lomas's review against another edition
3.0
3. 5 stars
You might think that now is not the time to be reading about London in lockdown and global pandemics.... but the story is safe in Mays hands.
He luckily tells a story that is so far from where we're at that I just got lost in it.
Jack the main character is a driven man,and on his last day as a police officer is determined to find who murdered a young girl.
Ther is action a plenty in this,and some grisly stuff ,there's also a great double act forming towards the end of the book.
Set to a backdrop of a London in turmoil,I raced along with the characters and was more than happy with the conclusion.
You might think that now is not the time to be reading about London in lockdown and global pandemics.... but the story is safe in Mays hands.
He luckily tells a story that is so far from where we're at that I just got lost in it.
Jack the main character is a driven man,and on his last day as a police officer is determined to find who murdered a young girl.
Ther is action a plenty in this,and some grisly stuff ,there's also a great double act forming towards the end of the book.
Set to a backdrop of a London in turmoil,I raced along with the characters and was more than happy with the conclusion.
lucy_12's review
1.0
Oh wow. So bad.
A slowwww story full of boring extraneous detail, tired tropes and offensive stereotypes. And so. Many. Similes. Scattered through it like so many currants in a Christmas cake, aiming to add flavour and texture but only succeeding in rendering it unpalatable.
First written in 2005 and rejected by publishers because “the idea of a pandemic was too far-fetched” (sugarcoating much?), it is so highly offensive to almost every sector of society that I wonder if anyone in 2020 actually glanced through it before cashing in.
That said, I did enjoy the final sentence (and not just because it meant my ordeal was over!)
A slowwww story full of boring extraneous detail, tired tropes and offensive stereotypes. And so. Many. Similes. Scattered through it like so many currants in a Christmas cake, aiming to add flavour and texture but only succeeding in rendering it unpalatable.
First written in 2005 and rejected by publishers because “the idea of a pandemic was too far-fetched” (sugarcoating much?), it is so highly offensive to almost every sector of society that I wonder if anyone in 2020 actually glanced through it before cashing in.
That said, I did enjoy the final sentence (and not just because it meant my ordeal was over!)
mrsruthiewebb's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to get into this one. Or more it was a stop-start read for me. The first couple of chapters gripped me but then I felt it went off a bit. The plot had got my interest though so I kept going and was rewarded as the pace picked up. Amazingly the whole book takes place in just one day/night.
One thing that did irk me a little was the way lots would be revealed at once, almost as if the author suddenly remembered there were particular details that needed to be shared.
Also the ending was somewhat OTT. I didn’t like being left hanging (literally!) and I don’t feel I had the resolution needed.
Really interesting setting in a pandemic and the scenes where they talked of empty playgrounds and children passing on the flu to others made me shudder. Fact can be stranger than fiction, although I wish it weren’t!
One thing that did irk me a little was the way lots would be revealed at once, almost as if the author suddenly remembered there were particular details that needed to be shared.
Also the ending was somewhat OTT. I didn’t like being left hanging (literally!) and I don’t feel I had the resolution needed.
Really interesting setting in a pandemic and the scenes where they talked of empty playgrounds and children passing on the flu to others made me shudder. Fact can be stranger than fiction, although I wish it weren’t!
natalier3's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure how advisable it is for someone to read about a global pandemic when you're in lockdown from a global pandemic. Alas, Netgalley needed my review!
Thankfully, the pandemic parts of the novel were brief yet really informative, and helped me to understand the reality of the world's plight.
Overall, a quick and enjoyable read.
Thankfully, the pandemic parts of the novel were brief yet really informative, and helped me to understand the reality of the world's plight.
Overall, a quick and enjoyable read.
ruaanvanzyl's review
4.0
Was a good book. Ending somewhat open and disappointing, but still a good read.
harmonyln7's review against another edition
5.0
Although not something I would normally read, I wanted to keep reading this. A very well-researched book and with a good amount of accuracy.
The book follows the main character, a detective inspector, through his last day in the job, where he and his colleagues have a murder to solve. This goes on while London is in severe lockdown to a flu virus. The said virus is what kills his own son, but still the DI continues the investigation.
The book follows the main character, a detective inspector, through his last day in the job, where he and his colleagues have a murder to solve. This goes on while London is in severe lockdown to a flu virus. The said virus is what kills his own son, but still the DI continues the investigation.
snakeivy's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
laurencehebberd's review against another edition
3.0
Don’t get me wrong - it’s a good book, but the story is quite simple, and the twist isn’t anything groundbreaking. It’s very relevant for the current time, and an enjoyable read to pass the time in lockdown!
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘It was a little like a jigsaw puzzle, putting a person back together.’
London is in lockdown, in the grip of an influenza pandemic. Twenty-five percent of the population is expected to catch the virus, and between seventy and eighty percent of those who catch it will die. Martial law has been imposed. The Prime Minister dies from the virus and other family members are in hospital. Health and emergency services are overwhelmed: a new temporary hospital is being built. And then, just as the concrete pour is about to start, construction workers find a bag which contains human bones.
Detective Inspector Jack MacNeil has just started working his last day before resigning from the Metropolitan Police. He is sent to investigate the case. Who did these bones belong to? Why were they killed? And why is someone working so hard to prevent the bones being identified? While DI MacNeil investigates this case, his own family is struck by tragedy.
There’s plenty of dramatic tension in this novel and some thoroughly despicable bad guys. Mr May wrote this novel fifteen years ago: it wasn’t published then because it was considered unrealistic. Hmm.
I have mixed feelings about the novel. On one hand, the description of violence and civil disorder is uncomfortable accurate and there’s plenty of fertile ground for the development of conspiracy theories in relation to pandemics. But there are a couple of aspects that I didn’t like. Still, I read the novel in one day because I really needed to know how it would end.
If thrillers set in pandemics are of interest to you, you may enjoy this. I much prefer Mr May’s ‘Lewis Trilogy’.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
London is in lockdown, in the grip of an influenza pandemic. Twenty-five percent of the population is expected to catch the virus, and between seventy and eighty percent of those who catch it will die. Martial law has been imposed. The Prime Minister dies from the virus and other family members are in hospital. Health and emergency services are overwhelmed: a new temporary hospital is being built. And then, just as the concrete pour is about to start, construction workers find a bag which contains human bones.
Detective Inspector Jack MacNeil has just started working his last day before resigning from the Metropolitan Police. He is sent to investigate the case. Who did these bones belong to? Why were they killed? And why is someone working so hard to prevent the bones being identified? While DI MacNeil investigates this case, his own family is struck by tragedy.
There’s plenty of dramatic tension in this novel and some thoroughly despicable bad guys. Mr May wrote this novel fifteen years ago: it wasn’t published then because it was considered unrealistic. Hmm.
I have mixed feelings about the novel. On one hand, the description of violence and civil disorder is uncomfortable accurate and there’s plenty of fertile ground for the development of conspiracy theories in relation to pandemics. But there are a couple of aspects that I didn’t like. Still, I read the novel in one day because I really needed to know how it would end.
If thrillers set in pandemics are of interest to you, you may enjoy this. I much prefer Mr May’s ‘Lewis Trilogy’.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith