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Indlæser... Grave's End: the brilliant third book in the DS Alexandra Cupidi Investigations (udgave 2021)af William Shaw (Forfatter)
Work InformationGrave's End af William Shaw
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Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. I had read that this third book was the last in a trilogy featuring Alexandra Cupidi, and I sincerely hope it's not. Shaw has captured my imagination with his atmospheric setting in the Romney Marsh area of southeastern England, with his characters, and with his stories. In Grave's End, the characters are marvelous. I have to admit that my favorite is an old badger, for those animals figure prominently in the book. I was amazed at how much I learned about these creatures-- and by how much I looked forward to the old badger's voice. (No, he's not a talking badger, but we do get to see Whiteland Fields and the other characters through his eyes.) The main cast of characters is so well-drawn that they are beginning to feel like friends, yet another reason why I don't want Shaw to stop writing about them. Jill Ferriter is even more opinionated, probably because she's trying to find a decent man to have a relationship with. Many of her opinions are completely at odds with mine, but I like her anyway. Ex-cop Bill South is now working for an ecological survey company, and watching this loner letting Alex and Zoë into his life is both touching and humorous. Zoë is now a deeply committed ecological activist. If you're going to do something that will hurt any sort of wildlife, expect her to get right in your face and not move. It's also fun to watch city girl Alex Cupidi's attitude change toward the countryside. Will she ever completely adapt? I'd like to find out. It's a joy to watch all the pieces of this intricate mystery come together. For me, the only thing that marred Grave's End was a TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) moment Alex had at the end, although, yes, it does show that when she's intent on solving a case, she puts blinders on to almost everything else around her. And how can readers not love a book that contains this bit of dialogue between Alex and Zoë: "How come you know all this...stuff?" "I read books, Mum...You should try it sometime." This is one of the most compelling series I've read in a long time, and I urge you all to read it. I'd suggest starting with The Birdwatcher even though it's not listed as part of the series because it's readers' first encounter with Bill South and Alexandra Cupidi. Then follow up with Salt Lane, Deadland, and Grave's End. Chances are, once you've sampled this series, you'll be just like me-- hoping that there's more to come. An unoccupied house which is for sale becomes a crime scene when a body is found in a freezer. This is just the first of a couple of bodies that DS Alexandra Cupidi has to deal with. They do not seem to be connected in any way, but the deeper she digs, the more apparent it becomes that all is somehow linked to the housing project September Homes which causes fierce protests among locals. One of them is the victim in the freezer, Vincent Gibbons, who had been observing badgers in the area and feared that the new houses would kill them or drive them away. Alex Cupidi’s daughter Zoë and their neighbour and ex policeman Bill South also protest against the destruction of the habitat, but quite soon, all three of them have to realise that powerful enemies are willing to do everything to stop them from interfering with the project. The third instalment of the DS Alexandra Cupidi series so far is the best in my opinion. A single body with no obvious links to anything is the starting point of a highly complex murder investigation which expands from chapter to chapter. What I totally adored were the chapters the old badger is given a voice, thus, the topic of building houses without considering the impact on wildlife becomes a lot more important and interesting and one can only agree with the badger when it concludes, “People stink.” The plot is perfectly crafted, first moving at a slower pace but then accelerating and also raising suspense. The connections between the different dots are all but obvious and it was a great fun puzzling over it. In the end, the case is solved without leaving any questions unanswered. What I liked most this time was how the characters developed, especially the relationship between Alexandra and her daughter. Bill also becomes more and more a close friend of the two while remaining a bit stubborn but he has the heart in the right place. Alexandra’s partner Jill also becomes more remarkable providing just glimpses of her past where a lot seems to remain to be uncovered. A series which I absolutely adore and would like to read more of. When her daughter calls her, DS Alex Cupidi is annoyed that she is caught up in protests about a housing development but when the body of one of the protesters is discovered in a luxury house Cupidi is drawn into a murder investigation. The development site yields more in the form of a long buried skeleton of a missing teenage boy and suddenly the investigation is turned on its head. I really enjoy Shaw's Cupidi series because there is always a clever twist in the take. Here the story starts off fairly straightforwardly about animal protectors, developers and badger baiting. The bigger picture conspiracy kicks in but it still seems to be completely about housing. Suddenly the plot turns on its head and becomes something much darker and altogether more unpleasant. Yet at its core this is a solid and strong police procedural. William Shaw's DS Alexandra Cupidi just gets better and better. Grave's End is the third in the author's Kent-based detective series and the best yet. Rather unexpectedly, wildlife plays an active role in the plot throughout, just one aspect that makes it a gripping read. Shaw shows he is not just a good crime writer. His knowledge means the contemporary issues on ecology and politics in this police procedural are completely believable. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
Belongs to Series
'If you're not a fan yet, why not?' VAL MCDERMID 'A superb storyteller' PETER MAY A BIZARRE DISCOVERY An unidentified cadaver is found in a freezer in an unoccupied luxury house. No-one seems to know or care who it is or who placed it there. When DS Alexandra Cupidi is handed the case, she can have no idea it will lead her to a series of murderous cover-ups and buried secrets. Namely the discovery of the skeleton of public-school boy, Trevor Wood, beneath a housing development. A HISTORIC CRIME His disappearance twenty five years earlier had almost passed unnoticed. But as evidence surfaces that his fate was linked to long suppressed rumours of sexual abuse, Cupidi, her teenage daughter Zoe and her friend Bill South find themselves up against powerful forces who will try to silence them. A BURIED LIFE Digging deep into the secrets that are held underground leads to Cupidi's realisation that crime and power are seldom far apart. There are dangerous connections between the two cases, which are complicated by Constable Jill Ferriter's dating habits, a secret liaison and the underground life of Trevor Grey's only friend. The most riveting and atmospheric DS Alexandra Cupidi novel so far, Grave's End confronts the crisis in housing, environmental politics, the protection given to badgers by the law. With meticulously mastered characters and a brooding setting, this third book in the series confirms William Shaw as one of the finest crime writers. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-VurderingGennemsnit:
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One thing about the plot doesn't make sense to me though:
SPOILERS
Roteman and Bayliss were sent home from school the day of Trevor's suicide, and it was presumably the headmaster and his son who disposed of the body, so how on earth did Roteman and Bayliss know where the body was buried? The teachers could have had no reason to tell them.. ( )