A Study in Death

Rating:
Summary: highly recommended
Review: In spite of properly casing the joint and doing everything in accordance with the break and enter handbook, George "Geordie" McCulloch selects the wrong apartment to burglarize. He enters the abode of Professor Roger Harvey only to find the occupant's corpse lying in bed. Doing the right thing, Geordie calls the police though being a Good Samaritan probably means the two-time loser will be doing time again.

On the surface, the professor seems to have no enemies. He lived for his work though he seemed to set aside plenty of time for the ladies. As the Crowley police dig deeper into the academic's life, they begin to find many secrets that the professor hid, one of which one must have led to his murder.

To this reviewer, a cleverly designed British procedural is always fun to read because of the comparisons with the American judicial system. In his debut, Iain McDowell provides sub-genre fans with a creative tale filled with legitimate red herrings that encourages the reader to guess who did it. Readers will remain on the look out for more novels from this new talent.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: definitely out of the ordinary
Review: This book isn't for everyone. It's fast-paced and has its share of plot twists. But beware - it's not your average mystery story. The cops aren't "nice" and heartwarming. Life doesn't get better just because they solve the case. Instead you get real characters, real psychology and some wonderful writing. ("McCulloch tried a smile as slight as his huddled frame, as slender as his future"). If you like the finer things in a book and not the obvious, you will love it.

Rating:
Summary: highly recommended
Review: This is my book of the year so far. The pace never lets up and I was kept guessing right to the end. But most of all I liked the quality of the writing. Especially the way the town of Crowby (fictional?) really comes to life - almost like a character itself. For anyone who likes a dark mystery, well-told, this is a treat. Highly recommended

Rating:
Summary: Okay, but nothing exceptional
Review: Yet again, here's one of those books that got great advance reviews. And, yet again, I'm wondering why. A Study In Death is a pedestrian effort with no surprises, either in the plot or in the characterizations. It is, in fact, a very slow read--in no small part as a result of weird editing notable for its lack of commas and semi-colons. Given that the book is only 186 pages, it was a slog to get through it. Almost every character's frame of reference distills down to sex: who wants to do it, who did it, who remembers it, who's obsessed with it. The only interesting part of the book has to do with a computer program. Sadly, there's not enough about this plot wrinkle. There are some moments when everything springs to life, but those moments are few and far between. It's certainly not the worst police procedural I've ever read but it doesn't hold a candle to the top tier of British writers. It's an okay book, but it breaks no new ground and offers no memorable characters.