre-bending read and I’ll certainly be following gumshoe Hank’s fortunes in the sequels. As for what I’d do if there was six months left – well that would be telling!

Check out the website at http://thelastpoliceman.com/. Rating:***

Quirk Books, 2012, ISBN 9781594745768

Copy provided by the publisher for review

 

The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill

08 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by Anniseed in Book Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Crime, Detective, Families, Murder

Reproduced with kind permission of Vintage

Reproduced with kind permission of Vintage

I seem to be forever recommending Susan Hill to people, either for her wonderful ghost stories or her unusual crime novels. Posters advertising this book are currently plastered all over my local railway station so I hope the commuter population takes note!

I always look forward to the next Simon Serrailler mystery, as much to follow the fortunes of the Serrailler family as to become immersed in the intricate crime story. This latest in the series follows various betrayals of trust at different levels, and Hill invests the domestic plotlines with as much gravitas, care and attention as the murder at the novel’s core.

Serrailler’s life is increasingly complicated and we start to see just how his self-absorption affects those who love him and depend upon him; he is no stereotypical flawed maverick detective, he is simply a flawed human being, and this marks him apart from his peers in the genre. He’s not the easiest protagonist to get to grips with either; he’s elusive and this provokes different reactions in readers who seem to either be intrigued by, or frustrated by, his emotional sleights of hand. Personally I like the ambiguity of his character and the way Hill allows other characters to hold the centre-stage, building Serrailler in a slow but sure reveal.

The theme of this novel is terminal illness, and how different people respond to this emotional trauma; it is genuinely moving and thought-provoking, and builds upon events in previous novels to create a very satisfying episode in the Serrailler saga. Susan Hill’s crime stories stand out for their multi-faceted nature and if you do not normally read this genre, you will be pleasantly surprised by her unique perspective. Hers are stories to take your time with, and savour. Rating: ***

Vintage Books, 2012, ISBN 9780099499343

In The Woods by Tana French

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by Anniseed in Book Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Crime, Detective, Murder

Reproduced with kind permission of Hodder

Reproduced with kind permission of Hodder

One day three children – Peter, Jamie and Adam – go into the woods to play, but only Adam returns, with someone else’s blood in his shoes and no memory of what happened. Years go by and the two missing children are never found; but Adam, going by the name Rob Ryan, is now a police officer, and finds himself back in the woods at Knocknaree, investigating the murder of a young girl whose body has been found at an archaeological dig. Are the cases connected? And will Rob’s connection to the cold case impair his judgement when it most matters?

This is a great murder mystery with four distinct plot strands that French (in her first novel) weaves together skilfully to create a very satisfying story. The tale is told from Rob’s perspective, and he is a convincingly flawed detective. While this may be a stock device within the genre, I was compelled by Rob’s narrative and felt a range of conflicting emotions towards him – empathy, frustration, anger, compassion – which kept me reading and kept me caring what happened. The heart of the book is Rob’s relationship with his detective partner on the Murder Squad, Cassie Maddox. They are the dream team, and the depth and complexity of their friendship is very moving – I really wanted to step into the book at some points and intervene!  The plot itself is resolved with several great twists, and although I felt that the guilty party’s dialogue was a little unconvincing, it didn’t spoil the reveal. It’s certainly a crime story that will haunt me, which is unusual; and I will definitely be reading the sequel. Rating: ****

Hodder, 2007, ISBN 9780340924761

Navigate around The Tangled Leaves

  • AnnisEditorial Services
  • Anniseed’s Attic
  • About Me
  • Policies

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 242 other followers

Anniseed on Twitter

  • RT @DrJessTaylor: How come women need a tonne of evidence, DNA, photos, confession in blood and a full psych assessment when they say they’… 2 days ago
  • RT @whatSFSaid: Words matter. Truth matters. Poetry matters. These things change lives; they change the fate of nations. We saw it today.… 3 days ago
  • RT @whatSFSaid: Books matter. Stories matter. And the stories we tell young people matter most of all. "You’re finding out something as yo… 3 days ago
  • Explaining the inauguration to my 8 yr old and the "swearing in" - she asks "is that when he calls Trump a f*cking… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 days ago
  • RT @whatSFSaid: I really do believe every child can be a reader. Whoever you are, whatever you love, there's a book for you out there. So i… 4 days ago

The Tangled Leaves of Anniseed

Welcome to the world of Anniseed, bibliofiend and librarian, chaos gardener and allotmenteer, who sometimes finds caterpillars in her hair. This is my blog – what I’m reading and what I think about it, plus commentary on the world of books, and occasional rambles into the garden.

Search The Tangled Leaves of Anniseed

Previous Posts

All content ©Tangled Leaves of Anniseed. You can quote me for non-commercial purposes providing you cite your source (proper librarian-stuff there); if in doubt, or for any other use of my content, please e-mail me at jo@anniseed.com. (I’m quite generous towards people who ask nicely.)

Anniseed's Categories

Book News Book Review Campaigning Childrens Book Review Creative writing DVD Review Interview Musings Non-Fiction Publishing Uncategorized Young Adult Fiction Review

Anniseed’s Cloud

1970s Abuse Action Adolescence Adventure Angels Anniseed Apocalyptic Fiction Authors Biography Book trailer Campaigning Campaigns Childhood Children Christianity Classic television Conferences Creative writing Crime Detective Detectives Drugs DVD Dystopia E-readers Events Faery Families Fantasy Friendship Ghosts Graphic Novel Historical Horror Humour Libraries Literary Fiction Love Magic Monsters Murder Mystery Paganism Paranormal Paranormal Romance Politics Prisons Psychological Thriller Public libraries Publishers Publishing Reading Relationships Religion Research Romance Science Fiction Self-Publishing Serial Killers Short stories Supernatural Technology Thriller Tragedy True Crime TV Twenties Vampires Victorians Volunteers War Witchcraft Writing Young Adult Fiction

Anniseed

Anniseed

Anniseed

Bibliofiend, blogger and chaos gardener

View Full Profile →

Parajunkee Design
www.fictionfeedback.co.uk

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy