«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...

I am not a fan of serial killer themed books, TV shows or movies, but surprisingly this novel grabbed me right from the start and kept me rivited until the last page. Aside from the main mystery, the author involves you in the characters' personal lives, which are just as enthralling as the mystery. Elena Forbes is a terrific writer & I look forward to reading the next book in the series. Die With Me is the first book in the series and it is important to read them in order. I hope that Ms. Forbes keeps the series going for a long time. Buy this novel, and be prepared to read long into the night!!! ( )

READ IN DUTCH

After reading the following blurb I was really interested in reading this book:



A new detective series in the style of 'Prime Suspect' from a great new talent from the UK. A series of deaths -- apparent suicides -- of vulnerable young girls is baffling police in London: the bodies are found in the naves of churches after having fallen from a great height. Thanks to a badly-handled leak, the press are all clamoring for a serial killer called The Bridegroom, and amidst the maelstrom of conflicting theories from the media, criminal profilers, politically competitive colleagues and the general circus surrounding a major murder enquiry, the chilling deaths mount up... Elena Forbes writes the kind of creepy and atmospheric crime novel that we love, populated by a cast of fresh and engaging characters: Mark Tartaglia, the Italian-Scottish detective whose good looks get him in to all sorts of trouble, and whose single status is a constant challenge for his sociable sister and extended family; his spiky yet emotionally intelligent colleague Sam Donovan; and his old boss Trevor Clarke, who tries to give Mark good advice while lying in a hospital bed . Together they are piecing together evidence that will lead them to the worst kind of serial killer, one for whom the hunt for a victim and the crime squad's hunting of him are both an equally seductive and irresistible game.



However, the book really disappointed me. I couldn't engage to any of the characters, and (thus) found the story not interesting at all. I'd hoped that the Italian-Scottish culture clash might supply some lighter notes between the suspense-packed parts, but both the humour and suspense were lacking, in my opinion. I never read another book by Elena Forbes, this just wasn't it for me. ( )

Like the D.I. Mark Tartaglia ( )

Tot de helft gelezen in de hoop dat het beter werd. Zonde van m'n tijd
In dit debuut maakt een Londens politieteam jacht op een seriemoordenaar die meisjes en jonge vrouwen achterlaat in kerken. Inspecteur Tartaglia, een Schot met Italiaanse genen, heeft weinig aanknopingspunten, de dader is slim en laat geen sporen na. Zijn directe chef, ontevreden met de voortgang van de zaak, benoemt een vrouwelijke inspecteur. Tartaglia moet nu onder haar werken en dat zorgt voor de nodige frictie op het bureau. Ondertussen gaat het moorden door; het team hoopt met het natrekken van de vermoorde jonge vrouwen en meisjes een beeld te krijgen van deze man. Veel gesprekken met familieleden, vrienden, buren en werkgevers volgen. Trefzeker worden de personen neergezet, ook de broeierige sfeer op het politiebureau wordt overtuigend in kaart gebracht; de talloze gesprekken zijn boeiend. De vertaling is goed.