Elena Forbes

«Créeme, no hay otra manera, no si me quieres. Cuando nos encontremos, me aseguraré de que tus miedos desaparezcan. Hasta entonces, recuerda esto: no existe un mundo donde valga la pena vivir. No puede haber futuro para nosotros... » Cuando el cadáver de una joven de quince años aparece en una iglesia de Londres, todo parece indicar que se trata de un suicidio, pero el detective Mark Tartaglia pronto descubre una realidad más compleja: la de un psicópata capaz de seducir por Internet y de convencer a jóvenes frágiles y desorientadas de que la vida no tiene sentido, de que no puede haber un final más hermoso que morir juntos...… (altro)

The first installment in An Eve West Mystery series, A Bad, Bad Thing by Elena Forbes is an absorbing mystery starring a likable protagonist.

DCI Eve West is a veteran police officer who is suspended after a police operation goes horribly wrong. She is surprised when John Duran, a murderer she helped put behind bars, contacts her with an intriguing proposition. In exchange for providing information that will clear her name, he would like for Eve to look into fellow inmate Sean Farrell's possible wrongful conviction for murder. Eve is suspicious of John's motive for helping her, but she decides to look into the ten year old murder of Jane McNeil.

Working with Dan Cooper, a journalist who co-founded 4Justice, Eve heads to Jane's former employer, Westerby Racing, which is also near where her body was eventually discovered. Upon her arrival, she is shocked to discover her old childhood friend, Gavin Challis, is now married to Melissa Michaels. While Gavin has recently embarked on a political career, Melissa, along with her brother Harry, run the family business. Will Eve uncover the new evidence she needs to exonerate Sean and thereby secure the information she needs to save her career?

Eve is a resilient, independent woman who deliberately eschews personal entanglements. She is a superb detective with keen instincts and she has no idea what she will do if she loses her job. Immediately throwing herself into investigating Jane's death, she quickly learns the Michaels' clan is not overly thrilled with the new interest in the case. Harry reluctantly offers to assist her, but Eve soon realizes he is not as co-operative as he appears. Despite the Michaels' lack of enthusiasm, Eve doggedly persists in locating clients and co-workers who interacted with Jane along with her former roommates.

While Eve concentrates on Westerby Racing, Dan is dealing with shocking discoveries back in the city. With the police focuses their attention on him during their investigation of a murder close to him, he begins to lose hope he will be able to find new evidence that allow Sean's case to go to the Appeals court. Dan is also nursing a broken heart and he is dealing with his misery in a very unhealthy manner. He has been uncertain whether or not he can completely trust Eve so he is reluctant to share information with her. Will Dan believe her assertion he can trust her not betray his confidences? Will his puzzling discovery provide the new evidence they need to exonerate Sean?

Despite a bit of a slow start, A Bad, Bad Thing is a clever mystery with a unique storyline. Eve is a strong woman who, although haunted by her past, refuses to let it define her. She is a brilliant detective who refuses to let anything, even her doubts about John's intentions, interfere with her investigation. Dan is a flawed but likable man who is deeply dedicated to 4Justice. The investigation into Jane's death is quite interesting and Elena Forbes does an absolutely superb job keeping the perpetrator's identity and motive for the crime completely under wraps until the novel's action-packed conclusion. A marvelous beginning to An Eve West Mystery series that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend to fans of the genre.… (altro)

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Di Eve West is suspended after she seemingly gets a colleague killed, although she knows she was not entirely to blame. Then Duran, a brutal killer she put away years ago asks her to look into the conviction for murder of a fellow inmate Sean 10 years ago. In exchange, he will provide Eve with evidence that she was set up.

I have read and enjoyed the Tartaglia series by this author, but this book is very different. My main issue with it was that there was simply too much going on. There was enough plot for at least one other novel. There is Eve and her suspension, Eve and her mysterious past and original identity, Eve and her reunion with her first love, the mystery of why Eve and he broke up, and the mystery of why Duran wants to help Eve and why he wants to help Sean.

All of that is barely even touching on the parts of the plot dealing with the death of Jane McNeil, whom Sean may or may not have killed. People were tortured, offices were set on fire, there was a sniper, a rape, possible race fixing, a hit and run, a man killed running from the police. It was exhausting and confusing. I didn't really like Eve, although I did quite like Dan, the journalist she worked with on Sean's case. The ending very clearly points to further instalments, but I may not have the energy.… (altro)