Crime

This book definitely came to a middle. That is to say: it's not a book by itself but clearly the first of a series. And the leftover hooks weren't that interesting to me, so probably it will be the only one I read. ( )

This is a good, honest-to-God police procedural and none the worse for that. The crimes aren't horror-movie horrific (though pretty unpleasant, it has to be said). The cop isn't some sort of flawed superhuman. The setting is neither weirdly exotic nor overly familiar. There is no straining for effect. There will be no prizes for fine writing, but the writing's fine, especially the scene where the protagonist enters the target's house - this is edge-of-the-seat stuff.

There is fear and pity; there is a sympathetic central character; there are refreshingly grey shades of morality; there are interesting relationships at the heart of what is, put simply, just this: a damn good read. ( )

I was intrigued. Captivated really by the complex, realistic portrayals of relationships, complicated and tangled over years in a smallish community. So many little girls (and women) lost in this book. There were so many questions that I found myself unable to guess at the answers. Heck, I couldn't even believe some of the questions until they smacked me in the face! Well done. Makes me think I may in fact like mystery/thrillers after all! Who knew! ( )

This was a very fast read and held my interest all the way through, although it seemed to come to an abrupt end. Detective Sergeant Lucy Black lives and works in Derry, Northern Ireland, and the location plays an important role in the story. She finds a young girl in the woods and becomes emotionally attached to her, while also dealing with the fact that her father is developing Alzheimers. ( )