The Calling

Luther #1

by Neil Cross

Meet DCI John Luther.
He's brilliant. He's intense. He's obsessional. He's dangerous.

DCI John Luther has an extraordinary clearance rate. He commands outstanding loyalty from friends and colleagues. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. But Luther seethes with a hidden fury that at times he can barely control. Sometimes it sends him to the brink of madness, making him do things he shouldn't; things way beyond the limits of the law.

The Calling, the first in a new series of novels featuring DCI John Luther, takes us into Luther's past and into his mind. It is the story of the case that tore his personal and professional relationships apart and propelled him over the precipice. Beyond fury, beyond vengeance. All the way to murder…

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, British Literature

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2011

About the author

Neil was born in Bristol in 1969. He lived in Edinburgh, Brighton, Leeds and London before settling down. He is the author of several novels including Always the Sun, Burial and Captured as well as the bestselling memoir Heartland. He was lead scriptwriter for the acclaimed series 6 and series 7 of the BBC spy drama series Spooks and is the creator of the forthcoming BBC crime thriller Luther, which is scheduled to appear on BBC1 in 2010, starring Idris Elba. Following the British publication of Captured in January 2010, he is working on his next novel and continues to write for the screen. He lives in New Zealand with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. The calling is a book that was written as a prequel to the five brilliant BBC TV series that ran from 2010 to 2019. I am a big fan of Luther. He is my favourite TV homicide detective, so I am probably biased. He is an angry man who is compelled to bring some of the evilest, demented killers to his type of justice (or vengeance), often going outside the law. The killers are so deranged, and their crimes revolting, I admit to cheering him on. I missed Luther when the series ended in 2019, but now a recent movie, 'The Fallen Sun' on Netflix continues Luther's life and his criminal cases after the series' final episode and news that more movies will follow.

There are many gut-wrenching and cringe-worthy issues in The Calling. It addresses deviant sexual thoughts and actions (especially pedophilia), infertility, child abduction and trafficking, abortion, blackmail, cruelty, torture and murder. I found some graphic scenes hard to read as they lingered in my imagination more than the TV shows and were nightmare-inducing. The book is fast-paced and well-constructed. Knowing that Luther wouldn't stop until he caught the perpetrators, I was unable to put the book aside. He is compelled to keep working without rest until the cases are solved. He loves his wife, but his obsessive work ethic and the quest for revenge make it seem that his marriage is doomed. Colleagues are often appalled by his methods, but they usually like and forgive him. He could be considered obsessive and somewhat unhinged.

This is a powerful, propulsive, high-octane thriller with an exciting, heart-pounding chase near the end and a desperate hunt to save a dying, captive child. This book will appeal to Luther fans, but Warning; the content may be too disturbing for some readers. If you haven't met Luther on TV, you should. The author Neil Cross wrote all TV episodes, so he knows Luther well. I hope there are more books to follow.

[Isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how many of you watch (*sniff* ...watched) Luther, but if you haven't watched it yet, you are really missing out.

Let me be honest, one of the best things about Luther, for me, is Alice.




She's so unrepentantly insane! She's done horrible things, things I wouldn't forgive any other character, things I do NOT forgive her! ...And yet I can't help but... like her? Yes, let's go with "like" and not explore how sexy murderous ladies leave me confused.


I killed my parents for the lols.

But there is no Alice in Luther: The Calling. It's a prequel. I thought I'd hate it, I thought I'd just plod through it with a jewellers loupe, searching for a hint of Alice. Alas, there was no Alice

BUT IT WAS AMAZING

I can't give much away when it comes to the plot because it would all be spoilers for the tv series, but let us just say Luther is trying his best to save a newborn baby from the hands of a pedophile. And things... get steadily worse. By worse I mean the situation, not the writing, plot, or general amazingness of the book.

