Reviews

Kick Back by Val McDermid

Only show reviews with written explanations

burrowsi1's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

basha's review against another edition

Go to review page

1.0

So boring. Outdated and insensitive in its handling of disability and transgender characters. And boring.

tamagon's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I had an inkling while I was reading the book, and so I did some digging once I finished and found that the book is older than I am! It certainly shows it in some parts, with the way the main protag talks about mobile phones, and an entire arc with computers and obtaining legal documents.. The prose also reads like one of the author's first books, but it's impressive how she's managed to portray a strong, female protagonist, who's skilled, highly functional and gets by most of the time on her own. It's also refreshing to have a thriller based entirely around two cases of fraud nicely intertwined through the course of the book.. There's a murder (spoilers), but it only happens more than halfway in, and it's tied to the original fraud plot.. I'd give this a very high 4/5, the prose gave off the impression that it was trying to be flowery, like someone was trying to write like say, Wodehouse would, but it didn't detract from my experience - I just imagined Kate, the character chooses to write her reports that way...

Thanks again to the British Council - this book is a part of the curated collection for their Digital Library Reading Marathon June 2024, I've been discovering so many amazing authors and genres that way!!!

harriet_r_b62's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny informative tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

peter_gagne's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Even though you can tell by the writing that this is an "early" Val McDermid novel, not as polished and intricate as some of her later work, it's still very good. It's also refreshing not to have a murder as the central point of the novel.