I’ve heard of Simon Kernick of course, but only read one of his previous books and that was some time ago.
I note that a number of his series seem to overlap and converge, which is an approach I really like. However… I’d recommend reading – at least this series – in order as it really felt like I came in midway through a conversation, as a result I’m conscious that most (or any) of my criticism of this novel generally stems from my lack of context as much as anything.
I reviewed The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz last year. I very much enjoyed the novel but was a little disoriented initially… as it was (kinda) a novel within a novel.
His new release, The Word is Murder is similar. And though – in many ways – this book by Horowitz is clever, I found myself a bit distracted (from his excellent writing) by the fact vs fictional elements on offer.
I was fortunate to start this series at the beginning and until I checked Goodreads I assumed The Hanging Club was the second in the series by Tony Parsons. And was about to tell you it should be pretty easy to catch up if you need to.
I was surprised therefore to discover this is actually number three and I ‘somehow’ missed number two last year. So obviously it doesn’t matter if you’re playing catch-up because Parsons does a good job of succinctly sharing any necessary backstory.
I’m always excited to see new releases from my favourite authors so the arrival of Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben was a cause for celebration – and for some shuffling of my ‘TBR’ list so I could get to it as soon as possible.
And although it’s a great read – as Coben’s novels always are – I was a tad disappointed by what eventuated this time around.
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