A Simple Act of Violence

by R.J. Ellory, Kevin Kenerly (Narrator)

Detective Robert Miller is assigned to an unsettling series of murders and rapidly uncovers a complication: the victims do not officially exist. As Miller unearths ever more disturbing facts, he starts to face truths about the corrupt world he lives in.

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

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Roger began his first novel on November 4th, 1987 and did not stop, except for three days when he was going through a divorce from his first wife, until July of 1993. During this time he completed twenty-two novels, most of them in longhand, and accumulated several hundred polite and complimentary rejection letters from many different and varied publishers.

He stopped writing out of sheer frustration and did not start again for eight years.

In the early part of September 2001 he decided to start writing again. This decision was based on the realization that it was the only thing he had ever really wanted to do.

Between August 2001 and January 2002 he wrote three books, the second of which was called ‘Candlemoth’. This was purchased by Orion and published in 2003. ‘Candlemoth’ was translated into German, Dutch and Italian, and has now also been purchased for translation in numerous other languages. The book also secured a nomination on the shortlist for the Crime Writers’ Association Steel Dagger for Best Thriller 2003. His second book, ‘Ghostheart’, was released in 2004, and his third book, ‘A Quiet Vendetta’, was released in August 2005. In 2006 he published ‘City of Lies’, and once again secured a nomination for the CWA Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of that year. His fifth book – ‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’ - was published in August 2006, and in the latter part of the year it was selected for the phenomenally successful British TV equivalent of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club, the Richard and Judy Book Club.

‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’ went on to be shortlisted for the Barry Award for Best British Crime Fiction, the 813 Trophy, the Quebec Booksellers’ Prize, The Europeen Du Point Crime Fiction Prize, and was winner of the Inaugural Prix Roman Noir Nouvel Observateur. It has since been voted Best Thriller of 2009 in The Strand Magazine. The book was also optioned for film, and Roger has recently completed the screenplay for Oscar-winning French director, Olivier Dahan.

Following on from ‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’, Roger released ‘A Simple Act of Violence’, again securing a nomination for Best British Crime Fiction of 2008. In late 2009 he released ‘The Anniversary Man’ to rave reviews.

Reviews

[Asghar Abbas · Rating 4 out of 5]

An apt title.

It's one thing to have a Noam Chomsky moment, but to have the whole book paroxysm with it is quite another. The entire premise shuddered with these mini riots of condensed reality. What's really disturbing is not that the whole thing is preposterous but that it's more than likely, and that's worrying. Sure, the accounting here is simplified; nothing is that black and white, things are not even gray, but it's still very disheartening.

I don't know, there always been something very melancholic about Ellory's work. His writing seems lonely.

I like that.

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

An industrious and captivating crime thriller, which Ellory takes you from from serial killer to worldwide conspiracy tied to the US Government and the drug cartels.. which somehow works!
7 out of 12.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. This is amazing. I have just finished it and I am reeling from it. The pace, the plot well just about everything to be honest. This is good, very very good.

We have the brilliant Detective Robert Miller, his partner, Al Roth and their Captain, Lassiter.
Miller and Roth are sent to investigate the murder of Catherine Sheridan and what appears to be the work of the serial killer dubbed 'Ribbon Killer' because of his MO at the scenes of crime of three other females.

There begins just a brilliant investigation which is not the easiest for Miller and Roth by a long way, as they constantly come across dead ends at every step of the way.

We also have the story of John Robey (from his own perspective) and, at first, I had no idea where the whole thing was going with it but all becomes clear along the way.

I cannot say any more for fear of ruining the whole thing expect to say if you like a great crime thriller, a mix of great Police work with a sprinkling of romance then I can highly recommend this but be prepared to be hooked from page one.

As you can tell I really loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.

Good stuff.

[Patricia Neumann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was extremely irritating. As a former copy editor, it made my blood boil on almost every page. This author lives in Birmingham, England, and really knows very little about Washington, D.C., and not enough about the U.S. government. Some examples: They are NEVER called the "Washington" police - they are the D.C.Police; we do not have a Secretary of State for Justice and Defense - they are the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General; The U.S. Supreme Court does not act to prevent materials from being published as they do in England with the "D" notice; janitors in U.S apartment buildings are Superintendents, not Supervisors. I could go on and on. I know this sort of thing does not affect everyone, but for me it ruined a passable, (but ONLY passable) plot and story.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star to be honest- at least that level for the scenario settings and apt writing skills. But, IMHO, the tension, which is tremendous considering the first 100 pages- becomes stomped on by the sheer verbosity and repeated hubris of the narrator in italics.

And you need to swallow all conceptions in/for the homo sapiens reality of/for the secrecy and efficiency (especially the efficiency) attained within large and long term (decades long) covert operations groups. Any kind, even those with alphabet supreme labels. These groups consistently exist out of majority bad boys and/or tricky, smartass girls' pools. Both of which rarely, rarely have humility or fear enough to keep their mouths shut over these strictures of time. Especially that humility part. Just saying!

The cynical and base nasty reveal of the plot and onus of this book is not entirely impossible, and perhaps could be a partial likely. But having all drugs defined by one group/type or one input place as core. That's just absolutely untrue- both then as now. Voids are always filled. Meth has become far worse, and it's home grown and delivery. As are some of the historical facts and associative placements here in this book. But that's what makes some great fiction. Not complaining, but once again, just saying.

What was completely and utterly 5 star were the assassin acts as relayed within the thoughts of the victim in their last hours/minutes. It was done with superlative writing connotation and psychological inputs of their cognitions- PERFECTION.

Miller's characterization was 4 star too.

Just too long, and too redundant. D.C. police SO slow to figure out that each victim or suspected perp has no background beyond a number of years? Come on, that signifies some aspect of a prime "disappearing" act organization.

I can absolutely understand how most male readers would give this a higher rating. Great writing, and in the guys' heads 90% of the time. Really liked the D.C. location feel and onus too.

[🥀 Rose 🥀 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book is not always what it seems. That is how I feel about A Simple Act of Violence. What started out as a typical serial killer spree, turns out to be something completely different. This was a wonderful, multi-layed crime novel about how far does power corrupt and how far up the chain does it go? It will leave you thinking and then not wanting to really know the answer.

This is the 3rd book I have read by this author. I love his ability to change the style and flow of his writing to reflect the kind of story he is telling. A Quiet Belief in Angels is a beautifully, poetic book about a deeply affected man haunted by the serial killings in his town and this one is a very procedural, crime drama. Both are executed brilliantly. Only under RJ Ellory's capable hand can you actually come to care about the assassin. There is something quite unique about the way this author really gets inside the person he's created and you begin to feel a connection to your character. Only someone with very good insight would be able to do that. On the darker side, I have never read killings from the person being killed perspective quite like this before either. It hits home and terrfies the hell out of you.

If you like your crime dramas to be formulaic and onlyl entertaining, don't bother with this one. This is for those who really want something smart and rich that you can really dig into. I give this review with very little information, anything more and it would ruin the story.

[Pili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me mantuvo intrigada de principio a fin. Un estilo de escritura ágil, preciso y con suficiente espacio para conservar el misterio.
Disfruté especialmente la última frase con el que el autor concluye el libro y la primera línea de los "Agradecimientos" (una sección que suele estar dirigida a todos menos al lector).

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It is then that Catherine hears something. She thinks to turn, but doesn’t dare. A sudden rush of something in the base of her gut. Wants to turn now. Wants so desperately to turn around and look him square in the face, but knows that if she does this she will break down, she will scream and cry and plead for this to happen some other way, and it’s too late now, too late to go back…too late after everything that’s happened, everything that they’ve done, everything they’ve learned and what it all meant…Thinks: We gave ourselves the right. We gave ourselves a right that should only have been granted by God.”

Within moments of thinking this, Catherine Sheridan is dead, a victim of the Ribbon Killer, who has already killed three women. When the police arrive, they see all the signs – the ribbon tied around her neck, a blank, cardboard luggage tag attached, the room sprayed with the fragrance of lavender. But when Catherine is examined by the medical examiner, the police realize that Catherine’s death is different in a very significant way. Her killer did not kill the first three. There is a frightening possibility that there is a copy-cat searching out single women in Washington, DC.

