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The Hitchcock Murders
There's a serial killer on the loose—he's inspired by Hitchcock, and he's DCI Josa Jilani's problem There’s a psycho out there. He’s murdering a young woman every Tuesday, killing in gruesome ways identical to Hitchcock death scenes. Forced on a fast-track scheme for ethnic minority officers, Josa Jilani has been rocketed to Detective Superintendent with the London Met. But someone high up wants her to fail, and she's made senior investigating officer in the hunt for the serial killer. Out of her depth, scared, and with her reputation and livelihood on the line, she's determined to stop the murders. The body count is mounting and Josa has one week to catch the killer, save a life, rescue her career, and try to protect her family. She takes a gamble and hauls a legendary criminologist out of his self-imposed hermitage. Daniel Blake used to help the police before disappearing five years earlier. With the volatile and charismatic Blake by her side, she'll raise Cain to make her week count, stop the murderer, revenge the victims, and prove to herself and the world that she is good enough and deserving of the promotion.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 2, 2015
Loved it and I now have the urge to watch Frenzy.
February 5, 2023
Disappointingly sexist. The plot is interesting and I’m a huge Hitch fan which made it intriguing and captivating but I COULD NOT see past the blind sexism!!!!
The blurb on the back suggests it’s about Josa Jilani, a DCI but Collinson barely gives her any police smarts or actions! Everything is learned and told to Daniel Blake! She’s the DCI!!
Once you notice it about the interaction you can’t stop seeing it and you get more irritated everytime they contact Blake not her about info on the case that really you never know if she knows about it cause it’s never confirmed she even hears it!
The Blake character gets all the big breakthroughs and scenes and she is a secondary character. In one of the end scenes she even comes across as stupid not recognising that the killer is lying when it would be quite obvious for character progression to not believe him over Blake! Especially when she’s supposed to be an investigator!
Even her promotion is said to be because of her religion not because she has any skills at the job. To redeem a character when you present this premise- who is supposedly one of your main characters; you need to give her a brain and show she deserved to be there based on her merit. Instead this story has her as just another woman in a boys network forced to take a backseat to their heroics that constantly overshadow. Letting her physically save the day at the end just comes across as a pathetic attempt to make her ‘strong’ like one of the boys. Big deal.
It needs to have the blurb on the back changed as Daniel Blake is the main character not her and going in to it thinking otherwise you can not stop being annoyed by it.
The blurb on the back suggests it’s about Josa Jilani, a DCI but Collinson barely gives her any police smarts or actions! Everything is learned and told to Daniel Blake! She’s the DCI!!
Once you notice it about the interaction you can’t stop seeing it and you get more irritated everytime they contact Blake not her about info on the case that really you never know if she knows about it cause it’s never confirmed she even hears it!
The Blake character gets all the big breakthroughs and scenes and she is a secondary character. In one of the end scenes she even comes across as stupid not recognising that the killer is lying when it would be quite obvious for character progression to not believe him over Blake! Especially when she’s supposed to be an investigator!
Even her promotion is said to be because of her religion not because she has any skills at the job. To redeem a character when you present this premise- who is supposedly one of your main characters; you need to give her a brain and show she deserved to be there based on her merit. Instead this story has her as just another woman in a boys network forced to take a backseat to their heroics that constantly overshadow. Letting her physically save the day at the end just comes across as a pathetic attempt to make her ‘strong’ like one of the boys. Big deal.
It needs to have the blurb on the back changed as Daniel Blake is the main character not her and going in to it thinking otherwise you can not stop being annoyed by it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2015
If you are a fan of Alfred Hitchcock, this book has it all - bluffs, double bluffs, McGuffins shocks and thrills galore. There were some bits that I skimmed over quickly, a wee bit gruesome for me, but they did fit with the story and the Hitchcock theme so I kept reading. I didn't want to put this down once I got into it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will eagerly look forward to the next in this series and now I just want to re-acquaint myself with the Hitch films I have seen and discover others for the first time.
February 16, 2015
Terrific debut crime novel. It's witty, exciting, well plotted. The central character Jose is sympathetic and believable. Highly recommended.
April 2, 2015
Wow! This book takes you on one hell of a ride!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews