Police Procedurals

Originally, I wrote this review for the Vine program on Amazon. So I didn't pay for the book. Then I ran down a copy of the CD audio book through a friend. I fell in like with the narrator. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith has a fantastic voice for this book-- actually he has a lovely voice for reading anything. I cannot imagine Peter Grant being read by any other narrator. He also does a great job with the other characters. I purchased this from audible because I have not actually paid for a copy of this book until now and because I wanted Audible to keep bringing good audio books like this to the US.

Ok, ignore any references to grown up Harry Potter. Yes, the hero does end up apprenticed to a wizard but that's where the resemblance ends. Peter Grant starts as a probationary constable in the London Metropolitan Police. His father is a drunken jazz musician while his mother cleans offices for a living. Peter wants to become a detective on the murder squad. However, Peter is not the ideal candidate for any of the high profile squads. He is though the ideal candidate for one very obscure squad with a total membership of 2, counting Peter.

Things I liked-- Aaronovitch writes about a multicultural London. Peter is mixed race and writes about his experiences with a serio-comic turn that I really like. He's smart, quick thinking and funny so reading from his viewpoint is a pleasant. Dark humor punctuates bouts of well described action.

The book actually comes across as a police procedural, even as Peter deals with issues like a dispute between Father Thames and Mother Thames-- which gives the book it's British title, Rivers of London. I like that title better any way..

The next one is available on Audible already. I hope other readers enjoy this book as much as I have.

Danny Boyle, the first person narrator of Tilt-a-Whirl, is a part time summer beach cop in the New Jersey resort town of Sea Haven. His current position involves driving Officer John Ceepak around in a customized Ford Explorer, as they investigate crimes such as the theft of a tricycle. In fact, their current agenda involves looking into the theft of the aforesaid stolen tricycle, when a young girl covered in blood appears at the window of the Pancake Palace.

John Ceepak, former MP back from Iraq, former Eagle Scout, makes for an interesting character. Just when I start to think he couldn't get more cliched, the author would sneak in a bit of humanity. Just like Danny Boyle's view of Sea Haven seems to be just another broad satire on vacation resort towns-- you've read them all, right? Cutesy names, corrupt politicos, evil property developers. Then the story would take another sharp twist.

The young girl covered in blood is the daughter of real estate tycoon, Reginald Hart. The blood belongs to her father who was shot multiple times by someone the girl describes as a crazy man. She stated, they had been talking while seated on a Tilt-a-Whirl ride at a not yet open amusement park, when the killer had appeared.

Lots of twists and turns keeps the reader interested. Grabenstein writes books for middle grade readers which maybe why Danny seems a bit young, but the story gains maturity as it goes along.

Narrator Jeff Woodman is excellent. He does all the voices really well. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his interpretation of this mystery. I went ahead and downloaded the next two in the series.

This first book by Inger Ash Wolfe caused quite a bit of stir when it came out. It's no secret now that the author is American/Canadian literary author Michael Redhill.

This book involves a serial killer who is targeting terminally ill individuals. As the other reviewer implied, it's not a cozy although I do think it's going a bit far to impute the killer's interests to the author. Serial killer books normally tend to dwell more on the mechanics of the homicide than the average crime story.

The detective is Hazel Micallef, acting chief of the Port Dundas police, 61 with a bad back. As another review I read stated, she was "hobbling toward retirement." She lives with her 87 year old mother, former mayor of Port Dundas. There's also a divorced husband, various subordinates and nosy, uncooperative reporters.

The narrator wasn't bad although the voice was a bit younger than I imagined Hazel's to be.