Reviewed by: Pete Barber
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words
Availability
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Author:
Karen Long is a former teacher who took up full-time writing
ten years ago. She has written numerous screenplays and is currently working on
the second novel in ‘The Eleanor Raven’ series. Married to a film director she
is fortunate to travel the world where she spends most of her time zealously
flushing out and photographing reluctant wildlife. She lives in rural
Shropshire with her three children, three dogs and a small but noisy collection
of crows.
Description:
Detective
Eleanor Raven investigated a serial killer who poses his female victims as
gruesome works of art.
Appraisal:
In her
private life, Eleanor Raven has a penchant for being the ‘sub’ in BDSM role
play. In her professional one, she is a tough and highly intelligent detective.
The story created an entanglement between her public and private personas which
added a really interesting twist to the tale.
This novel
was a mixed bag for me, though. On the positive side, the plot kept me engaged,
as did the murderer’s back story and rituals. Raven’s BDSM leanings added depth
to her character and created some interesting conflict. I can certainly see her
as a character strong enough to carry a series. However, too often, scenes
opened without enough setting. I got lost and had to read a few paragraphs in
to work out where I was in time and place. Couple with this numerous minor
characters cluttered the story and added to my confusion. These problems in
execution threw me out of the story too often and spoiled my enjoyment.
Format/Typo
Issues:
Too few to
mention. English (UK) spelling.
Rating: *** Three stars
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