Detectives Robert Miller and Al Roth are assigned to the case. A simple statement that means more than the words convey. Miller and Roth are assigned to bring Catherine Sheridan’s killer into a court of law where he can be tried and punished for taking her life. They do not know that their assignment is far more than they can understand.

When Miller and Roth look at the first three victims of the Ribbon Killer, it is obvious that the cases were not investigated diligently. The women are single, live quiet lives, and have no next of kin calling and demanding results. Robert Miller is a man who has no life beyond his job. Investigating on his own time, he learns that all the women had been screened for security clearance at sometime in their lives. He learns that none of the women existed before the date of the screening. The murder case he and Roth are assigned is so much more than the sum of its parts.

A SIMPLE ACT OF VIOLENCE is different than most of the books written in the recent past. It is at once a murder mystery, a thriller, and an indictment of politics in these United States. It is Oliver North, Iran-Contra, and Nicaragua. It is Reagan and the monster in everyone’s closet – communism, the Evil Empire, the world-wide plot to bring the United States to its knees.

This book is as much about John Robey as it is about Robert Miller. Robey is the voice that breaks the narrative, the words in italics used to explain what we didn’t know, what we didn’t want to know.

John Robey is CIA and so was Catherine Sheridan.

The CIA began as the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II when Franklin Roosevelt realized that the information the US was receiving about the events in Europe were coming from Britain. The United States did not have an organization to seek out and disseminate clandestine information. Roosevelt placed the responsibility for the OSS in the hands of General “Wild Bill” Donovan. At the end of the war, Truman dismantled the OSS and it reappeared in 1946 to protect American interests outside its borders. The CIA was specifically prevented from running operations in the United States.

The CIA in A SIMPLE ACT OF VIOLENCE is the all-powerful, unchallenged organization with which we are familiar. John Robey is a veteran of clandestine operations and he is a cynic, a patriot without illusions. He tells the reader, “Richard helms, acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, once said in an address to the National Press Club, ” You’ve just got to trust us. We are honorable men.”…Captain George Hunter White, reminiscing about his CIA service, said, “I toiled wholeheartedly in the vineyards because it was fun, fun, fun. Where else could a red-blooded American boy lie, kill, cheat, steal, rape and pillage with the sanction and blessing of the all-highest.”…It’s a fallacy. You cannot have a corrupt and self-serving organization populated by people who are there for the very best reasons. People wind up in the CIA, and they either get with the program, or they understand what the program is and get the …. out of there as fast as they can.”

Robey explains the difference between morals and ethics. Morals are the rules determined by society so that it can function without anarchy. Ethics determines how the rules are followed in a particular situation. Situational ethics belies the belief in law. The CIA exists to exploit or control a situation. John and Catherine were experts at the exploitation of men and nations in service of their country. When those skills brought them to Nicaragua in the eighties they were fully prepared to follow orders.

The United States began to lose its naivete with the assassination of John Kennedy. But twenty years later we were still willing to believe what we were told about being the only power that could prevent the world from falling to communism. The Sandinistas overthrew a dictatorial government and began a literacy program, the division of property to laborers, and the abolition of torture, movements that should have received the support of the United States. But Nicaragua allied itself with Cuba and when Reagan took office in 1981, the US actively backed the Contras. In exchange for sending drugs into the United States, the Contras got military hardware to battle the duly elected government led by the Sandinistas. Thirty years later, the tide of drugs into the US has not abated. Manuel Noreiga thanks us for our support.

The author writes concisely; the plainness of the language gives weight to the message. He describes the “sacred monster” the thing we create to further our purposes but which turns and devours us. He writes that there are, “Periods of American history considered unsafe to remember, events people pretended never occurred.” The CIA is the guardian of those secrets, “the best kept secrets are the ones that everybody can see” but that everyone ignores. Situational ethics encourages willful blindness.

This is a powerful book because it is a quiet one. Robey and Miller are talking about the movie “A Few Good Men.” Robey tells Miller , “What the movie was trying to communicate was the complete impossibility of preventing the bigger picture.

Catherine Sheridan’s death is not the prologue to the story. It is the postscript.

www.murderbytype.com

[Alisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book - I really did. Comparison to the show "The Wire" and glowing blurbs written by authors like Michael Connelly? Plus, look at all the four-star and five-star reviews here!

I stuck with it for a whopping 250 pages and finally gave up, deciding life is too short to read torturous books. Early on, I was put off by some of the character's voices, which rang false. Some of that is due to the author's Britishisms, which apparently were never run through by an American proofreader. (I thought Natasha Joyce's dialogue came across as particularly false.) I also hated how the chapters kept switching points of view. Some books accomplish that feat successfully, but here it felt very choppy. The political angle was interesting, but not interesting enough to keep me slogging along for another two hundred pages. I'm willing to do the hard work if the topic is deep or interesting enough (viz: some of Umberto Eco's works), but that wasn't the case for me here.

[Hpnyknits · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow start but soon we realize this is more a spy story rather than a simple police procedural.

[Okenwillow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Énooooorme ! Je découvre Ellory avec ce roman et ne compte pas m’arrêter là. Un auteur anglais qui écrit du roman noir américain, il n’en fallait pas plus pour me titiller. Cela se présente comme une enquête sur des meurtres en série, mais on comprend vite que les choses vont évoluer dans un sens bien particulier.
Pour une fois le duo d’enquêteurs n’est pas mixte, on a bien deux mecs, pas de risque qu’ils se tournent autour tout au long du livre. La présence féminine ne fait aucun doute, mais au moins l’auteur a eu le tact de mettre la chose au second plan.
Donc, nous avons deux flics, un père de famille bien rangé, et un célibataire vaguement déprimé qui reprend le boulot après une mise à pied. Une série de meurtres violents étalée sur plusieurs mois revient au goût du jour et voilà nos deux acolytes bien occupés. Ce qui passe pour l’œuvre d’un tueur en série s’annonce très vite comme un vrai casse-tête, ce qui est le minimum syndical pour un polar me direz-vous, sauf que dans ce cas précis, rien ne tourne rond, tout n’est que contradictions, non-sens et incohérences.
Malgré un début que j’ai trouvé peut-être un peu mou, impression sans doute due aux apartés introspectifs d’un mystérieux narrateur, tout s’enchaîne (et se déchaîne) avec une virtuosité troublante. Troublant aussi l’arrière-plan politique, historique, et philosophique.
L’auteur met en place d’innombrables pièces de puzzle, nous distrait habilement avec ces fameux interludes, pour mieux nous surprendre sur la fin.
La mort, le fait de la donner, la monstruosité de l’homme et ses limites souvent dépassées, les secrets d’État, tout est sujet à réflexion.
En plus d’être efficace, ce roman allie la qualité de fond et de forme. Il en devient beau et même carrément émouvant par certains aspects de la vie des personnages et de leurs relations entre eux. L’humanité des personnages, quels qu’ils soient et quelles que soient leurs actions, est palpable.
Le livre se termine sur les termes du titre original :… un simple acte de violence, et à cet ultime stade de l’histoire, ça en dit long. Dommage d’avoir opté pour Les anonymes, qui pour le coup ne résume qu’un des aspects du roman et non le plus poignant.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

R J Ellory is a writer who has been hovering on the edge of my consciousness for a while. I fancied reading his books but wasn’t really sure where to start. I’m so behind with some authors that I struggle to catch up with their latest releases. In the end I decided on A Simple Act of Violence for no other reason than someone gave me a copy and I’m glad I’ve finally been introduced to this interesting writer.

The book is set in Washington DC, where a serial killer is torturing his victims before strangling them and leaving a luggage tag tied around their necks with a ribbon. Detective Robert Miller is assigned to investigate the fourth murder, that of Catherine Sheridan, whose killing is soon revealed to be subtly different to the previous murders. When a witness to the killer’s identity is found murdered in the same manner, a political conspiracy opens up that reaches to the highest echelons of US political and civic life.

