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bioniclib's review against another edition
4.0
Another book I had a lot to say about. Which means my review is on my here.
ljm57's review against another edition
3.0
First in the series featuring private investigator, Caleb Zelic, a character a bit out of the norm because of his deafness so his interactions rely on lip reading, studying people’s expressions and body language, as well as his hearing aids. His partner is ex-cop and recovering alcoholic, Frankie, a hard-nosed woman in her 50s. The story opens with Caleb receiving an urgent text message from a friend, and serving police officer, that he is in trouble and needs help immediately. Caleb arrives, only to find Gary’s mutilated body, the victim of an execution style hit. As Gary had been doing some work on the side to help Caleb in his inquiries, Caleb and Frankie set out to find Gary’s murderer. But this opens a whole can of worms that puts both their lives in danger, as well as that of their loved ones. An enjoyable Aussie crime fiction.
mysteriesandhistories's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Aussie crime that focuses on a private investigator who’s been deaf since childhood. Not a particularly strong sense of place (Melbourne) but a pretty good thriller/mystery.
jrmarr's review against another edition
4.0
I wish I could remember who recommended this book to me, as I'd dearly love to thank them. Everything I love in a good crime novel: interesting protagonist; Melbourne setting; compelling reading that kept me guessing. This is apparently the first in a series, and I really hope it is. I would definitely read more from this author.
joreads7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
j3rkin's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
ayami's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook read by Lewis Fitz-Gerald (The narration pace was smooth and the audio was well edited - no sounds of swallowing, inhaling etc.)
I can see why this crime/thriller got so many awards in Australia.
1. The protagonist is interesting. Caleb is a private investigator, what is not always easy for him, as he is also deaf and manages his interactions with other people by reading lips. I enjoyed how we got to see the events from his perspective, his struggle and frustrations. He also gets a nice arc within the book - by the end he will become less proud and bitter than he was in the beginning. He will even consider therapy (even though “he is a man and men don’t need therapy”). Quite satisfying.
2. There’s a lot of strong and interesting female characters with agency. Caleb’s partner, Frankie, is a recovering addict in her 50s. Caleb’s ex-wife is an Aboriginal Australian woman still recovering from her miscarriages. We get to spend plenty of time with both women and they are fully realized, three dimensional characters. Nice!
3. None of the characters are black-and-white. They all have their flaws, they are still working through their problems, they all have their past. They are all believable. Promising!
Unfortunately, no amount of exceptional characters can save the non-existing plot.
The stakes are very high from the very beginning, people are dying left and right (brutally murdered!), but, and here is the problem for me, our protagonist hardly does any “detecting” at all. He is basically stumbling from one life-threatening event to the next, while losing his phone, looking for his phone, looking at phone records, thinking about phone messages, discovering important evidence on his phone, losing his phone charger and, finally, sending a life-saving phone message. By the end, after suffering through all this phone-related drama I really did not care about the twist, about who the bad guys and their motivations were or anything else case-related. Which is a shame, because “the case” and who/why/how is usually what I enjoy the most in a crime novel.
It turns out a book can be both too exciting and too boring at the same time. Won’t be continuing with the series.
I can see why this crime/thriller got so many awards in Australia.
1. The protagonist is interesting. Caleb is a private investigator, what is not always easy for him, as he is also deaf and manages his interactions with other people by reading lips. I enjoyed how we got to see the events from his perspective, his struggle and frustrations. He also gets a nice arc within the book - by the end he will become less proud and bitter than he was in the beginning. He will even consider therapy (even though “he is a man and men don’t need therapy”). Quite satisfying.
2. There’s a lot of strong and interesting female characters with agency. Caleb’s partner, Frankie, is a recovering addict in her 50s. Caleb’s ex-wife is an Aboriginal Australian woman still recovering from her miscarriages. We get to spend plenty of time with both women and they are fully realized, three dimensional characters. Nice!
3. None of the characters are black-and-white. They all have their flaws, they are still working through their problems, they all have their past. They are all believable. Promising!
Unfortunately, no amount of exceptional characters can save the non-existing plot.
The stakes are very high from the very beginning, people are dying left and right (brutally murdered!), but, and here is the problem for me, our protagonist hardly does any “detecting” at all. He is basically stumbling from one life-threatening event to the next, while losing his phone, looking for his phone, looking at phone records, thinking about phone messages, discovering important evidence on his phone, losing his phone charger and, finally, sending a life-saving phone message. By the end, after suffering through all this phone-related drama I really did not care about the twist, about who the bad guys and their motivations were or anything else case-related. Which is a shame, because “the case” and who/why/how is usually what I enjoy the most in a crime novel.
It turns out a book can be both too exciting and too boring at the same time. Won’t be continuing with the series.