Reprisal

by Alfie Robbins

Some of the most vibrant and varied crime writing around anywhere is centred on the evocative industrial fishing port of Hull, with its shadowy wind-swept streets, its hard-bitten attitudes, its drugs, its gangsters and yet its underlying humanity that clings like untended weeds amid the cracks of the endemic poverty and the violence.

And Alfie Robins' 'Reprisal' is an outstanding example of the genre, a classic police procedural where you can hear the streets, smell the weather, savour the taciturn banter, and feel the four inch nail being driven into the heads of victims by a vengeful, meticulous and psychotic serial killer.

This is a criminal environment as real as it gets, and this is how people die if DCI Philip Marlowe and his over-stretched, tight-knit team don't get there first.

Genres: Mystery

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 21, 2011

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Competent police procedural set in snowy Hull.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ending a bit unexpected but very enjoyable read.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that this is the first book by this author as I saw an article in my local paper (Hull Daily Mail) about his new book, thought I'd look him up and decided to download to my kindle.

As he was writing about Hull where I live I found it riveting as I knew the places he was naming in the book i.e. Providence pub (I used to go in there in the 1980's as this was in a lovely square which looked so victorian but alas this is where the new shopping place is also this was around the corner from the old mortuary which isn't now there).

I'll get back to the book.

Gripping reading and didn't want to put it down & with a kindle you can carry it in your bag which I do, so kept reading it whenever I could.

Loved the characters.

I had an idea who the culprit would be but a few twists & turns to throw you off the scent and I was right.

It was just so easy to read and would recommend this book to anyone.

(Hope there will be another instalment with these characters Alfie)

[B.A. Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a superbly crafted crime thriller, with a subtle sliver of wry northern black humour running through it. Clever plot, believable characters with great attention to the finer details even with the supporting cast.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and would certainly recommend it to others.

Up there with Rankin and Hill, in my opinion.

I hope Marlowe and his team are back with more, very soon!

[Martin Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone who lives in Hull [as I do] this is an interesting angle on the usual detective novel as it's based on the real and imaginary cityscape of Hull and Beverley. Not the best plot in the World I guessed the purp quite early on in the book but it did have a nice twist at the end.

[Paul Loader · Rating 2 out of 5]

was very slow getting going and didn't get much better as it went on

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special but entertaining enough for a sunny day.