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Sarah Gladstone #1
A Journal of Sin
A village, isolated by a severe storm, and a young officer, alone and out of her depth. A troubled priest is brutally murdered, leaving behind a journal of the resident's confessional secrets; secrets certain people would prefer he took to the grave.
As word spreads, the pressure rises as the eyes of the town watch her every move. With no forensic team, no support and a savage killer hiding in a turbulent town, is PC Sarah Gladstone up to the task?
As word spreads, the pressure rises as the eyes of the town watch her every move. With no forensic team, no support and a savage killer hiding in a turbulent town, is PC Sarah Gladstone up to the task?
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 27, 2014
1288 people are currently reading
2613 people want to read
About the author
Darryl Donaghue
5 books48 followersDarryl Donaghue is an ex-Detective from London, England. His short stories have been published in The Pygmy Giant, Spinetinglers and Dreamcatcher magazine. In 2014, he moved to Seoul to teach and write novels.
His first novel, A Journal of Sin, was released on Amazon in December 2014.
His first novel, A Journal of Sin, was released on Amazon in December 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
October 14, 2017
A small town is isolated by a severe storm. No way in ... and no way out. Sara is a rookie officer, alone and cut off from her colleagues, her family.
When the parish priest disappears, most people think he either escaped the storm or is staying with someone. But then there comes a knock at Sara's door .... a very distraught woman who has found something horrific while out walking her dogs.
The good Father has been killed, following what looks like torture with a knife. He's been left in the woods away from most eyes. Sara has seen dead people before, but this one is horribly disfigured ... even the village doctor has a problem handling this.
Following what she hopes is the correct way to find clues, she searches his home. Evidently someone else has done the same and left everything overturned or destroyed. But Sara does find a bonus .... journals in which he kept notes about the sins committed by his parishioners.
It is obvious someone has a huge secret that they don't want exposed to the light of day. And now that Sara has those papers, will she be the next target?
The story line is a good one. I really liked the character of Sarah. She's a rookie cop with no backup and no hands on experience of handling a murder case. The pace, although not racing along, is consistent. It's well written and holds the attention throughout the book.
When the parish priest disappears, most people think he either escaped the storm or is staying with someone. But then there comes a knock at Sara's door .... a very distraught woman who has found something horrific while out walking her dogs.
The good Father has been killed, following what looks like torture with a knife. He's been left in the woods away from most eyes. Sara has seen dead people before, but this one is horribly disfigured ... even the village doctor has a problem handling this.
Following what she hopes is the correct way to find clues, she searches his home. Evidently someone else has done the same and left everything overturned or destroyed. But Sara does find a bonus .... journals in which he kept notes about the sins committed by his parishioners.
It is obvious someone has a huge secret that they don't want exposed to the light of day. And now that Sara has those papers, will she be the next target?
The story line is a good one. I really liked the character of Sarah. She's a rookie cop with no backup and no hands on experience of handling a murder case. The pace, although not racing along, is consistent. It's well written and holds the attention throughout the book.
September 21, 2018
2.5 stars
July 2, 2017
I liked the story and the mystery in the little village.
It was a little slow though.
I loved the inexperienced Sarah and all the efforts she put to do justice!
It was a little slow though.
I loved the inexperienced Sarah and all the efforts she put to do justice!
February 20, 2016
I can't in good conscious give this a three star as much as I would like to. I enjoyed the mystery unfolding, the setting it takes place, in a small quiet countryside town that's cut-off from the world due to the floods.
It is by no means the fault of the author that I am giving this book a 2-star rating. It's rather the fault of the editor that I am giving this book a 2-star rating. After all, it takes a team to craft a good book, including an editor. Stephen King never published a book without an editor.
The reason I am saying this is because while I pushed myself through to the end, especially so I could find out what was in the journal, there were so many times I had to back track to just figure out the flow of the book. For example, finishing a conversation between the copper and suspect then starting the next with the reporter without any kind of a break in between them. Those are the kind of moments I mean by back tracking it.
By all means, I applaud the author for his first work, the attention to details made it realistic for me. I felt like I was there in England. But would I recommend it? No. If the book does get revised with better editing, I will read it again to give the book a second chance.
Sorry but a review must be honest whether it is a praise or not.
It is by no means the fault of the author that I am giving this book a 2-star rating. It's rather the fault of the editor that I am giving this book a 2-star rating. After all, it takes a team to craft a good book, including an editor. Stephen King never published a book without an editor.
The reason I am saying this is because while I pushed myself through to the end, especially so I could find out what was in the journal, there were so many times I had to back track to just figure out the flow of the book. For example, finishing a conversation between the copper and suspect then starting the next with the reporter without any kind of a break in between them. Those are the kind of moments I mean by back tracking it.
By all means, I applaud the author for his first work, the attention to details made it realistic for me. I felt like I was there in England. But would I recommend it? No. If the book does get revised with better editing, I will read it again to give the book a second chance.
Sorry but a review must be honest whether it is a praise or not.
March 6, 2017
Somewhere between a two and a three star rating, rounded up because some of the aspects I didn't much like were probably a matter of my tastes, as opposed to a flaw of the book.
This e-read adequately filled my Friday commute home when I had no paperback in my bag to read, and some of the weekend afterwards (albeit partly in a state of 'I should finish reading that book' as well as a desire to find out what happens). It follows the investigation of a murdered priest in a small town cut off by flooding, carried out by an inexperienced female police officer who happened to be visiting her mother at the time. It's a contrived set-up of the closed room kind of mystery, but it mainly worked, and it made for a claustrophobic atmosphere.
The plot was fairly good, though (like the writing style) relatively straightforward in a fairly short novel. I just found it all a bit set up. The overly introspective female police officer, though probably realistic in how much she thought about stuff, made the pace a bit slow at times, and there were odd moments in the text where the author seemed to just be over-labouring a point, either to demonstrate his expertise or to discuss his viewpoints on a subject at length.
This e-read adequately filled my Friday commute home when I had no paperback in my bag to read, and some of the weekend afterwards (albeit partly in a state of 'I should finish reading that book' as well as a desire to find out what happens). It follows the investigation of a murdered priest in a small town cut off by flooding, carried out by an inexperienced female police officer who happened to be visiting her mother at the time. It's a contrived set-up of the closed room kind of mystery, but it mainly worked, and it made for a claustrophobic atmosphere.
The plot was fairly good, though (like the writing style) relatively straightforward in a fairly short novel. I just found it all a bit set up. The overly introspective female police officer, though probably realistic in how much she thought about stuff, made the pace a bit slow at times, and there were odd moments in the text where the author seemed to just be over-labouring a point, either to demonstrate his expertise or to discuss his viewpoints on a subject at length.
April 19, 2016
I chose this book for the Read Your E-Reader read-a-thon because I found the plotline to be both very intriguing and interesting. I was wanting to read a mystery and this one seemed like the right choice, but I found this book to just be ok for me.
Synopsis
A village, isolated by a severe storm, and a young officer, alone and out of her depth. A troubled priest is brutally murdered, leaving behind a journal of the resident's confessional secrets; secrets certain people would prefer he took to the grave.
As word spreads, the pressure rises as the eyes of the town watch her every move. With no forensic team, no support and a savage killer hiding in a turbulent town, is PC Sarah Gladstone up to the task?
I was pretty excited about the plot line to this story, but I found it to be a little bland and somewhat predictable. I was pretty much able to pin the tail on the donkey every step of the way. I also found the this story lacked depth, it seemed like things were just out of sorts. There was some action in the story but not enough to make the story memorable for me. I do have to say this book was more plot based than character based.
I really did not like the main character at all. She was not developed very well and I found that she lacked strength. She is a police officer and pretty much left to her own devices since a hurricane just went through the town but she just did not make good choices. She does not ever stick up for herself and lets these townspeople just have their way with her verbally and that bothered me a lot. So I found no real connection to her at all.
There were some parts to the story that I did like, (the ending action scene in particular) so because of that I am giving this book a 2.5 star rating. I am not sure who I could actually recommend this books to. I am pretty picky when it comes to mystery stories so maybe I am just too hard on this and some mystery fans will enjoy it.
Synopsis
A village, isolated by a severe storm, and a young officer, alone and out of her depth. A troubled priest is brutally murdered, leaving behind a journal of the resident's confessional secrets; secrets certain people would prefer he took to the grave.
