Scan barcode
coppercrane2's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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
2.75
cath_a's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
4.0
DI Jemima Huxley is put in charge of an investigation in which bodies of young women are found buried a wooded area of a large, private estate. Jemima must try to put aside her personal problems to solve this baffling case.
“Revenge” is an unusual book that is hard to characterize. A lot of it flows like a police procedural, and I really enjoyed that element of the book. Sometimes I could picture myself in the police station along with Jemima, her partner Dan Broadbent, and the rest of the team reviewing evidence and following up on leads. However, the book is a little darker and more complex than the typical procedural. Jemima is smart, ambitious, but her unsuccessful attempts at becoming pregnant have left her deeply troubled. I was shocked the first time I read the details of her self-harming behavior. Surprisingly, she gained insight into her own situation during an interrogation, so hopefully this will lead her to get help before it affects her personal life or career any further.
The plot of the murder is also unusual. Those up on their Greek mythology may do better, but I was astonished when the killer and the motive were revealed. Without revealing anything, I couldn’t have guessed it because my mind wasn’t even going down that path. It was dark, but very clever and well-written. Since the description of the book says “Book One” and because of how the book ends, I assume there will be a follow-up book. I hope so because I am eager to see how things progress for Jemima and seeing her lead up another investigation.
I received this book through the courtesy of Sapere Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
“Revenge” is an unusual book that is hard to characterize. A lot of it flows like a police procedural, and I really enjoyed that element of the book. Sometimes I could picture myself in the police station along with Jemima, her partner Dan Broadbent, and the rest of the team reviewing evidence and following up on leads. However, the book is a little darker and more complex than the typical procedural. Jemima is smart, ambitious, but her unsuccessful attempts at becoming pregnant have left her deeply troubled. I was shocked the first time I read the details of her self-harming behavior. Surprisingly, she gained insight into her own situation during an interrogation, so hopefully this will lead her to get help before it affects her personal life or career any further.
The plot of the murder is also unusual. Those up on their Greek mythology may do better, but I was astonished when the killer and the motive were revealed. Without revealing anything, I couldn’t have guessed it because my mind wasn’t even going down that path. It was dark, but very clever and well-written. Since the description of the book says “Book One” and because of how the book ends, I assume there will be a follow-up book. I hope so because I am eager to see how things progress for Jemima and seeing her lead up another investigation.
I received this book through the courtesy of Sapere Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
maz403's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was a well written book with characters who will develop over time. I did enjoy it but found the premise as to who had committed the murders just a little far fetched and outlandish.
I would read more in the series to see how the human side of the detectives evolves and changes.
msammons's review
dark
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
vesper1931's review
It seems to be all about Di Huxley's failure to get pregnant. I just gave up with boredom at 5%
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
4.0
Oh what a tangled web......wait! Wrong classical reference. When the police start uncovering dead bodies on the acreage of the wealthiest family in the area, DI Jemima Huxley has to put her personal issues aside to figure out what is going on. As the first book in a new series, a lot of time is spent on character background building. For DI Huxley, this includes issues with infertility, which of course meant that everyone around her seemed to be pregnant or have a newborn. This seemed to be a bit too much along with Huxley's constant obsessing on it. I hope this doesn't carry through so strongly to the rest of the series. Otherwise, it was a very interesting case and I enjoyed reading how the DI figured out who did it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
moosmoo's review against another edition
4.0
We meet Jemima in this first novel in the series. We learn quickly that she has a lot of issues and flaws and constantly seems conflicted.
She is thrown into a violent investigation where several bodies have shown up on a private estate. Jemima seems to have a good relationship with her partner and together they go through the motions of investigating what’s happened. I found Jemima to be very no nonsense but her inner monologue would show her to be actually be quite insecure with her life.
The murders are brutal and sadistic with several strange details which leave the reader scratching their heads- (pomegranate seeds?!) I do enjoy a typical whodunnit style book though so this was up my street!
Everything in this book seems so well presented and predictable until about half way through when there is a twist which I did not see coming at all!
The ending of the book was a real surprise and one I did not see coming! If you like mysteries and unpredictable endings then this one is definitely for you!
She is thrown into a violent investigation where several bodies have shown up on a private estate. Jemima seems to have a good relationship with her partner and together they go through the motions of investigating what’s happened. I found Jemima to be very no nonsense but her inner monologue would show her to be actually be quite insecure with her life.