Although the plot involves a serial killer it really was more a political conspiracy thriller involving the Washington Police Department, FBI and CIA. I thought the writing was excellent, dense closely written narratives that entwined the points of view of the detective Miller, the assumed killer John Robey and twice that of the victims. In particular the killing scenes were very well done, not particularly gory but quite frightening to read, the archetypal bogeyman in your house. What elevated the plot above others I thought was how nothing was quite what it seemed. Victims, the killers, even the police had something to hide and this smoke and mirrors approach worked very well.

The character of Robert Miller, the main detective was well thought out. There were a couple of references to an incident which I assumed came in a previous book but I think was part of the character’s back story. The plot was so oblique that it wasn’t clear exactly what was going on until the last couple of chapters but this contributed to the impetus of the narrative propelling me towards the finale. I’m now kicking myself I waited so long to read this author.

[Martina Sartor · Rating 5 out of 5]

"La vittoria ha moltissimi padri, la sconfitta è orfana."
Questo è libro è un thriller. Ci sono degli omicidi: alcune donne vengono ritrovate uccise, una dopo l'altra, con le stesse modalità. C'è un investigatore: il detective Robert Miller, poliziotto provato da un passato pesante e dal carattere complesso e molto introspettivo. C'è un presunto colpevole: un serial killer, soprannominato il killer del nastro.
Ma il libro non è solo questo, anzi. Sarebbe troppo riduttivo se fosse solo un ottimo thriller, come d'altronde è, per un autore come R.J. Ellory.
E' soprattutto un romanzo sul controllo, sul potere e sulle nefandezze che anche un grande paese come gli USA ha commesso per ottenere potere e controllo su altri stati e sulle loro ricchezze. Come ho già potuto constatare leggendo altri romanzi dell'autore, Ellory è un grande narratore che in un libro di genere sa trattare temi complessi e d'ampio respiro, senza annoiare mai, senza scadere nel didascalico, trovando sempre escamotage narrativi per dire quello che vuole dire al lettore.
Qui è stato davvero bravo nell'uso di un particolare personaggio che fra un capitolo e l'altro parla in prima persona (sono le parti in corsivo): pian piano cominciamo a capire chi è questo personaggio, cosa ha fatto, perchè è arrivato a una tale maturazione nella sua vita. E attraverso i suoi racconti veniamo a conoscenza della storia della CIA, questo monstre sacré, e di quello che ha combinato in Nicaragua e in altri paesi.
La storia è complessa, ma l'alternarsi dei due piani narrativi fa sì che il lettore non si annoi mai. E il finale, che avrebbe potuto dare seri problemi all'autore (come "far risolvere" un caso così complesso?), è stato comunque impostato in modo assolutamente credibile e realistico, tenendo conto delle sue tante sfaccettature.
Con questo romanzo, dunque, Ellory si conferma il mio autore di punta del 2011.

[Kate Millin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this very difficult to put down. The story was very believable which is really sad and an indictment on the way America works, or rather the way the story says it works. There were the usual twists in the story that I expect from books by this author.
Washington, embroiled in the mid-term elections, did not want to hear about serial killings. But when the newspapers reported a fourth murder, when they gave the killer a name and details of his horrendous crimes, there were few people that could ignore it. Detective Robert Miller is assigned to the case. He and his partner begin the task of correlating and cross-referencing the details of each crime scene. Rapidly things begin to complicate. The victims do not officially exist. Their personal details do not register on any known systems. The harder Miller works, the less it makes sense. And as Miller unearths ever more disturbing facts, he starts to face truths so far-removed from his own reality that he begins to fear for his life. This is a novel about trust, loyalty, and beliefs that are so ingrained which, when challenged, they leave people with nothing.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Washington D.C. serial murder case becomes a lot more than this detective bargained for. It seems his victims never existed. And once they start to get some suspects these folks never existed either. This is an awesome mystery that turns into so much more. I could not believe this guys writing ability. The story pulls you right into it and the characters are fantastically portrayed. This one should not be missed. If it looks vaguely intriguing go for it, you will not regret it. One note though, be sure you have somewhere you will not be disturbed for the ending as it will all be wrapped up into one neat package and tossed into your lap.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable and interesting novel. As with previous novels by the author the story moves along in an in intricate multi layered fashion which really pulls the reader in. The characters are detailed and thought provoking, added to the well researched theme along with a very gritty view of Washingtons police dept this is fully recommended. I look forward to getting through the remainder and of this authors catalogue.