As word spreads, the pressure rises as the eyes of the town watch her every move. With no forensic team, no support and a savage killer hiding in a turbulent town, is PC Sarah Gladstone up to the task?
I was pretty excited about the plot line to this story, but I found it to be a little bland and somewhat predictable. I was pretty much able to pin the tail on the donkey every step of the way. I also found the this story lacked depth, it seemed like things were just out of sorts. There was some action in the story but not enough to make the story memorable for me. I do have to say this book was more plot based than character based.
I really did not like the main character at all. She was not developed very well and I found that she lacked strength. She is a police officer and pretty much left to her own devices since a hurricane just went through the town but she just did not make good choices. She does not ever stick up for herself and lets these townspeople just have their way with her verbally and that bothered me a lot. So I found no real connection to her at all.
There were some parts to the story that I did like, (the ending action scene in particular) so because of that I am giving this book a 2.5 star rating. I am not sure who I could actually recommend this books to. I am pretty picky when it comes to mystery stories so maybe I am just too hard on this and some mystery fans will enjoy it.
Read
January 13, 2015Full disclosure: I know the author of this book on a personal, intimate level and have turned down numerous romantic advances from him eyy banter.
A Journal of Sin is a remarkably assured debut for a new author. There definitely some slight elements that revealed it's first-novel status, but they were buried by a keen eye for stage-setting, characterization, and memorable details.
Now I don't read a lot of mystery, so I don't know whether the central character truly breaks convention as much as I feel she does, but Sarah, our lead, is rather well developed and complex. We see her experiences and opinions bleed through into her action in a very natural way, and rarely does the reveal of new character elements feel forced or inserted after-the-fact. Other characters fare similar, most memorably for me a police supervisor who fills the role of the authority figure who gets in the way of the hero's investigation but does it in such a natural, believable way and with enough relevant personal details to back up his actions that he never ever feels like a stereotype. Even the book's most problematic character, an associate of the lead whose alcoholism and personal troubles get in the way of his helping is drawn with enough empathy and consideration to make his eventual breakdown seem both tragic and scary. A fair few chapters are given over to this character's own actions, although this stops abruptly, leaving me hungry for a little more catharsis about his character arc.
Now, the one complaint I have about the characterization is the author's frequent use of simple exposition in detailing his character's opinions and beliefs, i.e. "Sarah believed this. John was of the opinion that blah blah. It's not poorly written and usually just flew under my radar, but more than a few passages went on for a bit too long and shut the energy level of the book down, especially when they happened to take place during a heated argument, of which the book contains many.
The setting-up of the plot is also handled really well. The police mysteries I have read or watched often struggle or half-ass their need to isolate the main character so as to make them believably responsible for the action. Usually this involves a conflict between them and their office, or simpler making them just a private player in the events anyway (which I guess works well in a different kind of story). Here the inspired choice is to isolate the entire action for a large portion of the book through the use of a cataclysmic storm. This strongly informs the setting and actions for the first half of the novel and is sown very believably into the story. It keeps the main character the only experienced player on the field and gives a genuine reason for foregoing some of the more rote and played-out tropes in the cop mystery genre (autopsies providing convenient clues, good-cop/bad-cop routines, and conflict between cops and courts, to name a few). It also provides an interesting parallel to the idea of a idea of a little hamlet torn apart by a gruesome murder, though I'm not sure that's exactly reflected too often in the text. Perhaps the storm-caused isolation could've been resolved quicker in the story, as I felt surprised when I realized how far into the book it was that point is reached, but that's probably a reflection more of my desire to prolong the reading experience. I'm excited to read the next one!
A Journal of Sin is a remarkably assured debut for a new author. There definitely some slight elements that revealed it's first-novel status, but they were buried by a keen eye for stage-setting, characterization, and memorable details.
Now I don't read a lot of mystery, so I don't know whether the central character truly breaks convention as much as I feel she does, but Sarah, our lead, is rather well developed and complex. We see her experiences and opinions bleed through into her action in a very natural way, and rarely does the reveal of new character elements feel forced or inserted after-the-fact. Other characters fare similar, most memorably for me a police supervisor who fills the role of the authority figure who gets in the way of the hero's investigation but does it in such a natural, believable way and with enough relevant personal details to back up his actions that he never ever feels like a stereotype. Even the book's most problematic character, an associate of the lead whose alcoholism and personal troubles get in the way of his helping is drawn with enough empathy and consideration to make his eventual breakdown seem both tragic and scary. A fair few chapters are given over to this character's own actions, although this stops abruptly, leaving me hungry for a little more catharsis about his character arc.
Now, the one complaint I have about the characterization is the author's frequent use of simple exposition in detailing his character's opinions and beliefs, i.e. "Sarah believed this. John was of the opinion that blah blah. It's not poorly written and usually just flew under my radar, but more than a few passages went on for a bit too long and shut the energy level of the book down, especially when they happened to take place during a heated argument, of which the book contains many.
The setting-up of the plot is also handled really well. The police mysteries I have read or watched often struggle or half-ass their need to isolate the main character so as to make them believably responsible for the action. Usually this involves a conflict between them and their office, or simpler making them just a private player in the events anyway (which I guess works well in a different kind of story). Here the inspired choice is to isolate the entire action for a large portion of the book through the use of a cataclysmic storm. This strongly informs the setting and actions for the first half of the novel and is sown very believably into the story. It keeps the main character the only experienced player on the field and gives a genuine reason for foregoing some of the more rote and played-out tropes in the cop mystery genre (autopsies providing convenient clues, good-cop/bad-cop routines, and conflict between cops and courts, to name a few). It also provides an interesting parallel to the idea of a idea of a little hamlet torn apart by a gruesome murder, though I'm not sure that's exactly reflected too often in the text. Perhaps the storm-caused isolation could've been resolved quicker in the story, as I felt surprised when I realized how far into the book it was that point is reached, but that's probably a reflection more of my desire to prolong the reading experience. I'm excited to read the next one!
October 1, 2015
"It's All Written Down In His Diary"
An interesting plot idea, with a lone female PC isolated from the outside world in a small town after a huge storm. There were a lot of familiar references to the efficacy of modern policing versus that of the 'good old' days when it was a force, not a service. The media came in for a bit of a bashing too, not without justification perhaps. Due to the death of a priest there were more than a few religious themes analysed and after a while this got a bit tedious. All in all though, this was a pretty good read and if this expands into a series, then I'm sure it will attract a loyal following, rather than a congregation
An interesting plot idea, with a lone female PC isolated from the outside world in a small town after a huge storm. There were a lot of familiar references to the efficacy of modern policing versus that of the 'good old' days when it was a force, not a service. The media came in for a bit of a bashing too, not without justification perhaps. Due to the death of a priest there were more than a few religious themes analysed and after a while this got a bit tedious. All in all though, this was a pretty good read and if this expands into a series, then I'm sure it will attract a loyal following, rather than a congregation
August 13, 2017
An interesting and unusual storyline, it flagged a little bit in the middle but certainly made up for it by the end.
September 12, 2015
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
I was really looking forward to reading A Journal of Sin. The synopsis intrigued me. A priest who wrote down people's sins is murdered? Sign me up. Unfortunately this story was not as good as I had hoped.
There is a bad storm in a small town and the main character, Sarah, just happens to get stranded there. She had been visiting her mother and is the only cop in town. When the priest gets murdered one of the townspeople comes to her to help out and try and figure out who did it.
The townspeople were all worried that the priest's journals would become public knowledge. A few were really worried about what he journals would reveal. They didn't want their dirty laundry aired for everyone to know. So some of them are trying to help to try and be able to read the journals and make sure they don't say anything bad about them.
Sarah is out of her league with this investigation. She joined the police force two years ago, but apparently hasn't learned much. She is trying her best to keep the evidence and body in tact, but because of the storm and lack of supplies she doesn't have a lot of options. She just seems to bumble her way through things. She can't even talk to the townspeople without being all nervous and making herself look like she doesn't know what she was doing. I didn't care for her as she didn't seem to know what to do most of the time. She didn't understand simple things like you cannot just barge in and make someone talk. It was not that good.
The other thing is I knew who the killer was right from the moment they was introduced. I kept thinking is it really going to be this character? I mean it is obvious it is, but maybe it is one of those tricky ones where it makes you think one thing only to have it be something different. Unfortunately that was not the case. It was the obvious choice.
Really all of the characters were kind of flat for me. I had such high potential for this story, but it just didn't work out. I found myself not really caring what happened pretty quickly so it wasn't that much fun to read.
