Actually I really like this - nearly made 4 stars. Bit of a soap opera now after reading several of the books but I do care about Winter and Dawn - still enjoy the deaf angle, still find the bird watching a bit of a cringe. ( )

This is one of my favorite British police procedural series. Faraday is a determined investigator who demands truth and justice. As a widower, he hasn't had an easy time of raising his deaf son by himself, but he's done a good job-- even though both his job and his son have had him hiking out to commune with the birds he loves so much. (Some detectives hit the bottle, others listen to jazz or opera, Faraday goes bird watching.) Joe's son is pretty much independent at this stage and even helps during the investigation. I've enjoyed watching him grow up during this series.

The case is an absolute beast of a maze. Coughlin went out of his way to be hated, and his decades of practice stood him in good stead. Faraday has his hands full weeding through all the suspects, and his efforts at piecing together the dead man's history are hampered by a brick wall called the Royal Navy. I found the entire plot thread of the Falklands war to be very interesting, and Hurley uses it to give readers a slight advantage that Faraday does not have. (It doesn't mean that we get to the resolution any quicker however.)

As usual, the Portsmouth setting is superb from its wildlife habitats to the mean city streets. Hurley seems to be a writer that's not all that well known outside of the UK. It's a pity because his books are excellent, but that lack of "world renown" also makes me feel as though I'm getting an insider's look at his patch of England. His books aren't polished up or toned down for international audiences. It's an insider's look that I appreciate and keep coming back to for more. ( )

Actually I really like this - nearly made 4 stars. Bit of a soap opera now after reading several of the books but I do care about Winter and Dawn - still enjoy the deaf angle, still find the bird watching a bit of a cringe. ( )

Another fascinating peek into the largely unexplored criminal underclass living in Portsmouth. In this story DI Joe Faraday investigates the death of a prison officer who was in the Navy during the Falklands War and tries to build a link to the man's past, a man who no-one appeared to like. An excellently researched novel, especially on the naval background - I had never heard the term "Skate" used to refer to someone in the Navy! ( )