One thing I have to point out about Neil Cross: he writes women well (well, up until the last season with the Tinkerbell thing). Oh, there are a few haters on the internet, loathing Zoe and even Jenny(!) for being less than 20 feet away from Luther and in possession of a vagina. Admittedly, I don't get the hate, but Neil Cross made it even more impossible to dislike Zoe, impossible to dislike Mark! All of this while still rooting for Luther - let's be real, it helps that Luther is describe throughout as Idris Elba.


pictured above, triggering ovulation on unsuspecting females

But back to the book! It's like Neil Cross sat down and decided to ponder: "what makes human beings, collectively, as a species, act insanely protective?" And he came up with:

- Babies
- Children
- Abused dogs
- Kind grandpas

And then he spent the entire book, (and the series, let's be honest), using them to crush the readers' souls.
There were points in this book where I just threw it away from me because I couldn't stand it any longer. And then, when I stopped sobbing, I'd pick it up and voraciously kept reading it.

Now it's been over a year since I've read it and sometimes, I'll remember something from it and I'm just like, "Someone bash my head in with a shovel, I can't go on living after this book."

So, what I'm saying is: Go on. Read it.


DO IT

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

So you should know from the start that I'm a huge fan of the "Luther" BBC series this is a prequel too. So when I saw this book on a shelf I nearly jumped for joy. I was a little hesitant when I discovered it was a prequel, but that was a different me...a stupider me. Neil Cross has now joined the very small list of Detective/Crime fiction gods (as chosen by yours truly) that prior to reading this book was Walter Mosley and Joe R. Lansdale. Now they are a Trinity, dark and grand in their savage beauty. So ends my fanboy gushing, now on to more serious review.

I read this book in about 3 days. Now while its not a huge book at 224 pages, that's still quite fast for me. This book will suck you in with its shadowed grit and obsessive pace. So ya know, its got that going for it.

John Luther is a tortured man. This is evident from the beginning of the book. He cares too much, and is far to good at his job. Tragedy was always walking side by side with him. Those around him are caught up in his intensity and largeness (both of body and purpose). Go with it or fight it, your chances are about the same as we witness with our secondary and tertiary characters. Most notable of which are Zoe Luther(his wife), DCI Ian Reed(friend and police comrade), and DS Rose Teller (his boss). Neil Cross does a brilliant job bringing these characters to life, and he completely honors the life that all the actors from the show brought to them as well.

Now let me say a little bit about subject and tone. This book is not for the faint of heart. I've read some emotionally draining things in my day, and this book is up there. We are dealing with brutal murder, kidnapping, abuse (both of people and animals), and in a few cases Luther is forced to converse with pedophiles. The contents of this book are amazing but dark things. So be forewarned.

So that's about it. I thought this book was amazing. Great and intense pacing, detailed and real characters, in a setting that will haunt you (I know its haunted me a bit) for a while after you read it. Sounds like a good book to me, so go read it.

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read with characters and actions that are dark and disturbing, which made for some uncomfortable reading in parts. If you enjoyed the show, you will probably enjoy this book, but be ready for some creepy craziness!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is the literary John Luther best known from the BBC tv show by the name of Luther and played by Idriss Alba. The writer of this book is also the writer and creator of the tv show.
One thing you should know about this book is that where the story of the book ends the first season of the tv show Luther starts, so far any spoilers.
The plan was that Cross would write three novels of which so far only this one has reached the printed endstage.
Anyhow this is a Luther story with all very recognizable characters from the tv show. The relationship between John & Zoe is a shipwreck and the affair which Zoe starts is recognizable, the relationship with Ian Reed is the one you’d expect between alpha males.
This story opens with a horrible double murder and the theft of a baby, stolen from the womb. And the already unstable Luther becomes even more of a mental wreck. While chasing a murderous child thief there is also the matter of a friend of Ian Reed that needs protecting from some goons that want the man out of his home so some developers can tear the neighborhood down in exchange of a better neighborhood and a wee bit more expensive.
This novel does show a truthful Luther who is of the same essence as his tv persona.
Reading the book feels like waiting for that unavoidable trainwreck to happen, which is fine when it comes to the Luther Franchise with the tv show, movie and novel.

Best read by fans of the Luther tv show.

[Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus] · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought, nay, I was certain, I was going to enjoy Luther: The Calling, but regrettably it rates as a DNF for me.

I am an Aussie, swearing (cussing), profanity and bad language are in our DNA, and everyone knows that our police force members swear (just check our local TV productions), but at 75% I became disenchanted by the language in this audio book, particularly the gratuitous use of the F and the C bombs.

