Review: Ratling good tale with Los Angeles as a clearly defined character
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 20, 2014
I enjoy novels with a strong sense of place and time and this certainly has that in spades.  Yes, it's a book of its time, way behind the technology that allows crimes to be solved in a flash, but the voice of the central character, the ex-cop now a gum-shoe, Burnside, is strong and consistent.  I read it almost in one sitting as I really liked the tone of the book even though the plot is somewhat predictable.  Great travel read or bedtime read for sure.  Note to writer:  'discrete' means the opposite to 'concrete'.  A couple of times it should have been 'discreet'.  Seems Americans confuse that one a heck of a lot.  I like the fact that the name of the book means something that is eventually revealed and it was a revelation to me.  I enjoyed the 'dénouement' scene a lot and also appreciate the relationships within the book which are very realistic and not exploitative.  I will certainly hunt out some more Burnside mysteries as I like this character who is not one of those bumbling idiots most books feature. This guy is smart but not smarmy, very human and the structure of the story reveals bits and pieces about him in a really captivating way.  Enjoyable read and yes, I did wish I had bought one of those automatic page turning Kindles for this book as it is a real 'turner' and my thumb got tired. :-(