yvnn's review against another edition
4.0
Written very well. Gillard is an interesting protagonist and the storyline was great. Even though you can guess the outcome halfway into the book, I still liked it. Glad I found the Gillard series!
mumubee's review against another edition
3.0
Good book. Grabbed me straight away but then I could see the end coming a mile, the predictability of the end spoilt it a bit. Trying book 2 in the hope it won't be so predictable.
deniqd's review against another edition
4.0
This was quite a good story, with a surprising twist. I liked it was based in Guildford, as I lived there, but I got quite irritated at the author because of all the 'female manager', 'male journalist', 'female police officer'... I understand this may be necessary in some cases, but not in ALL of them! Oh, and 'unmarked car'... Every. Single. Time
usbsticky's review
4.0
First time trying this series and pleasantly surprised. Spoilers ahead.
The writing is easy to read and follow and I got into the book right away. The wife (Liz) of a famous academic (Martin Knight) from the London School of Economics is missing and all indications are that she was murdered by him due to bickering about his adultery. The issue is further confused by the fact that the protagonist (Gillard) dated her briefly 30 years ago and never got over it. Problem 1: why wasn't he recused from the case?
However I was able ignore that little problem because the writing was pretty good. The author did a good job of fleshing out the characters and making them interesting and making me want to follow them. The other problem was that pretty much every reader should have figured out the real killer once the massive clues appeared and that kept piling up. Surely the entire Surrey department can't be that thick? At some point surely even a DC on their first day on the job should have figured it out. And lastly, the killer just piled the clues on too thick - should have remembered the "more is less" saying. There were also a few loose ends not tied up but not a big deal.
I was almost tempted to just skip to the reveal because of that. But I have to admit, the ending was pretty good. So, overall writing that was easy to read and follow and pleasant characters with a plot that was a bit holey. I enjoyed it though so I'm on book two now.
The writing is easy to read and follow and I got into the book right away. The wife (Liz) of a famous academic (Martin Knight) from the London School of Economics is missing and all indications are that she was murdered by him due to bickering about his adultery. The issue is further confused by the fact that the protagonist (Gillard) dated her briefly 30 years ago and never got over it. Problem 1: why wasn't he recused from the case?
However I was able ignore that little problem because the writing was pretty good. The author did a good job of fleshing out the characters and making them interesting and making me want to follow them. The other problem was that pretty much every reader should have figured out the real killer once the massive clues appeared and that kept piling up. Surely the entire Surrey department can't be that thick? At some point surely even a DC on their first day on the job should have figured it out. And lastly, the killer just piled the clues on too thick - should have remembered the "more is less" saying. There were also a few loose ends not tied up but not a big deal.
I was almost tempted to just skip to the reveal because of that. But I have to admit, the ending was pretty good. So, overall writing that was easy to read and follow and pleasant characters with a plot that was a bit holey. I enjoyed it though so I'm on book two now.
samanthajayne_x's review against another edition
2.0
I struggled with this book at times, I found it very hard to connect with mc, I found at times his judgement was kind of impaired at times. The police stumbled onto evidence and it just seemed to be more laid out for them rather than finding it.
I didn't connect with the writing either, I just don't think this one was for me.
I didn't connect with the writing either, I just don't think this one was for me.
hotpotklonk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sebrahn's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Child death
maggymags's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars for an excellent read. The only gripe I had was with Gillard pining for his lost love, bit he did redeem himself in the end. Good police procedural that kept me glues to the pages.