A A real page-turner. Supernatural elements don't undermine the effectiveness of the police procedural.
In spite of the fulsome blurbs on the cover, and in the front pages, this is not the greatest thriller written in the history of the word, ever. (The blurbs actually had the opposite effect on me, and had me set up for a great disappointment. They were too over-the-top, and divided equally between authors I respect and enjoy, and authors I have found unreadable. So I was wary ...)
But this is an impressive debut: North handles the different strands of the story, and perspectives, very well. He balances the supernatural elements nicely. The narrative is not driven by characters doing unbelievably stupid things. (They do a couple of believably stupid things, but that's very different ...)
Satisfying spooky and intriguing read. I would even say that you should give it a try, if you're allergic to supernatural elements in a mystery. Looking forward to further works by Mr. North.
In spite of the fulsome blurbs on the cover, and in the front pages, this is not the greatest thriller written in the history of the word, ever. (The blurbs actually had the opposite effect on me, and had me set up for a great disappointment. They were too over-the-top, and divided equally between authors I respect and enjoy, and authors I have found unreadable. So I was wary ...)
But this is an impressive debut: North handles the different strands of the story, and perspectives, very well. He balances the supernatural elements nicely. The narrative is not driven by characters doing unbelievably stupid things. (They do a couple of believably stupid things, but that's very different ...)
Satisfying spooky and intriguing read. I would even say that you should give it a try, if you're allergic to supernatural elements in a mystery. Looking forward to further works by Mr. North.
