Reviews

Karanténa by Peter May

zoer03's review against another edition

Sorry I cannot rate this book because I found it stupid.... unbelievable and just absolutely mad and awful. It doesn’t make sense and i actually think the publishers were right to stop the publication of it in the first place... it’s utter trash.

mindthebook's review against another edition

2.0

Mer lockdown lit kan det inte bli. Det är helt klart spännande att se hur författaren för 15 år sedan föreställde sig livet i London under en pandemi.

Många saker stämmer med verkligheten 2020; hårt belastad sjukvård, premiärministern själv drabbad, kusligt öde gator och t.o.m. "curfew", även om det gällt restauranger och barer och inte Londonborna själva. Men så mörkt som arméspärrar, nattliga plundringar i ett laglöst och postapokalyptiskt urbant landskap eller att Battersea Power Station åter skulle satts i bruk som krematorium, så har det inte blivit.

Det blir återigen tydligt att det här inte är min genre. Som om ovanstående inte är skrämmande nog fläskas det på med mordintrig, avrättningar, James Bond-skurkar, osannolika uppgörelser (titta, där ligger en motorbåt för två vi kan tjuvkoppla!) och bestialiska detaljer. Negatively Da Vinci-koden :esque.

shanomc's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

beanieb00ks's review against another edition

3.0

So I finally took the plunge! I’ve been debating this one for a while and whether it cuts a bit close to home. You could say it would have been possible with Covid happening and my partner working in Pharma. But I was pleased it mainly focused on the victim. The book was an easy read and you kept turning the page but I think it could have been a lot more then it was. 3.5

ukangelaw's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

3.25

This book was written years before the Covid-19 global pandemic but was mothballed due to lack of publisher interest. I was really excited to read it but I forgot how much I dislike Peter May's writing style. This could have been a really captivating book written by someone else. It did capture how dark, depressing and hopeless we felt during lockdown though.

livres_de_bloss's review against another edition

2.0

1.5

This book is laughably bad.

It’s over-the-top ridiculous, sloppy, and has a host of cardboard stereotypical characters.

alicia_meg11's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

kfenwick59's review against another edition

4.0

Bought this as a relatable book during the Covid-19 lockdown, and found it was truly an enjoyable crime thriller on its own... And the virus aspect simply made it much more interesting and relatable at this time making it a thoroughly enjoyable book. Great writing enables a good connection to the characters for the short book it is, even the more unsavoury characters you can empathise and find likeable in some ways.

A great little read.

tarsel's review against another edition

challenging dark sad

3.5

High body count, fast paced, a film in a book. Unfortunately, as it's a book, it's harder to ignore the discrepancies and ridiculousness of the plot, but it's entertaining nonetheless.

jimbowen0306's review against another edition

3.0

Okay, just a little predictable maybe?

This book is fine, I guess. It is set in a London In lockdown after a flu like virus, with a high mortality rate is ripping through the population.

A body is found in the foundations of a new hospital/morgue. The investigator has a day before retiring (he’s divorcing, and wants to see his son a bit more). He’s a keen guy, so doggedly working it though (and solves the case). Along the way, he has to deal with London in lockdown.

The book is billed as “predicting a world in quarantine”. It predicted it badly. The author deals with the issues the author invents well enough. It’s just the book is a weird mix of daft, and predictable. The author indicated that he had difficulty getting this stand-alone book published. With its mix of deftness, unbelievablity, and predictability, I’m not surprised.