Customer Reviews

Dangerously Innocent

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

 

 

A methodical serial killer is plaguing suburban Sydney. Detectives Luther James and Rochelle Trevelyan have just been called to the scene where the fourth victim has been brutally murdered - decapitated in his own home - while his wife showered. The Slicer murders, as the crimes have been dubbed, seem to be random acts of violence. The only connection is that all of the victims have been men, and all have had a body part (or two) removed with surgical precision.

The first break that the police get is when they discover their seemingly happily married fourth victim was actually being unfaithful to his wife - on a nightly basis. His mistress is a beautiful med student, Marissa Martin, whose life has been littered by one personal tragedy after another. She is seemingly torn up about the sudden and barbaric death of her lover - a man she believed to be the true love of her life. She tells the detectives that the two of them had had a fight the night before the murder, centralizing around the fact that he wanted to disclose his affair to his wife. Marissa suggests that perhaps the police should be taking a closer look at the new widow, as she would have a very clear motive for the crime.

As the investigation continues, red herrings abound. Like any good mystery, pretty much every character is a suspect. And while you may solve half of the riddle, there is a high probability that the other half will keep you guessing until the end.

All in all, Dangerously Innocent was a pretty good read. It had a good plot and was very engaging. However, it was really quite short (only 147 pages), and was laid out in a manner that I found a little confusing. You jumped from different characters points of view with no preamble, and had to take a moment to figure out where you had gone. If I had been publishing the book, I would have either cleaned up the language a little and targeted a young adult audience (think Christopher Pike or R.L. Stein), or added another hundred or so pages and developed the characters a little better. However, for what it was, Dangerously Innocent was a surprisingly satisfying read that would surely be enjoyed by lovers of mystery and horror novels alike. Taking into consideration that this is Nesrine Joseph's debut novel, I feel comfortable giving it a three star rating. If you go into it expecting a short and intense read, you shouldn't be disappointed.

Jo Beth Eaton stepped out of the shower, called to her husband, Mitch and received no reply causing her to wrap herself in a towel and start looking for her husband. Instead she found a pool and trail of blood leading into the garage. Detective Senior Sergeant Luther James and his partner, Detective Sergeant Rochelle Trevelyan now looked at a report of another mutilation murder, the murder of Jo Beth's husband. Who could be involved in these torture and mutilation of these victims that had various body parts removed? Thus the two detectives were assigned the case. Four homicides had appeared and there were virtually no clues at any of the sites. Their superiors were getting very aggravated and were starting to "push the button" for the murderers to be found--very fast--before any more occurred.

Suspects were hard to find. Most of them, those possibly connected to the Eaton's through one way or another, came under scrutiny, especially a few that the detectives had personal suspicious feelings about. The investigation continued hard and as fast as possible with legwork, information on all the possible suspects, interviews, and much questioning. As time went on Jo Beth even became a suspect. Rochelle's boy friend, Jude, was suspected too. No person or any clues were left unchecked. Luther had a soft spot for Rochelle but he knew that Jude was in the picture as #1 boyfriend.

The book is well written without going into too much detail that a mystery reader might not enjoy. There is lots of action, all very descriptive. The story takes place in Australia which ads a different twist on police work from most books I have read and gave me the feeling I was there in Sydney with these detectives as they attacked this crime. A very entertaining story.

There have been several brutal murders in Sydney. Detective Luther James and his partner Rochelle are having a hard time finding any links to the victims. The only commonality of these sadistic acts are that the killers targets have all been male. Is it the wife who left town? Could it be the latest victim's woman on the side? Could it be a jealous ex? Luther and Rochelle aren't sure but they know that if they don't hurry up and find this killer, there will be several more murders. Maybe even their own.

This is a fast paced book that can be read in one sitting. The characters are likable and the writing style flows. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries/detective books.

Sydney police detective Rochelle Trevelyan and her partner, Luther James, catch a serial killer case. The victims have little in common, other than that they've been mutilated in ways that are not just painful, but humiliating too. Their one lead is a pretty medical intern, and the detectives can't decide if she's a victim or an accomplice. And the killer seems to be so close that they start to distrust everyone around them.

Australian debut writer Nesrene Joseph melds a Hannibal Lecter novel with an episode of CSI and a generous dose of G'day to create a hard-boiled noir mystery novella. But the product feels slapdash, like a first draft written by someone whose knowledge of police tactics come from long evenings watching TV crime dramas. This is a quick and easy read, but I feel only disappointed at the end.

