When I read the first few chapters of this book, I was immediately hooked into the story. The first chapter sets a suspenseful tone, making you want to read on. The book is a typical police procedural; with missing youths, murders, violence, and some hidden secrets from the past.
We are introduced to D.I. Monica Kennedy in Chapter 2, and Michael Bach (a social worker) in Chapter 3. Throughout the book the author builds depth to both of these characters. We learn about Monica's inner struggle with balancing work and home life (she has a four year daughter), her guilt about the lack of home life at times and her self consciousness about her height. Michael is social worker who is a bit scatty, but his heart is in the right place and he cares about what happens to his clients.
Unfortunately the author's style of writing and use of language was irksome at times, an example being his over use of 'kid', there are pages where kid appears several times - it is even used in Monica's thoughts about her daughter (I'd never think of my child as 'the kid').
The plot, at times, was a bit clunky - with sudden reveals or turns that sometimes felt like a conveniently placed juncture. At times is was easy to keep reading, at others it just felt like a slog.
The book is described as a D.I. Monica Kennedy novel, but Michael Bach plays just as important a role in the book, and is an essential character. Indeed, despite the author's attempts at portraying Monica as a tall woman who towers over everyone, I don't think she is a big enough (no pun intended) character to carry a book on her own.
We are introduced to D.I. Monica Kennedy in Chapter 2, and Michael Bach (a social worker) in Chapter 3. Throughout the book the author builds depth to both of these characters. We learn about Monica's inner struggle with balancing work and home life (she has a four year daughter), her guilt about the lack of home life at times and her self consciousness about her height. Michael is social worker who is a bit scatty, but his heart is in the right place and he cares about what happens to his clients.
Unfortunately the author's style of writing and use of language was irksome at times, an example being his over use of 'kid', there are pages where kid appears several times - it is even used in Monica's thoughts about her daughter (I'd never think of my child as 'the kid').
The plot, at times, was a bit clunky - with sudden reveals or turns that sometimes felt like a conveniently placed juncture. At times is was easy to keep reading, at others it just felt like a slog.
The book is described as a D.I. Monica Kennedy novel, but Michael Bach plays just as important a role in the book, and is an essential character. Indeed, despite the author's attempts at portraying Monica as a tall woman who towers over everyone, I don't think she is a big enough (no pun intended) character to carry a book on her own.