The Luther of the TV series was reflected pretty much in the Luther in The Calling except for the language which was mercifully restrained on TV. A troubled, noirish character (played by the excellent Idris Elba in the TV series), who truly loves his wife but is over-committed to his job as an outstanding detective, Luther evokes some empathy but not enough to resurrect this book in my eyes.

One star out of five because I have just noted that one star means "did not like it" whereas I have been giving zero stars for this category in the past.

[switterbug (Betsey) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neil Cross, sole writer of the BBC TV series, Luther, wrote this psychological crime drama prequel, subsequent to writing the TV show. I have never read a book based on a screenplay that was any good, until now. Not just good, but unputdownable. Was it as riveting as the series? Absolutely. I wasn’t distracted by segueing from film to print, or going back in time, or the sizzling reminders of Idris Elba, who consummately personifies DCI John Luther.

“Luther is a big man with a big walk,” is Cross’s understated way of describing this very complex and conflicted London detective of the Serious Crime Unit. He was once a post-grad English literature major, who met his wife, Zoe, when they took a comparative religion course together about twenty years ago. She is now a human rights attorney, and Luther fights crime on the London streets.

John loves his wife, frequently despises his job, but compromises his marriage for the dedication and long hours that keep him away from home, physically and emotionally. He’s hypomanic, which is, euphemistically, bipolar-lite. His mood is elevated and sleep is elusive. He doesn’t drink. Now, there’s an original and refreshing trait. Too many crime novels portray the alcoholic genius detective. Luther is a genius, but a sober one.

Luther has a temper. Violent criminals, especially psychopaths who harm children, provoke his rage. He periodically goes rogue in his tactics, creating hair-raising moments with his boss, Rose Teller. His partner and best friend, Ian Reed, is on the same page, but other colleagues frown when he disregards policy. They officially complain, complicating the plot and putting the squeeze on Luther’s advantage against the clock.

Graphic violence is central to the plot, so beware the beast. However, it is not gratuitous. Cross is brilliant at combining Tarantino and Rumi. Luther is the thinking man's combatant, a scholar/warrior, a David Bowie enthusiast and moral strategist, with a hint of the mystical. Instead of a patched-elbow tweedy elite, which he could have been, he is fighting crime. Luther is a conundrum. On the one hand, he is deeply virtuous and applies his principles or morality to outwitting the criminal. On the other hand, his tempestuous means to an end approach often violates departmental ethics, creating considerable problems for himself, his colleagues, and his superiors.

With a poetic economy of words, Cross keeps a sublime vise grip on the reader. Oh, those pages will fly and burn your fingers in the process. The pace is crucial to the mood and plot, and Cross maintains a fierce but restrained tempo, as incomparable as the series. You will be installed in the story by the first page; it is so exquisitely brazen, you will screech and howl before it is over. The next book in the series can’t come soon enough!

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars for Luther: The Calling (audiobook) by Neil Cross read by David Bauckham.

I haven’t seen the TV show that this is apparently the prequel to and I’ll probably skip it if I run across it. I really didn’t care for the main character and the story was really disturbing.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Numerous questionable tactics in this story, leading to a dubious end. 4 of 10 stars

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a bit behind the times watching the TV series 'Luther' as only watched it in the last couple of weeks...and I bloody loved it. We binge-watched the majority over a weekend and it blew me away. Idris Elba...superb. Hard-hitting, gritty and set in London - right up my street.

So then I read that Neil Cross who created Luther and wrote the screenplay wrote this book after the tv series (unusual). In the acknowledgements for this book he thanked the actors who were in the series for bringing his characters to life and giving them a new dimension which he then translates to this book.

It is all this that makes this book so brilliant. It is a prequel to the first series giving us some back story to the characters with it's own intrguing storyline. (I don't think you need to have watched the series to enjoy this but it certainly optimised my own appreciation.)

Some people will find this book difficult to read because it is nasty, gritty and violent. The style of writing is very frank and straightforward and it doesn't spare anybody's feelings.
At times it's very hard to read and makes you squirm BUT in doing so it extracts your deepest feelings and empathies for everyone involved. The way he taps into and exposes the feelings of each character including those on the periphery is superbly done. Just a word and a metaphorical nod tells you everything you need to know.

