Sally Rigby (1)

Having read Sally Rigby’s other Cornwall Murder Mysteries I am not unfamiliar with her subject nor her writing style. When I finished The Hidden Graves of St Ives I remember being disappointed, not so much with the story but the writing style. I thought it was a solid 3-1/2 stars and I rounded up to 4. Unfortunately Rigby’s latest foray in this series felt exactly the same. Too much stilted character study which overshadowed the mystery. The dialogue and inner machinations were trivial, unrealistic and never ending. Having just finished the latest Detective Josie Quinn installment by Lisa Regan I could not help but compare and DCI Lauren Pengelly falls far behind.

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for a copy.… (altro)

Cornish-coast, families, family-drama, family-dynamics, fishing-community, investigations, local-law-enforcement, murders, Penzance, pet-dog, procedural, read, suspense, teamwork, thriller, unputdownable*****

DI Lauren Pengelly was recently transferred to this assignment as was her DS Matt Price who is recently widowed with a small child. The first body was found at the shore at Land's End and things went downhill from there. But. The team really is and their cooperative efforts brought the suspense to a surprising end. Great read!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!… (altro)

I'm always looking for police procedurals to read. Especially with female detectives. Unfortunately it's often hit and miss. This was somewhere in the middle.

I came to like both of the main characters but I struggled to start with. George was alright but Whitney was a total jerk with a massive chip on her shoulder about academics. It was ridiculous. She grated on my nerves a lot to start with - she took offence to everything and it was exhausting.

I can't say I particularly noticed George's snobbish behaviour before it was pointed out - I felt like it was she had trouble relating to others rather than actively disapproving of anyone. Still I liked how the characters evolved and came to see the benefits of their own and each other's characteristics.

At one point Whitney asks George out for a drink and mentions about she hoped that she didn't think it was a date - but honestly I kind of wished it had of been - I felt like that would've been a unique angle to take the story in.

The procedural itself was alright. I more or less guessed the culprit and I liked that the evidence was all laid out logically. It was a little bland but it was decently written and much better than a lot of other procedurals I've read. There were a few plot holes Lydia's diary? Who was staring at her? and the motives for the murders? that weren't quite wrapped up but most of the loose ends were tied up.

One thing I hated though were the insert chapters of the killer's mind. It jolted me out of the story and took away from the narrative. They served no real purpose and it would've been a stronger story without their inclusion.

3 stars.… (altro)

Mulle väga meeldib hea inglise politseikrimi, aga see kahjuks minu jaoks ei toiminud. Tekst kordub raamatust raamatusse ja samamoodi loo käik - see võib muidugi olla sihilik, aga pole kindlasti minu maitse. Tegelesed on trafaretsed ja kuigi ma mõistan, et autor on üritanud luua tugevate naiskangelastega lugu, kus mehed vaid statistide rolli mängivad, tundub see kõik kuidagi pingutatud ja pinnapealne.
Ja see viimane lugu sarimõrvarist, kes tapab oma ohvreid päise päeva ajal, noaga, rongis, ja kes jõuab neid 15 tükki ära nokitseda, enne kui keegi üldse talle natukenegi jälile saab ... ei usu!
Jääb mulje, et autor on teinud listi asjadest, mis peavad ühes heas krimkas olema, ja siis üritanud need kõik oma raamatus enam-vähem ära markeerida, aga markeerimiseks see paraku ka jääb, pinna all pole suurt midagi.
Aga ma ei ütle, et sari on halb. Lood ise on huvitavad ja kui midagi muud paremat ei ole parajasti käepärast, siis miks mitte. Täitsa okei meelelahutus.… (altro)