gettygirl's review against another edition
3.0
Although the prose is occasionally less than polished, the plot provides all the thrills and scares that Luther fan would want.
georgina_bawden's review against another edition
3.0
a very solid thriller and fun to get Luther's back story. Cross is great at quick characterisation, making you love people he introduces five seconds before he horribly murders them. Some of the violence is quite graphic, even for me, and I couldn't stomach all the animal cruelty. Also lots of threads set up for the series and necessarily left dangling, which I appreciated (back story to the show, which I love) but did make the book a little unsatisfying.
thegeekyblogger's review against another edition
4.0
Listened for Review
Overall Rating 4.25
Story Rating 4.00
Character Rating 4.50
Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
Overall Thoughts: Luther is an excellent book (or prequel to the TV Series) for anyone who likes gritty thrillers from England! I listened to this one twice because I originally thought they had combined characters in the book (thought it was a continuation not a prequel). They didn't--this is a prequel!
Overall Rating 4.25
Story Rating 4.00
Character Rating 4.50
Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
Overall Thoughts: Luther is an excellent book (or prequel to the TV Series) for anyone who likes gritty thrillers from England! I listened to this one twice because I originally thought they had combined characters in the book (thought it was a continuation not a prequel). They didn't--this is a prequel!
rhonaea's review against another edition
4.0
Like other reviewers I was a fan of the tv series and Idris Elba. I don't think I've come across a book before that was a tv series first and a book followed which was a prequel. However, with the strong yet flawed character of John Luther firmly fixed in my head I really enjoyed getting to grips with his past. Excellent stuff from Neil Cross, if you can stomach the gruesome scenes. I don't think I could bear to visual this on a screen but it was. Ripping read for fans of dark,distressing Scando-style crime.
indianajane's review against another edition
4.0
I'm having a really hard time coming up with a rating for this one. Luther is a very compelling character and the story itself was good, but the language and violence felt gratuitous at times.
kbekah87_xox's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bethh1352's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is a great page turner, but it is far too dark and disturbing which is why I took off a star. The show itself is very dark and this is about 100X worse. Despite the fact that it's well written, except for a distracting subplot, I won't be reading any more from this series.
If you can deal with repeated animal cruelty and animal murder, a full discussion on pedophilia, and terrorizing and beating an old man to name just a few things, then this book is for you.
If you can deal with repeated animal cruelty and animal murder, a full discussion on pedophilia, and terrorizing and beating an old man to name just a few things, then this book is for you.
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 stars. Perhaps the most flawed hero I have encountered in the mystery/thriller genre. Excellent book.
david_agranoff's review
5.0
Based on one of my favorite TV shows ever, this excellent prequel perfectly sets up the show. Must read for fans of the show.Full review coming.
iffer's review against another edition
4.0
In full disclosure, I haven't watch the TV series "Luther" yet, although it's been on my to-watch list for quite a while. I just went ahead and read this, since I heard that it was a prequel to the TV series, and I was in the mood for it :)
I enjoyed this quite a bit, although I think that I would've enjoyed it more, had I seen some TV episodes and was more sensitive to the characters, especially Luther. This isn't a light-hearted crime novel, and there is a lot of ugliness portrayed, not only of the main murderer, or even all of the criminals involved, but also of the police department and Luther himself. Neil Cross's characterization is excellent, and I often found myself disgusted by the the people and crimes portrayed, as well as sympathy for Luther's unraveling career, marriage, and emotional stability.
I enjoyed this quite a bit, although I think that I would've enjoyed it more, had I seen some TV episodes and was more sensitive to the characters, especially Luther. This isn't a light-hearted crime novel, and there is a lot of ugliness portrayed, not only of the main murderer, or even all of the criminals involved, but also of the police department and Luther himself. Neil Cross's characterization is excellent, and I often found myself disgusted by the the people and crimes portrayed, as well as sympathy for Luther's unraveling career, marriage, and emotional stability.