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A review by mrsbooknerd
Galerie mrtvých by Chris Carter
2.0
I loved the first few Chris Carter novels, but my enjoyment has gradually been dwindling book by book. Like all my enjoyment has been exsanguinated from my body by a catheter in my Iliac vein. In fact, I really hated 'The Caller' finding it both poorly written and poorly edited. I vowed never to buy a Chris Carter novel again, but naturally I did because I am what Hunter would call a 'sadist'.
I have to start by saying that 'Gallery of the Dead' was far better than I thought it would be based on the last novel. Some of my criticisms from 'The Caller' had been much improved in this novel, and I felt that both the writing style and the actual plot as a whole were better formed. However - come on, you knew there was going to be a however - there were still some elements that just lacked for me, and while I read it in a day, I wouldn't say that I loved it as much I did say, 'The Executioner' or 'The Night Stalker'.
This series is great for readers who dip into the series without reading in order, because there is little character development and they never recap or spoiler previous novels. But for someone like me, who read them as they were released, there is very little progression and it is now starting to border on repetitive and - dare I say - boring.
I would like to see more of Garcia and Anna and how his job impacts his home life. I want to understand Hunter personally, because he does come across as quite cold. I am tired of just reading about his love of whiskey and reading and I'm tired - no pun intended - of hearing about his insomnia. These seem to be the only defining elements of Hunter as a character, and I am ready to see more.
I liked that there were some brief slashes of personality during his scenes with Tracy in this novel, and I hope that this will be developed further in the future.
Plot-wise I felt that this was a fairly strong novel. Carter never just writes your standard killer with a simple M.O. after all, this is what makes him unique, and I enjoyed the to and fro of ideas and progression as they tried to catch the guy. Is it a bit boring that all of the killers are always geniuses that we have never heard of throughout the entire book? Yes.There were more red herrings and far more foreshadowing in this novel than other recent ones in the series, so we weren't being spoon fed all of time which was pleasing.
I also enjoyed the introduction of Fisher and Williams to the plot because it gave extra voices. They had their own stories and personalities and it broke up the tedium of just dealing with Garcia and Hunter throughout. Unfortunately Williams was bit of a wet blanket and Fisher was like a parody of a tough-female-FBI agent with a hard past and a competitive edge, but again, I managed to cope with them.
I was pleased that Carter let Garcia, Fisher and Williams lead some elements of the explanation/investigation rather than relying on super-genius and omnipotent Hunter all the time. Though Hunter did impress, I felt that Garcia didn't come across as badly as he did in 'The Caller' where all he did was blink at Hunter like a forgetful fish.
I much preferred the conversations that had give and take, where Hunter made an observation but one of the others understood and developed it. It made it feel less like I was getting a monologue lecture which Carter has a habit of descending into. I have always felt that while the supporting characters do not have Hunter's intelligence, they are still high ranking officials in either the police or FBI. Yet they are often portrayed as being idiots so that Hunter can explain his concepts. I know that this is because Carter needs a way to explain to the reader, but I'm not all that dumb either. I can grasp the theories without needing pages of explanation. I felt that this was better in this novel than novels of past, but still evident. Blake just comes across like a ball-busting, paper-pusher who can't grasp a thing outside of basic police work. Honestly, there were some points where they were explaining things to her and she was getting all worked up and confused and I just thought, how have you made it this far in your career when you don't seem able to breath and blink at the same time?
Other minor gripes: I hated the dialogue. It felt stilted and wooden and some exchanges were so entirely pointless to the plot that they should have been removed. Characters are constantly talking to themselves which bugs me because we are from their POV anyway, so I can read their thoughts, I don't need them to be verbalised.
I hated the constant bitching between Fisher and Garcia. Fisher was a parody of a tough/competitive FBI agent who looked down at police officers and whose bark and bite were equally as bad and without thought. The fact that she was also led by the journalist and couldn't seem to fathom that her technique hadn't worked, the fact that she then went into a press conference and pissed off the killer… she was so, well, shit. She was shit at her job and not a very nice character. The fact that her and Garcia kept snapping at one another like they were in a playground comparing dicks just really annoyed me. They're adults and high ranking law enforcement officers as well and yet their behaviour to me just felt forced for the sake of drama.
Minor minor gripe: I also found a spelling mistake in this book as well. Alright, 'The Caller' was riddled with them, but still. Edit. Proofread. Etc.
Honestly, after 'The Caller' I was dreading this book a bit because I want so desperately to love them. I read this novel in one sitting and I have to say that I didn't want to stop at any point, but there were elements that did really grate on me. I wish that Carter would shake up the safe formula a bit. Maybe have a killer who is just loopy rather than genius. Maybe spend some time with Garcia and Anna or to push Hunter personally. I would say that this was a better read than expected and for the most part I 'enjoyed' it, but it still wasn't up there with the best.