My favourite thing about this book is that it skews the lines between 'good' and 'bad' showing evil at it's worst and then somewhere in between where you have to decide how far your own moral compass will go.
If Henry is pure evil then where does Vasile Savil or Patrick come on the scale?...and what about Luther himself??

This is my absolute favourite read this year - it has everything that I love in a book executed perfectly (to my taste).
I've read some great books lately but it's been a while since my head was submerged in an actual book for two days straight. I can't stop talking about it and I think my boyfriend might secretly be wearing ear plugs....

[Indieflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the prequel to the first episode of the brilliant Luther TV series and it's so good. Most definitely not for the faint hearted, brutal, gruesome and disturbing, it covers some very dark themes. This is the only book I've read to ever give me an actual nightmare, not sure why as I've read plenty of gruesome stuff. I think perhaps the nature of the crimes disturbed me so much, as I also found Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, to be compelling yet very uncomfortable reading too, and the crimes were somewhat similar. Either way I'd have to set it aside before bed and read something else 😬.

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Luther is a tortured and talented detective who gets into the heads of his victims and targets. He saves lives by giving up his own, one piece at a time. This story is a prequel to the very successful, riveting BBC series - a must watch for crime thriller junkies everywhere. A great foundational piece that threads you to the beginning of Luther's dark path. I knew the story in this novel would likely be dark. I did not, however, realize exactly how dark it might get. This novel explores the dark side of humanity-- in both the protagonist and the series of antagonists he faces-- and is a worthy prequel to the TV series. A very good read-- but be prepared to dip your toes in the sludge of human activity.
A good thriller with lots of twists and turns. The murders are just as gruesome, even without the visual component. I wish there were more Luther novels. I'd love to read the adventures of Luther and Alice.
I love the character of John Luther and the actor Idris Elba. His role gives true meaning and grit to the character.
Great read. i couldn't put it down.

[Eric Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just looked this up on my goodreads app because I remember reading it before I watched the series and my wife and I are rewatching the whole series again.This book is great the series is great I can't say enough about Idris Elba's portrayal of the damaged but lovable detective. I am going to reread this when I get a chance.I highly recommend this novel and the series, yes it's on Netflix, add it to your watch list and get ready for an edge of your seat ride, you won't regret it!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a precursor to the television adaptation, Neil Cross penned this fast-paced novel to introduce the world to John Luther. London is a city full of life, vigour, and energy, but also has a dark underbelly where murders and other violent crimes surface on a regular basis. Thankfully, DCI John Luther is ready to stare down those looking to wreak havoc in his unique approach to crime fighting. When he is called to the scene of a grisly murder, he is left aghast at the depravity before him. A couple is dead, the woman's stomach slashed open and the child she carried was torn from inside her. Unsure if the baby could survive, Luther is forced to begin a manhunt, hoping he is not too late. When a man calls in to a talk radio program, professing to be behind the kidnapping, all eyes turn to Luther, in hopes that he can save Baby Emma, the moniker given to this bundle. The more the case develops, the more involved Luther becomes, ignoring his life outside of work. When another couple is slain and their young daughter taken, Luther must race against the clock to save her and pinpoint who is behind this, before more children go missing and the body count rises. However, the more time he dedicates to work, the less he spends at home, where Luther's wife, Zoe, has reached her limit. Will Luther help bring a killer to justice and let his personal relationship die alongside it? Cross pulls the reader into this wonderful crime thriller, which helps create a firm foundation for the television series and its strong protagonist.

While I am a fan of the television series, I am only now getting around to this novel. Nothing herein ruins the series, though Cross offers a wonderful insight into the power of the Luther character and the early strains between John and Zoe. Cross develops a wonderful collection of characters whose unique nature helps form a powerful narrative and fast-paced thriller, while keeping an element of surprise throughout. His writing style makes it easy to read and leaves the reader always wanting a little more, while not rushing anything. Cross may have turned his sights to the television screenplay writing, though one can hope that there are more books to come in this series, which will feed into the reading fan base and could drum up additional support for the television series in its own right.

