I’m not a big reader of crime novels, by which I mean the often dark and brutal best-sellers that seem so popular at the moment. I was put off Karin Slaughter because the first book of hers I picked up started with a woman being raped then set on fire. I didn’t get past that scene. I’ve read some Ian Rankin and some Patricia Cornwall, and they’re alright, but I don’t think the genre is generally my thing (Patricia Cornwall did to a couple of excellent humorous crime novels, though – those I did love). I’ve tried domestic thrillers as well – I read Gone Girl and Girl on the Train, and a few more besides, but they hardly filled me with joy. They were okay reads when I wanted something a little different, but a) I wasn’t sure where all the girls in the titles were, as the books were blatantly about grown-ups, and b) everyone was so unpleasant. Nasty, even.
And, look. I know life can be nasty. I know people can be nasty. And both situations occur with alarming regularity. It doesn’t mean I want to read about it.
Plus, there were no dragons.
Jack Gilmour, Wish Lawyer, is also sadly lacking in dragons, however it has demons of various shapes and sizes, a magician, and a lawyer who prefers not to embrace the 21st century. These are all excellent things, and I’m willing to forgive the lack of dragons in such a situation.
It’s not a perfect book, and I had some reservations about the female characters being depicted as either damsels in distress or femme fatales, but it was a good read. Definitely good enough for me to pick up the next book when it comes out. Watch on for more!
Have you read Jack Gilmour, Wish Lawyer, or any of Ed Ryder’s other books? What did you think? And what crime books have you come across that you think I might like? Let me know below!
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