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A review by booksuperpower
London Calling by James Craig
2.0
London Calling by James Craig is a 2014 Witness Impulse publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book in the Inspector Carlyle series. Originally released back in 2011 the series is now with a new publisher and there are several more installments available. However, I don't see myself investing in the series in the future. This one is kind of a mess, to be honest.
The Inspector is tipped off about a dead body in a hotel, and thus begins a convoluted investigation that runs alongside a political election and exposes a crime committed many years ago. But, the story deals primarily with the Inspectors personal thoughts about his wife, his boss, and the media and at times the author goes into too much detail when describing things like a police building and detailing it's history. There is very little dialogue among the characters and many scenes are too graphic in their depictions of depraved sexual acts for my taste.
The plot was very slow moving, and not in a good slow building of suspense, but with only an occasional plot twist or big reveal. I very nearly gave up on this one and then the ending made me very angry with myself for sticking with it. Carlyle was a very dull guy and the dialogue was boring with no chemistry between the Inspector and anyone in the book, even his wife whom he only seems to speak with on the phone or his daughter who seems fine with his frequent disappearances from home.
The author definitely has the right idea, especially when it come to college “clubs”, politics, and corruption. He just needs to create characters that readers will forge a bond with and begin to care about in some way. While I have no problems reading dark, gritty thrillers, this one goes a little overboard at times, but often that is matter of taste. However, when I feel like I might be sick, that's where I draw the line.
I will at times give a series a second chance because the first book can be pretty rough when trying to establish characters and write a compelling thriller too, but it will be a long time before I feel that adventurous.
1.5 rounded to 2
This is the first book in the Inspector Carlyle series. Originally released back in 2011 the series is now with a new publisher and there are several more installments available. However, I don't see myself investing in the series in the future. This one is kind of a mess, to be honest.
The Inspector is tipped off about a dead body in a hotel, and thus begins a convoluted investigation that runs alongside a political election and exposes a crime committed many years ago. But, the story deals primarily with the Inspectors personal thoughts about his wife, his boss, and the media and at times the author goes into too much detail when describing things like a police building and detailing it's history. There is very little dialogue among the characters and many scenes are too graphic in their depictions of depraved sexual acts for my taste.
The plot was very slow moving, and not in a good slow building of suspense, but with only an occasional plot twist or big reveal. I very nearly gave up on this one and then the ending made me very angry with myself for sticking with it. Carlyle was a very dull guy and the dialogue was boring with no chemistry between the Inspector and anyone in the book, even his wife whom he only seems to speak with on the phone or his daughter who seems fine with his frequent disappearances from home.
The author definitely has the right idea, especially when it come to college “clubs”, politics, and corruption. He just needs to create characters that readers will forge a bond with and begin to care about in some way. While I have no problems reading dark, gritty thrillers, this one goes a little overboard at times, but often that is matter of taste. However, when I feel like I might be sick, that's where I draw the line.
I will at times give a series a second chance because the first book can be pretty rough when trying to establish characters and write a compelling thriller too, but it will be a long time before I feel that adventurous.
1.5 rounded to 2