The Raven's Eye

Brock & Kolla #12

by Barry Maitland

DCI David Brock and DI Kathy Kolla, of Scotland Yard, find themselves pulled into a case of murder, a mysterious death among the houseboats that line the canals around greater London, in Barry Maitland's The Raven's Eye.

DI Kathy Kolla of Scotland Yard is called in as a matter of course by the local Paddington police when a woman turns up dead in what appears to be an accident. On her houseboat, Vicky Hawks is found by one of her neighbors having apparently succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper ventilation of the narrowboat's heating system. But while the cause of death seems apparent and there's no reason for Kolla to think otherwise, something about this death still bothers her.

Meanwhile, her boss, DCI Brock, is wrestling with harsh budget cuts and a new Commander who is determined to make fundamental changes to the system—including limiting resources devoted to investigations. Struggling against the limitations imposed by the new order at Scotland Yard, Brock and Kolla find themselves pulling at the loose strings in the death of Vicky Hawks, trying to find out who she really was, what she was up to, and how her death might be related to another earlier tragic accidental death.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, British Literature, Fiction, Procedural, Mystery Thriller, Detective

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Barry Maitland is the author of the acclaimed Brock and Kolla series of crime mystery novels, which are set in London, where Barry grew up after his family moved there.

His books have been described as whydunits as much as whodunits, concerned with the devious histories and motivations of their characters. Barry's background in architecture drew him to the structured character of the mystery novel, and his books are notable for their ingenious plots as well as for their atmospheric settings, each in a different intriguing corner of London.

Barry studied architecture at Cambridge University, and went on to work as an architect in the UK, then took a PhD in urban design at the University of Sheffield, where he also taught and wrote a number of books on architecture and urban design. In 1984 he moved to Australia to head the architecture school at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, and held that position until 2000. He now writes fiction full time, and lives in the Hunter Valley, Australia.

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers invariably get more than just a taut mystery from author Barry Maitland; they get an education. The Marx Sisters served up a slice of Marxist history along with its roller-coaster ride of a mystery; The Chalon Heads brought the desiccated world of high-powered philately to life; The Verge Practice allowed Maitland, himself a noted architect, to deliver a valentine to modern architecture; No Trace revealed the sardonic, self-referential world of post-modern art. So it is with The Raven’s Eye, Maitland’s 12th novel in the Kathy Kolla-David Brock series, which explores the cutting edge of tracking technology and the grainy edges of medical ethics.

The novel also acquaints readers about the many narrowboats on the Regent’s Canal, which leads west to the Grand Union Canal and eastward to the Thames River. Indeed, the case begins with the death of a young woman aboard a narrowboat on the Regent’s Canal; the death is quickly attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from a malfunctioning diesel stove and declared an accident, but it doesn’t quite smell right to Kathy. Due to budget cuts instituted by the new commander, Kathy; her boss, Brock, and the rest of Brock’s team are told not to waste time and resources on the young woman’s death; however, when it’s discovered that the woman was living under an assumed name, Kathy and Brock continue to look into the death of Gudrun Kite (her real name). What they find will have you reeling! Kathy has stumbled into dangerous situations before, but never like this!

The Raven’s Eye delivers a suspense-filled police procedural that you want to devour in one sitting. My one regret? That I’ll have to wait an entire year to find out about Kathy and Brock’s next adventure.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised to learn I had overlooked this crime fiction series from Scottish born but Australian based author Barry Maitland. The Raven's Eye is the 12th mystery to feature London police detective's Kathy Kolla and David Brock but the first I have read and I have to wonder if my lack of history with the characters affected my enjoyment of this novel. The mystery centers around a woman whose death is dismissed as accidental but something about it doesn't sit right with Kolla. Under pressure from the demanding new Commander to move on, Kolla decides to make some enquiries on her own time slowly unraveling a case which intersects in an unusual way with the force's hunt for criminal kingpin 'Butcher' Jack Bragg. I was enjoying the novel quite a lot until about the half way point when Kolla chose to make decisions that I felt even a rookie wouldn't make, and subsequently the plot began to fall apart eventually fizzling into an ending that barely made any sense. Overall I felt quite disappointed by the execution of The Raven's Eye

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

If there were minus (-) stars, I would think about that for this book. The inside flap gives a basic overview, and I know it just gives the bare, basic stuff, not all of which is true. However, after reading the inside flap, I thought this might be a decent read. I like English mysteries about police procedures. And a missing, unknown person is a good start.