Kudos, Mr. Cross for this great thriller and dedication to creating a new and exciting crime thriller series that will leave people gathered around the water cooler for weeks and months to come.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Luther, as Idris Elba, star of his own TV serial, Luther, gets his prequel in the form of this novel – Luther: The Calling – written by the same author, Neil Cross. Coming out in 2011, around the same time as the second Luther serial, this novel describes the case immediately prior to the TV serial. In fact, it runs up almost completely to the start of the first episode – covering everything that leads up to the suspension that Luther returns from. This is a dark introduction, not for the faint of heart, dealing with a number of quite brutal and bloody child abductions. The story feels right though, like the TV serial itself, Luther is a dark character who needs dark crimes to pit himself against.

Several other characters from the TV serial are introduced (again). Some of them make perfect sense to exist in this novel: Zoe, his wife, is still the complex cross of selfish and trapped in a relationship that does her no good; and Rose Teller, his boss, is still the same acidic cop first human second character – the two women in Luther's life. Through to characters that didn't absolutely need to be here, but we like the continuity: Ian Reed, the dogged side-kick, who is injured throughout a lot of this story, but Cross begins to foreshadow some of the storyline that Reed presents once the TV serial kicks off. At the other end of the scale, the character that is so blatantly included just so those people who watched the TV serial can go "ah-hah" is Justin Ripley, there's no valid reason for him to be in the novel, he doesn't interact with Luther at all, just briefly collects a statement half way through the story. Totally unnecessary foreshadowing.

Over used nods to the TV seems to be the failing of the novel. Ripley's appearance aside, the characterisation of Luther especially, but also some other characters, seems to rely entirely on you having seen the TV serial. Taking the text on it's own, he seems shallow and two-dimensional, once you picture him as Idris Elba and fill in the voice and the odd tics – in fact fill in a lot yourself, because it isn't written here – only then does the character feel fully formed. While Cross has written other novels, this feels more like an adapted screenplay, it's dialogue heavy but description light. The dialogue never feels wrong, it just feels like the novel needs more non-dialogue.

[L.M. Krier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the Luther TV series, which made its début on British television in 2010. This book, first published in 2011, forms the lead-in (prequel, if you will) to the series and supplies something of a background to the characters.

Author Neil Cross is a well-known screenwriter who wrote some of the equally brilliant Spooks series. The Calling is written in the present tense, very much in screenplay style, which makes it highly visual. It is not for the faint-hearted. There are some gruesome scenes which the writing style plants into your brain even if you try to resist.

Above all, it is clean, sharp, totally uncluttered. Apart from one brief passage which was slightly more pedestrian, there is absolutely nothing there which doesn't need to be. In that sense, the writing is sublime.

It's not a classic whodunnit. We know quite early on who the killer is and can easily deduce other twists to the plot. But it's so cleverly written that none of that matters. The characters are well drawn; it's easy to feel their pain and their other emotions.

So why only 4 stars? It's really a 5-star read, especially in comparison with some disappointing efforts I have endured recently. My problem was that I couldn't, hand on heart, say whether it would have worked as well for me had I not seen the TV series first.

Inevitably, as I read, it was not John Luther my mind's eye was seeing but Idris Elba, 'a big man with a big walk', truly outstanding in the series. Not Martin Schenk of Complaints but the wonderfully understated Dermot Crowley. And so on. Without that template, what would we be left with? Yet another damaged cop with a train-wreck marriage. One who cries over dead babies but doesn't even phone his wife or take her calls during a difficult case. One who bends every rule in the book and is often dangerously out of control to get results. In other words, a cliché.

I do still recommend this book as the self-control in the writing is a joy. I certainly highly recommend the TV series but not unless you have a strong stomach.

[Tom Wruble · Rating 4 out of 5]

It got to the point yesterday where I couldn't put it down.

I found Bill Turner, an 85 year old character especially likeable, honorable and adaptable. Just because things were a certain way when he was young doesn't mean that it was right. Here's the passage that I found the goodness of man in:

Bill bets a few quid, watches a few races, doesn't make a penny
but enjoys himself anyway.
Then he goes out. Poor little Paddy's tied to a lamp post. His
little legs are shaking with cold and the terror of abandonment
and he's looking up at Bill with a kind of pleading relief. Bill feels
a bit guilty. He says, 'Sorry there, boy. Was I gone a long time?
Was I?'
He doesn't care who's listening. He's an old bloke with an old
dog, fuck them all.
It takes him a long time, but he stoops and lets the dog jump
into his arms. Little Paddy cringes into his barrel chest, like he's
trying to push inside Bill.
A Sikh kid, the first softness of dark beard round his chops,
eases up to him. 'You all right, mate?'
When Bill was this kid's age, he'd never in a million years, a
hundred million years, have considered calling an elder 'mate'.
He'd have been clipped round the ear. But the kid doesn't mean
any disrespect, in fact he means the opposite of it. Bill responds
by saying, 'Yes, I'm fine thank you, mate.'
A twelve-year-old and an eighty-five-year-old calling each other
mate. There's got to be some good in that, hasn't there?

[Jaksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grim as grim can be. And graphic. And horrific.

But, for anyone wishing for more 'Luther,' and are waiting (endlessly) for him to return to TV, and believe in the rumors that 'one more is coming' or a movie or some other pish-posh...

(I've never written 'pish-posh' in a review before!)

...then read this. It's all Luther - a rough and take-no-enemies Luther. A John Luther who will go to all and any means to find the man who slaughtered an entire family just to have the mother's unborn child. And yet, it's a killer of a book. It doesn't STOP. Entire pages written in stop-motion-animation style. It jerks and works and you can't stop reading 'til the end of the chapter. Dialogue. Action. More action, more dialogue.

Thoroughly enjoyable and fast - did I say FAST? - read.

(Wish there were more in this series, but this is kind of it.)

Four stars.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! The story moves along quickly and I did not want to stop reading it. I have not seen the series, Luther, but that did not seem to matter in reading this book. Easy to learn and follow the characters. A gripping story right up to the end. Highly recommend but not for the squeamish.

[Charlene Intriago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat of a prequel for the TV show, action packed and totally entertaining especially if you are a fan of the show.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upside, Neil Cross has written some fantastic recent books. Downside, LUTHER THE CALLING has a connection with a TV series which I've never seen. So interesting to see if a fabulous author has written a fabulous book, regardless of whatever's been going on over on the small screen. Especially as, I believe, this has been a reverse adaptation with the TV series coming before the book.

The most important thing about any of this author's books is that, particularly as he has such a name as a scriptwriter, there's nothing filmic or screen treatment about the books. These are fully fleshed out stories, with strong characters, really good plots and whilst there's nothing staid about the books, there's nothing obviously "treatment" about them either. This factor is a particular relief for this reader who has ploughed through way too many film scripts loosely disguised as novels over the years to be at all comfortable.

What is particularly worthwhile about this book is the character of DCI John Luther, a moody, difficult, man with a volatile personality and absolute tunnel vision when it comes to getting the bad guy. Rules are broken, lines aren't just crossed - they are obliterated and bridges go up in smoke as Luther strides through the world that Cross builds in LUTHER. Despite the moodiness, despite the intensity of this character, Cross is also able to pull off a fantastic storytelling style. Crisp, pointed yet descriptive, Luther and the world he occupies come vividly to life.

So in a poor attempt to take a leaf from the author's own book: LUTHER's a fantastic character. LUTHER THE CALLING is brutal, in your face, fabulous.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Luther: The Calling" is the first book in a series that stars no nonsense Deputy Inspector John Luther.

The story opens when one of Luther's friends on the police department gets roughed up by two thugs hired by a man who is trying to get a senior citizen to sell his home so the criminal can develop the land.

The central part of the story involves a serial killer who murders a young husband and wife and steals their infant.

Luther is a workaholic who puts himslf so much into the investigation that it's affecting his marriage. His wife sees that he's acting irrationally and not getting any sleep. She wants him to take time off so things can be like they used to...but there's always one more victim to save.

The characters are described to perfection with Luther being easy to feel empathy for and hope that he can solve the case and save his marriage. The antagonist is a sociopath who doesn't care what the effect of his crimes are on others. Seeing him in action would make most readers check the locks on their doors.

