Review: very good read, despite some losses in translation and other sticking points
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 15, 2012
There were a few things early on that had me thinking that I would end up rating this one much lower than I eventually did.  I'm not one to put a book down before I'm finished reading it, no matter how much I find myself disliking it and I'm glad I didn't with this one.This is a very disturbing book.  While I wasn't shocked by it or the subject matter, I understand why it's considered controversial.  It deals heavily (almost exclusively) with child molesters, pedophiles and the murder of small children.  It's not for the feint of heart and I could easily understand why some wouldn't find the darker subject matter appealing.  There is also the humanizing of pedophiles (characters in the book mind you) which I'm sure would put some people off immediately.Clair's daughter disappears one day on the way to school and isn't found until two boys find her body floating in a nearby lake.  When Clair and her crime reporter boyfriend Matt try to get answers they'll find that it's not a one off.  They find out that they're dealing with a serial killer of the worst kind.  One that kills little girls.  As Claire tries to find answers and, in the process, solace to ease the mourning of her loss, she'll come into contact with a registered sex offender, a 14 year old truant computer hacking boy, a 19 year old profiling wiz kid in college and a learned psychotherapist from a well reputed clinic that specializes in treating pedophiles.While I found it to be well written, there are problems, however.  As it turns out, the location changed from England to the United States (the greater New York area to be exact) which in and of itself is fine. However, only the locale changed, not the vernacular.  There are plenty of British turns of phrase to be had.  "Gobsmacked...love (as in, I'll be out in a jiff, love), referring to friends as 'mates'...the book reads like an inherently British novel...which is fine by me.  I'm a big fan of Deb Crombie and I like that particular literary personality.  It's just that it took some getting used to seeing primarily british mannerisms taking place in the USA.  So while at first it was a bit odd, after time it just faded into the background.Secondly, there is a scene where a person is being questioned in a police station.  I found it to be rather far fetched.  I don't want to spoil anything but saying it was a case of police brutality is being understated.  It just didn't seem plausible and what's more, after that particular sub thread is gone it seems forgotten.This is a LONG book.  The version being reviewed here is nearly 600 pages long.  It reads pretty quickly though.  Once I got past some of the earlier sticking points I found myself compulsively turning the pages. The amount of research into serial killers, psychotherapy and sexual 'norms' (or deviation, depending on how you want to look at it) must have been no small task.  Because of that though, there are some sequences that involve diatribes between players in the scene where it seems more like a school lecture than a normal conversation two people would have.  STILL, it shed light on a lot of things I only knew about in the vaguest of terms.There are a couple characters that get heavily involved that actually seemed a little on the far-fetched side (sorry, I don't want to spoil anything so I can't/won't go into specifics!).In addition, the foreshadowing of 'whodunnit' isn't exactly revealed on the sly so the villainous reveal isn't that big of a shock.  The WHY'S however and the true depths of their depravity makes up for that though.One final gripe was the ending.  Once the big showdown takes place it sort of just ends.  A page or two and it's done.Still, despite all of those issues, this is one worth reading for anybody who likes a crime thriller with a darker twist.  It's very well written and features some very good characterization.  As I said, the subject matter isn't for the feint of heart.  If crimes involving children disturb you, it may not be the best book to read, but it is, after all, a work of fiction.Very good thriller that should keep you turning pages until you hit the last!