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howevernot's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It's a solid book about the legacy of slavery in America and ongoing legacies of racism. However the book can only glance at the fact that American policing is deeply and systematically entrenched in racism. The narrative and characters are also clearly deeply inspired by True Detective season 1. It's competently written and decently compelling tho.
sensitivemuse's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mokey81's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
So. Many. Detective/cop cliches! Good heavens I can’t believe the editor was ok with them. I was one cliche away from detective/coo cliche bingo!
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I really liked this one, but the supernatural elements dinged it a bit for me. Still, the writing style is so engaging, and I really liked the characters. Definitely want to check out the next installment.
I really liked this one, but the supernatural elements dinged it a bit for me. Still, the writing style is so engaging, and I really liked the characters. Definitely want to check out the next installment.
abbeyhar103's review against another edition
1.0
This was truly awful. I only finished it because for the first half I was like “the writing is pretty bad but is his first book and I’m still interested in seeing the mystery solved” and then it went downhill from there..:
rozlev's review against another edition
4.0
This is the author's first novel and I liked everything about it. Hope it's the start of a series.
emckeon1002's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, John McMahon has got it. A grieving cop, a gothic Georgia setting, ancient prejudices and a pattern of horrible murders. McMahon grabs you from page one.
popcorndiva's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars
This was a surprisingly good detective novel. What it lacks in originality, it certainly makes up for with believability and good writing.
The Good Detective follows troubled detective P.T. Marsh through a series of crimes. The story begins with a bit of a bang- P.T. Marsh may or may not be the murderer in the latest murder investigation he and his partner are sent to investigate. To make matters worse, his drinking problem has gotten completely out of hand and another brutal, sinister murder occurs that brings to light some horrible secrets of the town’s past.
This isn’t the most original novel. The twists were no surprise and none of the characters were unique or different. However, this novel was very well written, especially considering it was the author’s debut novel. There are certainly several common tropes used, but I didn’t mind them since I was so interested in how the story would unfold.
The characters are mostly forgettable, but I do enjoy P.T. Marsh’s character. He’s got a bit of charm about him and I really love that his dog “talks” to him. His partner was also an okay character and the author did a good job having several scenes that showcase their friendship, but I do wish she had been developed or involved in the story a bit more. I do love the bad guys in this novel. There were very believable motives for all the crimes committed and that really matters for me in a book like this.
The storyline was fairly straightforward. Most of the twists and reveals you can guess if you read a decent amount of detective books or watch a lot of detective shows. However, even though I knew what may be coming next, I still wanted to read it. The author has a really easy to read writing style that made this book such a breeze to get through. There was the perfect amount of details, clues, and build up so I never felt bored. This book also had no “fluff.” Every scene in the book served a purpose- whether that was character development or plot progression. There was no unnecessary romance or disconnected scenes. It really reads like a screenplay for a movie.
Overall, this is a good book. The avid detective reader may not find anything exceptionally unique here, but it is always nice to read a well written detective book since there are just so many bad ones out there. I’d really like to read more from this author- I think he has great potential and I really look forward to seeing what lies ahead for P.T. Marsh.
This was a surprisingly good detective novel. What it lacks in originality, it certainly makes up for with believability and good writing.
The Good Detective follows troubled detective P.T. Marsh through a series of crimes. The story begins with a bit of a bang- P.T. Marsh may or may not be the murderer in the latest murder investigation he and his partner are sent to investigate. To make matters worse, his drinking problem has gotten completely out of hand and another brutal, sinister murder occurs that brings to light some horrible secrets of the town’s past.
This isn’t the most original novel. The twists were no surprise and none of the characters were unique or different. However, this novel was very well written, especially considering it was the author’s debut novel. There are certainly several common tropes used, but I didn’t mind them since I was so interested in how the story would unfold.
The characters are mostly forgettable, but I do enjoy P.T. Marsh’s character. He’s got a bit of charm about him and I really love that his dog “talks” to him. His partner was also an okay character and the author did a good job having several scenes that showcase their friendship, but I do wish she had been developed or involved in the story a bit more. I do love the bad guys in this novel. There were very believable motives for all the crimes committed and that really matters for me in a book like this.
The storyline was fairly straightforward. Most of the twists and reveals you can guess if you read a decent amount of detective books or watch a lot of detective shows. However, even though I knew what may be coming next, I still wanted to read it. The author has a really easy to read writing style that made this book such a breeze to get through. There was the perfect amount of details, clues, and build up so I never felt bored. This book also had no “fluff.” Every scene in the book served a purpose- whether that was character development or plot progression. There was no unnecessary romance or disconnected scenes. It really reads like a screenplay for a movie.
Overall, this is a good book. The avid detective reader may not find anything exceptionally unique here, but it is always nice to read a well written detective book since there are just so many bad ones out there. I’d really like to read more from this author- I think he has great potential and I really look forward to seeing what lies ahead for P.T. Marsh.