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Look after your precious

A British police procedural set in Oxford and its dreaming spires. The previous book explains why the lead female detective has PTSD but this one can be read as a stand-alone as enough of the back story is given. I have not read the previous book.

I found the story interesting and compelling reading and the characters involved were complex enough that I never guessed who the villain was, let alone why, although the clues were there.

A good tone of voice by the author made this reading easy enough to follow and to be interested in the characters. I enjoyed this book.

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The Sea is no-one’s friend

This is a haunting story that disturbs the emotions and emphasises the problems that a toxic masculine culture brings upon a community. Where fists are tools of the trade and used with abandon.

It is a tale of revenge and punishment in a fishing town, by fishermen and their relatives, that is carried to extremes by a belief in the righteousness of violence being the answer.

At times I found the story confusing, especially the opening scenes, as the various characters take their parts and lie with abandon.

But take heart any reader, all is explained in the end – and the very culture that spawned this way of dealing with life is now much more rare as certainly the fishing industry in Hull, and towns like it, is diminished, on a larger scale of boats (and thus less of a tight grouping of men), and more automated.

I might have understood a little better if I had read previous novels in the series.

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When you need to be vigilant

I read ‘Bad Spirits’ (book #1 in this series) some time ago and meant to follow it up but didn’t. I just may have read the last book in the series and missed all the ones in between… but still, DV Berkom hasn’t disappointed.

 And I could follow enough of the series’ storyline for this book to stand alone.

Kate thinks she has finally left her nemesis behind and is free of being hunted, but by deciding to interfere in a drug case, she finds more people who want her dead. The story about the drugs gets complicated as more unsuspecting people die from tainted pain killers.

A good suspense and thriller story, which doesn’t get too technical and gives some handy hints for women about self-defence.

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Books/book review/Fantasy/Romance/London/crime fiction
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Clockwerk and Mapwerk?

The Watchmaker’s Daughter/The Map Maker’s Apprentice

Part of the Glass and Steele series #1 and #2

I initially thought that these were Clockwerk Urban/Steampunk novels but realised soon that we were actually talking about the alternate Victorian London where there was magic. So I was slightly disappointed at beginning.

But …. then I liked the stories in these 2 books but agree with some reviewers that the language used was not typical English Victorian, but this didn’t bother me as this was not ‘our’ Victorian world after all.

We did see the typical prejudice of the time against women played out well and hidden beneath it, we finally discover, is the prejudice against craftsmen who have a different and rather special skill – magic.

Book #1 was rather slow at times but I did buy the follow on book – however,  found myself not bothered enough to read any more of this series.  Book 1 was better than book 2 in my opinion. Book 2 was repetitive of book 1 and the theme not as strong.

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Taken for an unusual reason

This is a solid police procedural with the frustrations of modern policing and the requirements for solid evidence well portrayed. Not to mention the fact that the senior officers want good press coverage even when what you have is more speculative than fact and contradicts the above …
I found this new DI (a debut novel) to be a believable character – and fallible too, and was intrigued by the perpetrator and motives.
This is a series I think that will develop well and I look forward to reading more.

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