The murders are brutal and sadistic with several strange details which leave the reader scratching their heads- (pomegranate seeds?!) I do enjoy a typical whodunnit style book though so this was up my street!
Everything in this book seems so well presented and predictable until about half way through when there is a twist which I did not see coming at all!
The ending of the book was a real surprise and one I did not see coming! If you like mysteries and unpredictable endings then this one is definitely for you!
charf47's review against another edition
3.0
Revenge is a gripping and suspenseful tale with unexpected twists along the way. It is well written and I was intrigued by the storyline. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. However, I found that the characters were not well-developed enough for me to really come to grips with - even Jemima Huxley, the central figure of this series. I hope that future books in this series provide more in-depth characterisation, which will allow me to get to know and relate better to the protagonists. Thanks to Sapere Books and the Author for the ARC.
kaz_loves_books's review against another edition
5.0
This is the debut novel by Gaynor Torrence called Revenge. Its set out in rural Wales, not too far from Llanishen. We meet DI Jemima Huxley and DS Dan Broadbent, in a heatwave in early May.
There has been a report of a dead body in the woods out at Llys Faen Hall. Jemima got the call from her boss early one morning and was told to pick her DS up on the way. When they arrived at the hall, the scene was already marked off and the forensic officers were hard at work. Part of a corpse was visible. They were told not to go any closer, as two bodies had been found so far and the area was still being searched. Jemima decided to head to the hall and speak to the Tremaines who lived there. Their dog had found the body originally and they had called the police. Other then that they knew nothing about it as their grounds were huge and the woods were away from the house. They didn’t usually walk there. It was to get away from the smell from the fields more than anything.
They didn’t know of anyone who could hold a grudge against them. Mrs Tremaine helped out at a women’s refuge but it wasn’t widely known. Mr Tremaine has diversified the business his dad started in the brewing industry to include restaurants and hotels. They were a private couple. The couple could not really help the police with their enquiries.
The postmortem gave the team some ideas to work on as the first corpse had a tattoo so that might help identity her, along with good dental work. Jemima worked her own theory to see if there was a ritualistic theme possible. What could the motive have been? Why these girls? Where had they been killed? Why leave them there? Do they have a serial killer on their patch? Are they still active?
Along with working this case, Jemima was desperate for a baby and when the emotions got too much, she started hurting herself. Her husband Nick seemed oblivious to how she feels as she hasn’t found the right moment to speak to him, they both lead busy lives. She was struggling with the heat and he seems immune to how she was feeling. What can she do?
This was a brilliant read, fantastic plot and story. Well written and thought out. I found it very hard to put down as I wanted to know what was going to happen next! I am already looking forward to the next DI Jemima Huxley book, can’t wait!
There has been a report of a dead body in the woods out at Llys Faen Hall. Jemima got the call from her boss early one morning and was told to pick her DS up on the way. When they arrived at the hall, the scene was already marked off and the forensic officers were hard at work. Part of a corpse was visible. They were told not to go any closer, as two bodies had been found so far and the area was still being searched. Jemima decided to head to the hall and speak to the Tremaines who lived there. Their dog had found the body originally and they had called the police. Other then that they knew nothing about it as their grounds were huge and the woods were away from the house. They didn’t usually walk there. It was to get away from the smell from the fields more than anything.
They didn’t know of anyone who could hold a grudge against them. Mrs Tremaine helped out at a women’s refuge but it wasn’t widely known. Mr Tremaine has diversified the business his dad started in the brewing industry to include restaurants and hotels. They were a private couple. The couple could not really help the police with their enquiries.
The postmortem gave the team some ideas to work on as the first corpse had a tattoo so that might help identity her, along with good dental work. Jemima worked her own theory to see if there was a ritualistic theme possible. What could the motive have been? Why these girls? Where had they been killed? Why leave them there? Do they have a serial killer on their patch? Are they still active?
Along with working this case, Jemima was desperate for a baby and when the emotions got too much, she started hurting herself. Her husband Nick seemed oblivious to how she feels as she hasn’t found the right moment to speak to him, they both lead busy lives. She was struggling with the heat and he seems immune to how she was feeling. What can she do?
This was a brilliant read, fantastic plot and story. Well written and thought out. I found it very hard to put down as I wanted to know what was going to happen next! I am already looking forward to the next DI Jemima Huxley book, can’t wait!
More...