Emmy Ellis THE PIG PEN

 4* intro to this author, DI Anna and her crew. 

I've read a ton of UK-based police procedurals recently, mostly from Joffe Books. The Britishness of the tales make them refreshing and believable, although some take liberties with real-life policing, like this one, which supposedly has a former gang member as a DC. He's suspicious and under observation, but lo and behold, there well may be another, whose identity isn't known in books 1 or 2. But, at the heart of the books, there's a proper tale, investigations, good cops for the most, and a strong female lead. In fact, make that strong females, full stop. 

There's a decent but gruesome and rather horrifying tale here, that'll make me never look at pigs the same way again. These aren't of the pink, cute, furry variety, rather literal cannibals and omnivores. 

We do get introduced to the bad guy straight away, a la new-MO of JD Robb style, and I felt that his 'revenge is a dish best served cold' attitude was believable, calculated and cold, so I'm not quite sure what clued the DI in immediately, other, perhaps, than her instincts. It was a pretty well orchestrated revenge, but it'll turn your stomach in parts and make you wonder how well you really know people. The reveals for how he ended up what and who he was, were evil and stomach turning. 

There's an interesting arc that'll continue over several books to come, with the DI's mutual attraction to a younger, supposedly former gang member, which is being built up nicely into book 2, which I've just finished. It is going where things are being hinted at, but it'll need nerves of steel on her part. The bad guys aren't mafia types, but they've got their eyes and ears around and have brutal ways. I'm hoping the bad cop gets his comeuppance but I'm torn between rooting for Anna and Joshua aka Parole, or maybe not, as there's something potentially real there, as well as deception on both their parts. Well, at least on hers, which is a table nicely turned for once.

There's a nicely done bit of dealing with sexual harassment, featuring a young Asian cop as the victim. She's got balls, she's got the courage to go against her upbringing for what's right but there could be a cost to her. What nearly happens is about right in how it's portrayed but, ugh, why don't authors do their research better? Parvati is a Hindu, so guys from her religion don't go to the mosque, but a temple. That's a big faux pas, that I'm feeding back, as I'm from a similar background and got an ARC of the book. But, other than that, things felt pretty realistic.

I really enjoyed this book, as I did book 2. Without the Parvati mess-up, this would've been a 5* read. Book 2 segues nicely with this, although it doesn't have the same feeling of danger/pace/horror. But, still, small towns and theie secrets, eh? 

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Joffe Books for my reading pleasure. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE SECOND GRAVE by Jeffrey B Burton

 4* Good intro to this series, and it didn't matter that I'm late to the party. This is an engrossing and engaging tale, partly because of the dynamics of the brother-sister duo, partly because of the brother's telling of the tale, partly because of the storyline but mostly because there are dogs in it, dogs that save the day, literally, and that don't get hurt. It's easy to start and there's enough told that I didn't find myself wondering about the previous book. It's quite fast paced and Cory is unaffected and literal and his 'voice' is youthful and believable and carries the tale well. The storyline is sad at the start, but that's just a facilitator for the plot, which is a good one. A sad one for some of the people involved, and boy is it good that justice of a sort, the type I find satisfying when someone's gotten away with something for too long, got done. 'Al' definitely deserved what they got. But those involved in the dec...
Read more

ALWAYS YOU AND ME by Dani Atkins

5* Even though I don't believe in HEAs anymore, this book had me crying because of THAT ending. I'm going to try and review without spoilering, but ugh, I started the book almost in tears and ended it in actual tears, and with hope that sometimes love does last.  This book is so much more than a second chance at love. It's about loving and loved but flawed characters whose lives with each other had their time, and when that time was gone, the love continued. Like Finn and Matt by Charlie Winters, this is a book I loved but won't ever read again. A part of me can't believe the author went there with the ending, but another part of me, the romantic-but-hurt part, wants to believe in the power of everlasting love.  ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my reading pleasure. 
Read more

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Mike Gayle

3* A pleasant enough 15-minute deckchair read. This isn't a deep novel with a big plot, but pretty much what the blurb offers. I didn't feel much for either character but the tale ended well for both - not going to spoiler, but it wasn't what I expected and it didn't quite ring true. 
Read more