The plotting is clever and this is an extremely enjoyable read.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a John Luther fan like I am, you need to know this - LUTHER : THE CALLING lives up to its tremendous lead character's legacy. It's a bona fide chapter of Luther's adventure and not a cash-in byproduct, altough it is Alice Morgan-less. From the first sentence, the authority of Neil Cross' narrative voice is palpable. You can almost hear Idris Elba's voice and see his tortured scowl. THE CALLING is structured like a LUTHER season, it mixes up cases and bad guys in its own unique, frantic way.

The pen of Neil Cross is not perfect. Sometimes he squeezes emotion where he shouldn't (he uses the old trick of torturing dogs 3 times at least). The metaphors can get blunt and overbearing at times, too. I'm being Captain Nit-Picky about this because Neil Cross' character is so phenomenal and I feel he always needs the best possible stage to perform, but this is a novel that's way more enjoyable than your average crime read. LUTHER : THE CALLING is a must-read for every fan of the series and would probably turn the unwitting reader into a fan as well. Bottom line, read it.

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luther the Calling brings the brutal character Luther into novel format with a prequel to the TV series. Written by Neil Cross the original creator of the series, this book stays very true the characters and compliments the series well.

In the same breath, a completely new fan without seeing the Luther series prior to reading this will still enjoy this novel. The prose is tight as, the world the characters in harsh and dark. The mystery, the relationships, and Luther's mental health are all as a compelling an tense as any other crime thriller.

The only criticism I have of this, is The Called does have a rather formulaic structure. Hardly surprising really given its developed from television and the whole genre is practically defined by the police procedural formula.

In short, let some spiders into your head and read Luther The Calling

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In full disclosure, I haven't watch the TV series "Luther" yet, although it's been on my to-watch list for quite a while. I just went ahead and read this, since I heard that it was a prequel to the TV series, and I was in the mood for it :)

I enjoyed this quite a bit, although I think that I would've enjoyed it more, had I seen some TV episodes and was more sensitive to the characters, especially Luther. This isn't a light-hearted crime novel, and there is a lot of ugliness portrayed, not only of the main murderer, or even all of the criminals involved, but also of the police department and Luther himself. Neil Cross's characterization is excellent, and I often found myself disgusted by the the people and crimes portrayed, as well as sympathy for Luther's unraveling career, marriage, and emotional stability.

[David Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across Luther on one of the On-Demand download channels having missed it's original broadcast. I quickly became hooked on it, on paper the tortured cop could come across as a cliche but the writing and performances ensured that didn't happen. It was really satisfying then to find this prequel to the series. The book builds wonderfully to the opening scene of season one episode one. There are some truly unsettling descriptions of horrible crimes by a horrible criminal. You are really invested in Luther catching the criminal and you want him to mete out his own justice even though you know it will torture the character and cost him dearly.

It would have been easy for this tv series tie-in to be average and disappointing but it was the exact opposite. Can't wait for more.

[Rory Tiernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read whether a fan or not of the tv series. I have rarely felt such contempt and or disgust for characters and their actions as told in this book, nor have I ever winced at story being told. READ THIS!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, good prequel to the televison. Really great.

Unless, you like dogs. Do not read this if you have a terrier.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have seen episodes of this tv series, so I was expecting dark and graphic. It was.

What was interesting was that the author wrote the screenplays first, and then the novel, with the actors in mind, apparently.

This is not a traditional mystery. We see the villain and unfortunately can hear his thoughts and intentions. It is more a thriller. And it involves a killer with more than one victim.

It did involve a police investigation, which is why I continued to the end, despite not liking serial killer types.

It was well written. But not for the squeamish.

I borrowed a copy from the public library.

[Alma (retirement at last) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, loved it, loved it. It,s dark, gruesome and the crimes are really disgusting but then we are looking at a deranged psychopath who sees it as his right to have children and, of course, he looks as normal as anyone, so if the killer looks normal, how normal is normal? Scary!
Luther is a loose cannon which makes him all the more dangerous to both the criminal element as well as his colleagues.
His wife Zoe is in a quandary as regards her feelings for him due to his ‘so called’ work commitments and yet through all this Luther shows an endearing side to himself as he is extremely loyal to his work partner and he hates thugs picking on the little guy who he wants to protect.
I love his vigilanteism, although I don’t agree with it in the real world.
That’s what escapism is for😁
If you don’t like gruesome don’t read.