Review: A Surprisingly Great Thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 10, 2012
I give this book 4 stars & if I could add another 1/2 I would! It's an amazing read, one I couldn't put down. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because I reserve those for the very very few that have plots & characters I'm still thinking about for weeks after the end of the book.From the very first pages, this book had me & I could not put it down until the last page. The book is a little longer than most, but the mystery is so good it reads very fast.The main character, DI Yvonne Giles is one of the better female title characters I've seen penned in quite a while. She is not silly, frivolous or constantly extolling the virtues of chocolate and coffee as is the norm for female sleuths these days it seems. Nor is she 'hard' or rough around the edges. She's a perfect blend of flawed, driven and intelligent. That said, it does make one of her choices toward the end of the book questionable, since she has been so smart throughout. Although without that lapse in judgment there wouldn't be a plotline to the rapid fire conclusion. It doesn't detract from the overall book, I just don't care for a characters well developed traits - intelligence & caution in this case - sacrificed for plotline. However, it was an error anyone could make which in turn just makes her all the more authentic.If I have to point to something I didn't like, it would be the direction of the relationship between Yvonne & Tasha. It was distracting & I didn't feel it was in DI Giles' character, it felt as if the author was pushing something on us that didn't add to the story at all. I really liked the character of Tasha, her being a lesbian has nothing to do with my feelings on this. In fact, she was a great addition & a very smart character who I felt if not distracted by her attraction to Giles, should have & would have picked up on several clues she blatantly missed - considering her character was built up as a leading in the field of criminal psychology. I definitely enjoyed the friendship that was built between these two female leads, but it was pushed further which led to the feeling of a forced romantic angle. Again, this doesn't detract from the overall book - the book didn't need the romantic angle at all. It's a great mystery/thriller and one I would enthusiastically recommend to all lovers of a great, edge-of-your-seat thriller.