Timmeloche

A Thrilling Psychological Crime Novel - 4 Stars

This is my first book by S.J. Bolton and you can colour me impressed. Her writing style and characterization reminded me of [a:Tana French|138825|Tana French|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1277505771p2/138825.jpg], another masterful psychological crime writer. Like French, Bolton's main character is a flawed individual with a mountain of baggage and secrets to hide. She is single-minded, intelligent and broken. While I would easily recommend this book, the plot, story and pacing leave something to be desired. Had the writing been cleaner and the story more organized, this would have been an easy 5 stars.

Plot summary

The story begins with our main character, Lacey Flint, a detective constable, stumbles upon a dying woman. The woman had been savagely cut and died on the scene. Given the nature of the woman's injuries, Lacey missed the killer by mere seconds. This first murder is the first in a string of gruesome murders across the city that match the killings of the infamous "Jack the Ripper". The copycat killer is intent on involving Lacey and it is clear this is personal. As the investigation unfolds, Lacey's past becomes entangled with her present and threatens to destroy the life she has built

The Good

Gotta Love Her

Lacey, the main character, is beautifully developed and nuanced. She is bright but stand-offish, driven yet broken. She is hiding secrets that are revealed as the story unfolds. Nothing boosts a novel as a wonderfully developed characters. The reader is confronted with Lacey's flaws, her attempts to hid them and her bad decisions stemming from them. In my opinion, flawed characters are much more interesting and realistic which leads to more interesting story development. Like the aforementioned Tana French, the story is largely character driven and this character does not disappoint.

He's Coming to get You

Despite the problems I had with the some elements of the writing and story, the overall plot was exciting and engaging. Despite drawing on the well trodden ground of the worlds most famous murders (the Jack the Ripper Killings if you were wondering), the plot does not feel old or stale. As the author has made the killings very personal to Lacey, much of the excitement comes as the Lacey's world begin to collide.

That Lady can Write

S.J. Bolton writes an effortless and engaging prose. The writing is accessible to the reader without being simplistic. Her writing draws you into the world that she created and the City of London and surrounding cities come alive. She can certainly turn a phrase which allows the reader to have a entertaining and "literary" experience.

The Bad

Its Done Already?

This story packs a lot into approximately 400 pages. This is one the rare occasions that it seemed the book would have benefited with another 100 pages. While the author does not lack the ability to write and the plot was interesting, the story development was both rushed and occasionally sloppy. The story begins as a police procedural and we follow along with the steps in the investigation. Then suddenly, we skip 4 or 5 days and the previous step in the investigation is left hanging. At one point I became convinced I must be listening to an abridged version of the story but upon a second look it was in fact unabridged. This stuttered pacing hurt my rating. It felt as if the author was racing to get her story finished. As a result, secondary characters and the relationships were nearly as developed as Lacey. For example, we meet the lead investigator and a relationship is formed with Lacey. Then, without explanation, the character essentially disappears and we only hear of her second hand. This happens on more than one occasion. It was frustrating for this reader.

On top of this, the story was hurt by a glaring plot problem. If you plan on reading you will want to skip this marked spoiler. Each of the murders could have been committed by Lacey. Body parts, knifes and forensic evidence were continually found by her and linked her to the murders. It was unrealistic that only DC Jonesberry suspected her. The author clearly wants the reader to question if Lacey is the murderer. The trail of evidence easily implicated her, as least circumstantially. It was simply nonsensical that she would be used on the investigations.

Final Thoughts

Despite its warts, the novel was excellent and receives my recommendation. This novel is "Tana French Lite" in my view and I am happy to have this series to complete while I am waiting for Ms. French's next novel. There are other elements that may effect your enjoyment of the story but they are listed in the content advisory.

Audiobook Notes

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. The author was a 5 star narrator. The female narrator did an excellent job with the male voices. She used minor changes in inflection to mark a male voice instead of attempting to speak in low tone. Her voice was pleasing and her British accent was easy on the ears. Recommended in the audiobook format.
Content Advisories

It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.

Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest

Sex - 3

Some of the sexual content is explored in greater detail under violence. Suffice to say, there is a somewhat minor theme of sexual assault. The Main Character is interested in investigation sexual assault and this is dealt with on several occasions. There is some elements of sexual assault related to the killings. There are a couple of moderately graphic descriptions of rape but the scene are short. Readers who are not comfortable with minor sexual assault themes should avoid this story.

Language - 3

While the use of religious exclamations and mild obscenities is low, there is a low use of the f-word. I felt the usage was significant enough to bring this rating to 3.

Violence - 5

There is a string of murder by a serial killer. Each of these murders are gruesome in nature and the descriptions are moderate to high with graphic content. Had there been one murder, this would have garnered a four but considering the multiple descriptions of multiple murders, the graphic nature could be very disturbing to some readers. There is moderate amount of sexual violence. One of the underlying stories revolves around a historical rape and the main character is investigating current-day gang rape. One of the murders involved a suspected sexual assault and a body being sexually impaled after death. Each of these murders was to copy a Jack the Ripper killing. Suffice to say, the content is graphic and some readers will be disturbed.

Crossposted to The Literary Lawyer