I have to start by saying that 'Gallery of the Dead' was far better than I thought it would be based on the last novel. Some of my criticisms from 'The Caller' had been much improved in this novel, and I felt that both the writing style and the actual plot as a whole were better formed. However - come on, you knew there was going to be a however - there were still some elements that just lacked for me, and while I read it in a day, I wouldn't say that I loved it as much I did say, 'The Executioner' or 'The Night Stalker'.
This series is great for readers who dip into the series without reading in order, because there is little character development and they never recap or spoiler previous novels. But for someone like me, who read them as they were released, there is very little progression and it is now starting to border on repetitive and - dare I say - boring.
I would like to see more of Garcia and Anna and how his job impacts his home life. I want to understand Hunter personally, because he does come across as quite cold. I am tired of just reading about his love of whiskey and reading and I'm tired - no pun intended - of hearing about his insomnia. These seem to be the only defining elements of Hunter as a character, and I am ready to see more.
I liked that there were some brief slashes of personality during his scenes with Tracy in this novel, and I hope that this will be developed further in the future.
Plot-wise I felt that this was a fairly strong novel. Carter never just writes your standard killer with a simple M.O. after all, this is what makes him unique, and I enjoyed the to and fro of ideas and progression as they tried to catch the guy. Is it a bit boring that all of the killers are always geniuses that we have never heard of throughout the entire book? Yes.
Spoiler
I do read crime novels to try and work out who the killer is, and it does irritate me when Carter removes my requirement to think by making the killer a random guy that has never been mentioned before. But still.Spoiler
I saw the nameless 'Girl' connection almost immediately but it didn't ruin the impact of this twist. I felt that this storyline added a much needed element of emotion into the novel and made for a big ending, which I hadn't been expecting.I also enjoyed the introduction of Fisher and Williams to the plot because it gave extra voices. They had their own stories and personalities and it broke up the tedium of just dealing with Garcia and Hunter throughout. Unfortunately Williams was bit of a wet blanket and Fisher was like a parody of a tough-female-FBI agent with a hard past and a competitive edge, but again, I managed to cope with them.
I was pleased that Carter let Garcia, Fisher and Williams lead some elements of the explanation/investigation rather than relying on super-genius and omnipotent Hunter all the time. Though Hunter did impress, I felt that Garcia didn't come across as badly as he did in 'The Caller' where all he did was blink at Hunter like a forgetful fish.
I much preferred the conversations that had give and take, where Hunter made an observation but one of the others understood and developed it. It made it feel less like I was getting a monologue lecture which Carter has a habit of descending into. I have always felt that while the supporting characters do not have Hunter's intelligence, they are still high ranking officials in either the police or FBI. Yet they are often portrayed as being idiots so that Hunter can explain his concepts. I know that this is because Carter needs a way to explain to the reader, but I'm not all that dumb either. I can grasp the theories without needing pages of explanation. I felt that this was better in this novel than novels of past, but still evident. Blake just comes across like a ball-busting, paper-pusher who can't grasp a thing outside of basic police work. Honestly, there were some points where they were explaining things to her and she was getting all worked up and confused and I just thought, how have you made it this far in your career when you don't seem able to breath and blink at the same time?
Other minor gripes: I hated the dialogue. It felt stilted and wooden and some exchanges were so entirely pointless to the plot that they should have been removed. Characters are constantly talking to themselves which bugs me because we are from their POV anyway, so I can read their thoughts, I don't need them to be verbalised.
I hated the constant bitching between Fisher and Garcia. Fisher was a parody of a tough/competitive FBI agent who looked down at police officers and whose bark and bite were equally as bad and without thought. The fact that she was also led by the journalist and couldn't seem to fathom that her technique hadn't worked, the fact that she then went into a press conference and pissed off the killer… she was so, well, shit. She was shit at her job and not a very nice character. The fact that her and Garcia kept snapping at one another like they were in a playground comparing dicks just really annoyed me. They're adults and high ranking law enforcement officers as well and yet their behaviour to me just felt forced for the sake of drama.
Minor minor gripe: I also found a spelling mistake in this book as well. Alright, 'The Caller' was riddled with them, but still. Edit. Proofread. Etc.
Honestly, after 'The Caller' I was dreading this book a bit because I want so desperately to love them. I read this novel in one sitting and I have to say that I didn't want to stop at any point, but there were elements that did really grate on me. I wish that Carter would shake up the safe formula a bit. Maybe have a killer who is just loopy rather than genius. Maybe spend some time with Garcia and Anna or to push Hunter personally. I would say that this was a better read than expected and for the most part I 'enjoyed' it, but it still wasn't up there with the best.