[Tatiana Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хороший триллер. Английское название "A Simple Act of Violence" 2008 год.
Первые 200 страниц (на мобильном) не зацепили, потом уже было сложно оторваться. Герой, правда, излишне эмоционален, но учитывая, что автор сам под псевдонимом писал себе хорошие рецензии, все интересно!
Хочется поделиться чем-то большим, но так сразу станет не интересно.

[Ros Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a page-turner tho it doesn't look like it by the time it took me to read it! This was exciting, tense & had me guessing most of the way through. I don't read a lot of thrillers but this was a good one.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une intrigue bien ficelée et une lecture très agréable. J'aurais cependant coupé un peu dans le conspirationnisme. ;-)

[Michele McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written mystery. Kept me guessing

[Kathi Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long, often repetitive and frequently convoluted.

[Akkinimodotaj]

"Nieuniknione. Opowiem wam o tym, co nieuniknione. Śmierć i podatki, co? One są nieuniknione. Powiem wam, co jeszcze jest nieuniknione. Miłość, ot co. Nieunikniona jak grawitacja. Podatków można uniknąć. Ludzie oszukują śmierć, a przynajmniej odraczają ją w czasie. Możecie o tym przeczytać w gazetach. Oszukał śmierć - tego typu rzeczy, prawda? Ale pokażcie mi kogoś, kto nigdy nie kochał. Nie mówię o pożądaniu. Nie mówię o tym, że tak bardzo chcesz być z kimś, że aż boli. Nie mówię o miłości braterskiej, macierzyńskiej, ojcowskiej, dobrego wujaszka. Nie mówię o ubóstwianiu kogoś, podziwianiu, o tym, że zależy Ci na kimś bardziej niż kiedykolwiek dotąd...
Mówię o miłości. Miłości tak silnej, że nie możesz jej zobaczyć, poczuć, dotknąć, posmakować, nie możesz jej wyjaśnić, uzasadnić, usprawiedliwić, rozgryźć tego wszystkiego, siedząc nad szklanką Bourbona, z paczką Lucky Strike'ów... Miłości tak silnej, że nie masz pojęcia jak mocno Cię trzyma, dopóki nie spróbujesz się poruszyć... A wtedy czujesz, że nie możesz. Utknąłeś na dobre i zdajesz sobie sprawę, że to czego doświadczasz, jest czymś, co stanowi część Ciebie tak bardzo, jak wszystko, co kiedykolwiek uważałeś za swoje. To jest tobą. Ty jesteś tym. Jesteś załatwiony. To coś co czujesz od tak dawna, czujesz, że jest częścią Ciebie, że cokolwiek się stanie, cokolwiek zrobi ta druga osoba, którą kochasz wydaje Ci się nieludzkim kochać jej dalej, na zawsze. To jest miłość."

[Vero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dur d’évaluer ce livre, car ce fut une lecture rollercoaster;
Quand j’ai commencé, 100 1ere pages sont accrochantes.. on continue. Arrivé au « millieu » ça languissait et évoluait très peu. En + que l’histoire fait bcp référence à de la politique des USA et de son histoire, c’était un peu plus ardu.
Bref, à chaque 20 aine de pages au centre de l’histoire (pendant 400 pages quasiment) j’étais like: ok j’arrête, ca avance pas...
Boy j’ai continué malgré tout, car il y a quand mm quelque chose que j’ai accrochée.
Pages 400 ish 450, LÀ ca a comme cé à être très bon, je voulais savoir le lien entre tous les personnages, le but du Pr Robey, et toutes la machination des Usa est terrible, bref ca à pogné (400 pages en retard.. mais bon)
Finalement pour être DÉCUE! La fin est juste dégeux! Point final!
L’inspecteur Miller est dépeint comme le plus incompétent jamais vu! Depuis quand ces les « méchants » qui font raisonner la police, poses les questions, font des liens entre les meurtres!!
Déçue et fru de la fin et du personnage vrm pas dépeint comme intelligent, perspicace... supposé être le + compétent sur ces meurtres..? Really
Oh well!