But, the flap is just the first chapter or so, then the book gets odd. It isn't your standard English, police-procedure, missing person mystery. Oh, no, instead we have stolen identities, conspiracies, implanted devices, super-intelligent twins (computer and mathematical geniuses), and their mad university professor father, foreign scientists conducting secret medical operations (see 'implanted devices), abductions where the abductee is injected with amnesia-inducing drugs; and secret police wanna-bees. Oh, it's a book for everyone....and no one.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

DI Kathy Kolla of Scotland Yard is called in by the local Paddington police when a woman turns up dead in what appears to be an accident on her narrowboat. By far the most interesting part of the book is the setting on the canals and waterways where a boat culture has survived from an earlier era. However, in the course of the book, Kathy is blown up, knocked around, kidnapped, and drugged. And, like a battered wife, she keep coming back for more. She seriously needs to find a way to escape the clutches of this sadistic author.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Operating under severe budget cuts imposed by a new boss, DCI Brock and Kathy Kolla of Scotland Yard investigate the death of a woman on a houseboat, a narrowboat, on an un-named canal in a never-named city which we know is Paddington, a borough of London, only by the fact that the crime was caught by the Paddington police. [This lack of detail is what I didn't like about the last one of his I tried.] In tracking down the identify of the corpse, they discover the victim was living under an alias and that her sister died under suspicious circumstances, too. In his overzealous attempt to make a name for himself, the top dog boss pulls Brock and Kolla off that case to participate in catching a criminal named Bragg. The new commander pulls in a questionable woman, Suzy Russell, who is supposed to be the face of future police work using computers instead of cops. Actually she heads Project Raven, a secret police operation that implanted a tracking microchip in Bragg, and is indirectly involved in the sisters' death. Lots of totally improbable scenarios (including that the boss is Bragg's brother!). And since injection is big in this story, can someone inject this Kolla woman with a bit of common sense? Even after she is drugged and suffers a dislocated shoulder by a known dangerous actor, she takes off again by herself so they can do it again - maddening. Not even close to being credible.

[Lee Battersby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping, labrynthine thriller with rounded, believable characters, and a mystery that is both compelling and visceral. At least until three quarters of the way in, when previously solid characters begin to make decisions that would baffle even the simplest souls, and what can only be described as the long, slow live fridging of one of the main character reaches ludicrous levels. It's a testament to the skill of author Barry Maitland that the reader is still drawn through the narrative, and the complex, gripping mystery.

This is the 12th volume in ongoing adventures of the lead characters, Brock and Kolla, and as it was the first one I read I can't overstate how good it is to read a novel where you don't have to rely on the rest of the series to understand the status of its leads. Maitland paints his setting and characters beautifully, and apart from the niggles presented above, and an ending that was a mite too pat for me to fully buy into it, I found it difficult to put this book down. I was checking the local library shelves for other volumes while still reading this one: I'll be back fro more Maitland very soon.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Kathy Kolla can't catch a break in this newest of the Brock/Kolla series ---- and Brock is being pushed to the breaking point by the "new" head inspector and the new way of doing things. Lots of disaffected academics, info on longboats in canals, and the scary plan to basically microchip everyone not in favor with the heads of agencies, etc. One protagonist says it's really just one step up from ankle monitoring equipment. OK read - but felt I learned more in the earlier Brock and Kolla books.........

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a long-term fan of Barry Maitland, however, was a little disappointed by his latest book. If the plot fits, wear it, I guess, but all the themes seemed a little too contrived and coincidence-driven, while there's a feeling of malaise about both Brock and Kolla. Nevertheless, the writing is impeccable as ever and I kept turning the pages contentedly until all the loose ends were neatened away. A satisfying holiday read.

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this latest book in the Brock and Kolla series, but didn't love it. For me, the best in the series (All My Enemies, Silvermeadow, and Dark Mirror) are the ones where I'm really intrigued by the case the detectives are working on since the series focuses more on the investigation than the personal lives of the characters.

[Mary Kay Kare]

The moment I read that both young women had a peri-mortem incision in the same place I knew where we would end up. I was right too, which had the effect of rendering obvious the answer to nearly every question arising in the course of the investigation. Well, to me anyway; our heroes, not so much. Infuriating. Really far from Maitland's best.

[Ram Kaushik · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book couldn't decide if it was Ludlum, Christie or Bollywood. The plot got less and less believable as the protagonist survives improbably deadly situations. Conspiracy theorists may enjoy this but I found it an average read..

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series. The plots are complicated, and the writing is well done. There are a few things here that will make eyes roll (Kolla just does some things a smart detective would not), but I used a little suspension of disbelief to get past those.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series very much and this book was ok. But poor Kathy Kolla (now a DI) suffers far too often from physical attacks throughout the series and this book is no exception.

[Lee McKerracher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Barry Maitland book, and it certainly won't be my last.

I love a book that keeps the action going, the plot relevant, the motives believable and holds back on some key points that makes the reveals fascinating.

Police officers DI Kolla and DCI Brock are a great team in the London Homicide and Serious Crimes Squad. They have had success through the application of good solid policework, getting their hands dirty and reading the scenes of the crimes they investigate. But now they are up against a police force with declining budgets, and a new boss who favours technology over the 'old methods'.

Against these constraints, Kolla and Brock are trying to investigate the death of a young woman on a narrowboat. Were there suspicious circumstances that led to her death or was it an accident? During their investigation they discover her sister was killed earlier in the year, again a tragic accident - or was it?

To muddy the waters a brutal killer, Jack Bragg, is causing havoc and Kolla is called in to work on that case that has some serious implications for her.

There is tension, office politics, violence, intrigue, conspiracy theories and possible a cover up - but what is that about?

All hidden in the pages of this fabulous book - go enjoy!

