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mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
1.0
Ach! I was disappointed by the second installment of this series having enjoyed the first Daley novel.
There was some character progression in this book which I enjoyed. The on going saga of Jim and Liz kept me entertained and I liked seeing a more of Scott and his past in this novel. It is the interesting combination of rough upbringing that could have seen him land on either side of the tracks that interests me.
How Jim has made DCI I will never know. How he didn't click what was happening to Liz I will never fathom. Love is blind but holy moly, he seems to be completely oblivious to anything Liz related but to a point where he is just coming across as ridiculously stupid not just cutely naive.
Linked to this is the fact that there was legitimately NO police investigation in this book, it dulled my enjoyment of the series.
In the first book there were murders and the police spoke to people and a loose investigation occurred. But in this book Daley and Scott just sighed and whined about the Return of the JayMac and drank in their office or the pub or any other place they could.
It just felt like they were drinking to have banter and to make fat jokes about Daley but it felt quite forced and I didn't laugh once, whereas in the first book the humor was a bit more naturally occurring in events.
The main plot was set up early on and had impact and drew me in but then it fizzled out. None of the satellite characters to that main plot were likable and because the bulk of the plot was just three middle aged men getting pissed instead of investigating the big events there was just nothing maintaining my interest.
The drinking / banter sessions were interrupted by high octane, blood bath events where people died or got shot at and blown up and all that Tom Cruise stuff, but instead of investigating again Daley and Co went and had another drink or stood about complaining about it all.
I just felt disappointed with this book, the plot should have been thrilling but was too diluted by non-events and that made the big events seem like a dramatic parody. Though I want to know more about both Daley and Scott, I'm not sure if I would go in for the next book because I don't want to wade through bad plots just for the characters.
There was some character progression in this book which I enjoyed. The on going saga of Jim and Liz kept me entertained and I liked seeing a more of Scott and his past in this novel. It is the interesting combination of rough upbringing that could have seen him land on either side of the tracks that interests me.
How Jim has made DCI I will never know. How he didn't click what was happening to Liz I will never fathom. Love is blind but holy moly, he seems to be completely oblivious to anything Liz related but to a point where he is just coming across as ridiculously stupid not just cutely naive.
Linked to this is the fact that there was legitimately NO police investigation in this book, it dulled my enjoyment of the series.
In the first book there were murders and the police spoke to people and a loose investigation occurred. But in this book Daley and Scott just sighed and whined about the Return of the JayMac and drank in their office or the pub or any other place they could.
It just felt like they were drinking to have banter and to make fat jokes about Daley but it felt quite forced and I didn't laugh once, whereas in the first book the humor was a bit more naturally occurring in events.
The main plot was set up early on and had impact and drew me in but then it fizzled out. None of the satellite characters to that main plot were likable and because the bulk of the plot was just three middle aged men getting pissed instead of investigating the big events there was just nothing maintaining my interest.
The drinking / banter sessions were interrupted by high octane, blood bath events where people died or got shot at and blown up and all that Tom Cruise stuff, but instead of investigating again Daley and Co went and had another drink or stood about complaining about it all.
I just felt disappointed with this book, the plot should have been thrilling but was too diluted by non-events and that made the big events seem like a dramatic parody. Though I want to know more about both Daley and Scott, I'm not sure if I would go in for the next book because I don't want to wade through bad plots just for the characters.
lavins's review against another edition
5.0
There are so many things I love about this book series.
I love the characters,
I love the setting (Scotland),
I love the English, dry, extremely sarcastic humour,
I love how much they swear,
I love how humane the characters are described, the link between them, their powerful relationships, their strengths and weaknesses
I love the story, the mystery
I love the action
I can hardly wait to listen to the next one.
I love the characters,
I love the setting (Scotland),
I love the English, dry, extremely sarcastic humour,
I love how much they swear,
I love how humane the characters are described, the link between them, their powerful relationships, their strengths and weaknesses
I love the story, the mystery
I love the action
I can hardly wait to listen to the next one.
lrayner's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
4.0
There's something about the accents of some narrators that just make things so easy to listen to and David Monteath is doing a terrific job with the DCI Jim Daley series. There's enough wry, dry humour here, alongside some reasonably gritty plot lines to keep the reader engaged, although the series does have a hefty dose of the personal as well if you're a fan of that sort of thing. Daley has a complicated sort of a lovelife with a wife he doesn't exactly trust, a new position in a small Scottish town (introduced in book 1 in the series: Whisky From Small Glasses and a surprisingly active Scottish gangster population surrounding him.
Another one of those quintessentially Scottish sounding audible books - perfect for listening to over an extended period of time.
Another one of those quintessentially Scottish sounding audible books - perfect for listening to over an extended period of time.
dmalexander's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
dabrit's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent book, fantastically read by a consummate narrator. The story is pacy and interesting, the twists not obvious and overall throughly recommended
csdaley's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book and am all in on the series. I bought and read the first book when I was in Scotland a few years ago but I will be reading the third book right away.
jonathanrobert's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0