Customer Reviews

Bloodless Shadow

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THis is a "first" for this author, and I always fear that the quality will drop over time, particularly after the publisher (and the public) start putting the pressure on to get books written. THis is a particularly well-written book, and my only hesitation in giving this 5 stars is that the lead detective is an angry, unhappy, and troubled person (not unusual in a certain genre of mysteries -- think Rankin, for example), and after a while, it got to be a bit much.

Samantha (Sam) Falconer is a London-based private detective who is a retired Judo world champion. She has a bad relationship with her mother and does her best to ignore her stepfather (her father was in the SAS and killed when she was 4 -- or so she was told). Sam's gay brother, who teaches at Oxford, is the only bright spot. He refers a client to her, a psychoanalyst in Oxford whose wife has disappeared -- he is dissatisfied with police efforts and wants Sam to find out what happened to her. Meanwhile, Sam gets a note -- ostensibly from her father, saying he will be in contact with her. If that weren't enough, she's dealing with the psychologically impact of having discovered a dead child in a previous assignment. And did I mention other threatening events happening to Sam, but she's unsure who is threatening her and how dangerous they really are?

Heavy stuff indeed. But this was a mystery I could hardly wait to get back to -- well plotted and well written. I only wish it had been a little less gloomy, particularly by the end. I think Europeans are less averse to books filled with existential angst than most Americans are.

I picked up this book to read this afternoon and finished it a few hours later having not been able to put it down. It is a really terrific story with a very compelling lead character. Sam Falconer is a flawed heroine and extremely compelling. The mystery itself was good, but most of the drama was in Sam's life as she dealt with her ghosts. I look forward to reading Victoria Blake's next novel.

it's also pretty good. I'll read her next offering if/when it come to my library.