[Averil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered I hadn't read the last book in the Kathy Kolla/David Brock series by Barry Maitland. Such a pleasant surprise when you think a series is all over!
It's classic Maitland - a London setting (although he is Australia-based), a couple of interweaving stories, a restrictive bureucratic policing system that requires some finagling, and a detective (Kolla) who likes to investigate on her own.
I really enjoy Maitland's crime fiction so I highly recommend going back to his first book, The Marx Sisters. I also recommend his work if you like The Line of Duty TV show - plenty of bent coppers to be dealt with in all his books!


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[Carol Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even though it felt a bit hard to breathe at times. An edge of seat Shake Rattle & Roller!
Plus It’s another educational reader. This time we learn a little about microchipping Baddies to keep track of their whereabouts eg... a Paedophile grabs a child.. Police are immediately able to track all the Paedophiles in the snatch area. Sounds like a great idea in theory ie.
This lady cop is supposed to be the Bees knees in smarts yet once again she’s let down by the Author writing her into an untenable & highly unlikely situation?? I get the feeling he’s over the whole thing by the end and just writes anything! Or is it a gender put down?
Overall great 3.5 Stars.

[Vic Lauterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Brock and Kolla outing is a very good procedural mystery with quite a bit more action than the previous books in the series I've read. The pace is very good and the compelling mystery gives it a 'hard to put down' quality. That didn't concern me, as I read it in one session on an airplane. My only quibble is that Kathy Kolla repeatedly puts herself in harm's way even after being injured. That started to feel like the "Perils of Pauline!" I still recommend it though.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman is found dead on her houseboat. Brock's team gets called in before others conclude it was an accident. Kolla thinks something's not right and keeps investigating. Brock is dealing with a new Chief Superintendent at Scotland Yard and a new digital security team. As they get deeper, Kolla keeps getting in dangerous situations. Can they solve it in time?

Great writing. Good story and suspense.

[Pgchuis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite an engrossing read, although I had to break off a couple of times for a rest out of exasperation at Kathy putting herself into danger for the billionth time (just in this one novel). The plot was far-fetched (as is standard), but this was coupled with a sort of siege mentality where Kathy and Brock were deprived of all autonomy by the officers above them. It was like reading about people being bullied into colluding in their own destruction.

[AngelaC · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this crime novel was promising. However, as the story progressed, a number of unlikely plot twists began to creep in, as if the author had had more and more ideas and was determined to shoehorn them all into the book. A pity as I have read reviews of other books with the same main characters and they have been highly praised.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a personal opinion, but this book isn’t as good as the others in this series that I’ve read. Having said that though, I still read it in just a few days, so I guess Maitland’s writing kept me intrigued in the plot. ( it’s hard to believe that the new boss of Brock and Kolla could have got away with hiding the fact that he was the half sibling of ‘The Butcher’ though.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read all the Brock and Kolla novels in order this year. Kathy needs to find a new author as Maitland keeps having her take the dumbest and/or most dangerous of all options she is presented with. He is also leaving more and bigger plot holes than in previous novels as well as having silly, convoluted plots.

[beabi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is just so bad. I can't really think how I was able to endure the book. I don't find any climax in the book and as I read through it, it just became worse and worse. It seems to me that the plot is forced. One of the bad books I've read.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First novel I have read by Maitland; enjoyed it very much. Yes, some dumb decisions are made but it did not take away from the pleasure of a good read.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A captivating English mystery that kept me interested all the way through. I like the relationship between Kolla and Brock.

[Nat Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, I enjoyed it, and as usual, I don't really know who done what or why. But fun.

[James Hutchisson · Rating 3 out of 5]

First-rate British police procedural! Highly recommend; excellent plotting.

[Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I've read by this (now) Australian author. Detective story set on canals in London. Read more, including some set in Australia.

[Kate Loveday · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into how the technological age could affect policing, not to everyone's liking, makes for interesting reading. When combined with a hunt for a serial killer who threatens to kill DI Kathy Kolla with a cleaver it becomes even more so!

[Nancy]

DCI David Brock and DI Kathy Kolla, of Scotland Yard, find themselves pulled into a case of murder, a mysterious death among the houseboats that line the canals around greater London, in Barry Maitland's The Raven's Eye.

DI Kathy Kolla of Scotland Yard is called in as a matter of course by the local Paddington police when a woman turns up dead in what appears to be an accident. On her houseboat, Vicky Hawks is found by one of her neighbors having apparently succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper ventilation of the narrowboat's heating system. But while the cause of death seems apparent and there's no reason for Kolla to think otherwise, something about this death still bothers her.

Meanwhile, her boss, DCI Brock, is wrestling with harsh budget cuts and a new Commander who is determined to make fundamental changes to the system—including limiting resources devoted to investigations. Struggling against the limitations imposed by the new order at Scotland Yard, Brock and Kolla find themselves pulling at the loose strings in the death of Vicky Hawks, trying to find out who she really was, what she was up to, and how her death might be related to another earlier tragic accidental death.

Suzy from the new digital squad was involved and Mickey Schaffer, police officer killed Vicki.