Publisher: Orion
ISBN: 978-1409144519
Publication date: 14th February 2013
A K Benedict’s debut is a thriller set in Cambridge which combines murder with time-travel.
Stephen Killigan, a young lecturer just arrived at Cambridge, finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when he drunkenly stumbles over the dead body of a beauty queen who disappeared a year earlier. The police look for the body and find no sign of it, and Killigan is suspected of either being a hoaxer or a madman. When the body of a young choir boy is found the day after he goes missing but looking as if he has been dead for a year, Killigan is upgraded from a hoaxer to a murder suspect.
Cambridge is a city with enough idiosyncrasies and history to make it an effective setting for a thriller like this, and the author’s knowledge of the city means that the level of local detail is impressive and adds to the atmosphere of the novel. The villain, Jackamore Grass, is well drawn – arrogant and intelligent, he has been waiting for a worthy opponent and, in Killigan, he thinks he’s found him. The use of the different voices throughout the novel keeps the narrative interesting and the plot zips along a good speed.
There were some niggles though – the occasional anachronism grates, especially as most of the novel was well-researched. Some of the characters seem a little flat and underdeveloped – the police inspector, Jane Horne, is a good example of this. There are some attempts to make her a more rounded character by giving her concerns beyond her job, but it feels a little perfunctory. The dialogue is sometimes forced and Killigan himself crosses the line between witty academic and pretentious twit more than once.
It is a largely well-written, easy to read and compelling thriller which would make a good introduction to a series, but isn’t quite as clever as it thinks it is.
3/5
I was sent a review copy by http://www.lovereading.co.uk in return for an honest review. A shortened version of this review also appears on that site.
January 7th, 2013 at 17:57
Having enjoyed ‘The Last Policeman’ – an apocalyptic crime novel I quite fancy reading this. I’ll look out for it thanks.
January 7th, 2013 at 19:01
It’s a good quick read. I’m hoping that maybe ‘some’ editing will happen between the proof and the publication…
January 7th, 2013 at 19:51
This sounds really good fun. Do you know if this will be starting a series, or was that just your take on it?
January 7th, 2013 at 21:26
I have no idea if it will be a series, I’m afraid; it just had that kind of feeling. Maybe I’m just hoping that it will be so that the characters have a chance of being developed more!
January 12th, 2013 at 17:36
Sounds like a great, cozy reading but I’m not sure about the time-traveling. The Time Traveler’s Wife was great, but it is not one of my favourite topics, especially if combined with crimes (which I love). Thanks for the review!