I’ll start this post off with a confession; I’m not a big
reader of detective novels. My parents are but it was never really a genre I
could get behind for one reason or another but when one of my colleagues at my
new work mentioned her husband had a published book, I made it my job to give
it a read.
The first thing that struck me was the story. There are two
main arcs in the novel and you find yourself really wanting to know what
happens. One is the murder of a successful woman and the other is the tracking
down of a young woman for her mother who is dying of cancer. Both are
interwoven together and the way the plot flings you is artfully done.
The story itself is set in the city of Hull, which is where
I live, so it was nice to know the areas the author was talking about. He gets
it spot on without ramming the topography of the city down the reader’s throat.
The characters are instantly likeable and you find yourself
sympathising with them. You really do want them to win, even when the odds seem
stacked against them. It can’t be an easy job being a private detective and
this is shown so well throughout the novel.
The only stumbling block for me was, at times, the dialogue
didn’t really match what was happening at the time. You’re told the character
is angry, but the words he says don’t really reflect this. It’s only a minor
point though and I think that as Nick writes more books, this will fade away.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in either
Hull, or detective novels, or both. I look forward to reading his latest novel,
which is out next month.
Next Review: In her Name: Empire – Michael R Hicks.
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