[David Baer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned at the one-third point. A horrendously clichéd story with far, far too much emphasis on what is going on between the character’s ears.

Miller looked at her, and saw the expression he’d seen so many times before. Something real had touched her life. Something dark and awkward, something that would make her pause for thought several times before she forgot it. And then tomorrow, perhaps the day after, perhaps next week, someone would say or do something, someone would use the word “election”, or she would meet another person named Miller, and all of a sudden it would remind her of the meek and insubstantial transience of it all.

OMFG. This is entirely typical of every little scene. Every little remark. Every little happening triggers a loggorheal stream of melancholy introspection. I get it already: life is hell, and a cop’s life is hell within hell, a hell so deep that the very memory of the normal hell is blotted out by a miasma of hellish hell flying monkeys, summoned from an even deeper hell by hellboy hell ghouls blah blah blah KILL ME NOW!

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Στο δωμάτιο στο νησί είχε μια μεγαλούτσικη βιβλιοθήκη, με βιβλία που προφανώς είχαν αφήσει οι τουρίστες. Η χαρακτηριστική ράχη του Ellory ήταν σχεδόν το πρώτο πράγμα που πρόσεξα όταν μπήκα μέσα. Κάποια στιγμή λοιπόν αποφάσισα να παρατήσω το tablet που πηγαινόφερνα μαζί μου χωρίς να το αγγίζω κι έπιασα τον συγγραφέα που μου έχει χαρίσει αρκετές ώρες ευχαρίστησης στο παρελθόν.
Η εναλλαγή pov/χαρακτήρα ανά (μικρό) κεφάλαιο, δεν λειτούργησε πολύ κατά τη γνώμη μου, αντί να παρατείνει το σασπένς, σε πέταγε έξω από το κλίμα της κάθε ιστορίας συνέχεια, κάποια στιγμή πήρε φόρα. Όχι από τα καλύτερά του, αλλά το έφερα πίσω μαζί μου, γεμάτο αντιηλιακό και αλάτι.

[tinalouisereadsbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well there are crime books and authors and there is R J Ellory. I don't know what he does but his books stand out from the rest. He keeps you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages. You think you know who is the baddie and why then you turn the next page and find you were wrong, and don't find out until the very last few pages. I have actually been to a talk with RJ and he really is a nice guy. He says that when he is writing he doesn't know himself until the last minute who is going to be the baddie. This book I have to say was very good but not my favourite so far, but still deseves 5 stars.

[Erin Moxam · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as detective fiction goes, I like R.J. Ellory. I kind of got away from a lot of 'genre' fiction because once you've read enough of it, they're all pretty much the same. I find this author usually has something different, some kind of twist, that keeps it interesting and I was not disappointed. If anything , I thought this book might have been a little too twisty, but I liked the characters and the general underhandedness of everyone involved. If police thrillers are your thing, you can't go wrong here.

[Frédéric · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book. The plot is unrealistic and at times makes no sense (John Robbie kept alive, but all others killed because of proof). The dialogue is almost always predictable, particularly when involving the police. The investigators are at times incredibly smart (a reverse phone number is a justice file number) whilst at other times completely stupid (la diplomate). Not every smile needs to be sardonic. Painful to get through.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mystery/thriller with potential to be much better. Positive aspects of this book: very good mystery, carful plotting, very good characterizations. Negative aspects of this book: much longer than necessary, the motives behind the mystery becomes clear very early on, and very long interludes where the point of view is the antagonist. I did not read the antagonist point of view sections and this helped keep the reading time efficient and maximized the mystery aspect of the book.

[Léa-Morgane Peuron]

Ce livre a parfaitement répondu à mes attentes en matière de thriller/enquête policière. Mais je ne sais pas quelle note mettre parce que il y a des formulations de phrases, des propos tenus par les persos qui me dérangent. Je n’arrive pas à savoir s’ils proviennent des opinions d’un auteur au début des années 2000 ou si ces propos font partis de la construction des persos et représentent la société en 2008. C’est un peu flou