Joseph offers a plot so transparent that the only reason our heroes don't solve it during Chapter Two is because they don't know they're characters in a novel. In working it out, our heroes are hostage to the tender mercies of their author. Emotions run high because Joseph has no interest in having characters run the gamut. And all this is capped with a lame cover line ("When Looks REALLY Deceive") guaranteed to alert careful readers to the culprit much too early.

This novella is an exercise in stereotypes. The stoic, isolated male cop; the intuitive female cop trapped in a loveless relationship; victims who move like robots, speaking in clichés; and an ambiguously beautiful witness, described entirely in sexual terms. Even the dialogue broadcasts the author's desire to write TV scripts (page 32: `Please Rochelle, even an idiot could see that Luther's got the hots for you.' `I'm not listening Jude. Go to bed.').

I feel the seed of a decent novel buried under here. If the author crafted a full range of human emotions for her characters; if she saw her characters as more than sexual stereotypes; if the mystery were more cunningly concealed and suspenseful, this might be a good book. A good editor could even push this to greatness. But Joseph hurried to a self-publisher, and presents an unfinished book. I've lost three hours I could have spent reading a proper novel.

A brutal killer or set of killers is on the loose; the victim is mutilated either before or after they are killed. In one case, the hands of the victim are cut off and he slowly bleeds to death. A priest is killed and his face and genitals are carved off and one man is decapitated inside his house. The perpetrator(s) are very clever, leaving little in the way of clues, so the detective team of Luther James and Rochelle Trevelyan have little to go on.
While the story moves along fairly well and is interesting, the ending is weak. After being clever enough to execute such violent crimes, sometimes in public, and being able to repeatedly foil the detectives, the perpetrator(s) make some simple mistakes that lead to their capture. The interaction between Luther and Rochelle is at times forced and artificial, especially in the lead up to the climactic showdown. They are both Senior Detectives and it is hard to believe that such seasoned professionals would make the mistakes that lead to their troubles.
Although I was somewhat disappointed in the ending, I did enjoy this murder mystery. The author shows promise; the base is there for what could be some very exciting future work.

Detectives Luther James and Rochelle Trevelyan are investigating a series of gruesome murders known as "the Slicer Murders". As the story unfolds, the clues are few and the bodies are stacking up. They are getting pressure from upstairs to catch these guys soon or they would be taken off the case.
Even tho it was a very short novel it flows well and keeps your interest adequately. It has twists and turns as most novels of this genre are known for. It comes together at the end and ties up all the questions in a very satisfactorily manner.
As a first novel, I thought it was very good and I would read another involving these detectives.

Synopsis:

Set in contemporary Sydney, two Senior Sergeant Detectives, Luther James and Rochelle Trevelyan, are tasked with solving a series of unrelated murders and capturing a violent serial killer. Under great pressure to solve the "Slasher case", the two partners seek the connection between the death of a Chinese immigrant dockworker, an out-of-work photographer, and a nondescript married pharmacist before more grisly deaths occur.

There are no leads until the detectives come across Marissa Martin, a beautiful, self destructive witness with a shadowy past who has become another target.

As more victims are discovered, the violence begins to seep into the Luther and Rochelle's lives. The detectives set out to wade through the clues and prove themselves before it is too late.


Review:

I generally love detective novels, especially those in interesting locations. I was looking forward these two Australian detectives and getting a sense of the Sydney landmarks, locations and atmosphere. It may be that I'm not familiar with Australian slang, but it seemed that this aspect of the book didn't come across very well. I had hoped for some Australian slang and descriptions, but the dialogue seemed very Americanized and slightly forced. However, other aspects of the book do much to make up for the weaknesses in the detectives' banter.

The story is well paced, and I found myself reading the book on the subway. Each chapter is chockfull of action and details. Sergeant Detectives Luther James and Rochelle Trevelyan have so little to start with but through hard work, inspiration and some luck, they run down their few leads successfully. Faced with a few red herrings, considerable danger to themselves and their loved ones, the detectives prove themselves.

The plot is intricate and carefully executed. The characters come across well and are likable - I found myself rooting for them.

I had first thought that the book seemed short with only 147 pages, but I found each chapter quite satisfying and overall, the book carefully written. Overall, it was a good first book by Australian author Nesrine Joseph. I look forward to reading her next book.


Format and cover:

The typeset is large and very easy to read. The layout can be improved. There was little spacing to reflect a change of narrative or location.

The cover has a large tiger's eye but the story has no link to tigers or animals. Nor is a tiger deceptively innocent.



Rating: 2.95 out of 5
Release date: September 2007
Publisher: Bookpal
Pages: 147

The book was received courtesy of Bostick Communications. Thank you to Bostick Communications and author Nesrine Joseph for the opportunity to review the book.