I was really looking forward to reading A Journal of Sin. The synopsis intrigued me. A priest who wrote down people's sins is murdered? Sign me up. Unfortunately this story was not as good as I had hoped.
There is a bad storm in a small town and the main character, Sarah, just happens to get stranded there. She had been visiting her mother and is the only cop in town. When the priest gets murdered one of the townspeople comes to her to help out and try and figure out who did it.
The townspeople were all worried that the priest's journals would become public knowledge. A few were really worried about what he journals would reveal. They didn't want their dirty laundry aired for everyone to know. So some of them are trying to help to try and be able to read the journals and make sure they don't say anything bad about them.
Sarah is out of her league with this investigation. She joined the police force two years ago, but apparently hasn't learned much. She is trying her best to keep the evidence and body in tact, but because of the storm and lack of supplies she doesn't have a lot of options. She just seems to bumble her way through things. She can't even talk to the townspeople without being all nervous and making herself look like she doesn't know what she was doing. I didn't care for her as she didn't seem to know what to do most of the time. She didn't understand simple things like you cannot just barge in and make someone talk. It was not that good.
The other thing is I knew who the killer was right from the moment they was introduced. I kept thinking is it really going to be this character? I mean it is obvious it is, but maybe it is one of those tricky ones where it makes you think one thing only to have it be something different. Unfortunately that was not the case. It was the obvious choice.
Really all of the characters were kind of flat for me. I had such high potential for this story, but it just didn't work out. I found myself not really caring what happened pretty quickly so it wasn't that much fun to read.
February 4, 2017
Many of the detective novels one reads today have similar themes. The detective has a ton of baggage and may also have a physical issue to deal with, and if there is not at least one major twist (or two or three) it is viewed by many not to be a successful book. I am happy to report that “A Journal of Sin” does not follow a similar path.
Not that main character Sarah Gladstone doesn’t have insecurities. She is, after all, human like all of us, and thus tends to second-guess some of her decisions. Fortunately, this is a natural tendency for anyone that has not been in a job for a long period. Sarah finds herself thrust into a situation where she has no assistance, and no way to contact her superiors. Thus, she must do the best she can and is left with the results, both good and bad.
In the real world, there are not the many twists readers have become enamored with, and so when a realistic tale comes along, it may not be well-received. For me, that was part of this book’s charm. This story is well-written, professionally edited, and logically moves through the scenes from beginning to end. While I wouldn’t say the story is riveting or caused me to lose sleep (so I could read it in one sitting), I was caught up in the story and found it entertaining. The characters are believable, and author Darryl Donaghue has given them enough motivation for their actions to have it all make sense. Sarah is likeable and normal, and it is easy to hope that she does well. For those who like to know, there are some vulgarities though they are not excessive, and any sex scenes are referenced rather than described in detail.
While the ending leaves no doubt that this is a series, “A Journal of Sin” is not a cliffhanger. Personally, I will probably move on to the next novel. Four stars.
Not that main character Sarah Gladstone doesn’t have insecurities. She is, after all, human like all of us, and thus tends to second-guess some of her decisions. Fortunately, this is a natural tendency for anyone that has not been in a job for a long period. Sarah finds herself thrust into a situation where she has no assistance, and no way to contact her superiors. Thus, she must do the best she can and is left with the results, both good and bad.
In the real world, there are not the many twists readers have become enamored with, and so when a realistic tale comes along, it may not be well-received. For me, that was part of this book’s charm. This story is well-written, professionally edited, and logically moves through the scenes from beginning to end. While I wouldn’t say the story is riveting or caused me to lose sleep (so I could read it in one sitting), I was caught up in the story and found it entertaining. The characters are believable, and author Darryl Donaghue has given them enough motivation for their actions to have it all make sense. Sarah is likeable and normal, and it is easy to hope that she does well. For those who like to know, there are some vulgarities though they are not excessive, and any sex scenes are referenced rather than described in detail.
While the ending leaves no doubt that this is a series, “A Journal of Sin” is not a cliffhanger. Personally, I will probably move on to the next novel. Four stars.
August 24, 2016
This is a pretty good crime thriller set in a small village isolated from the rest of the country following a heavy storm and widespread flooding. Against this backdrop PC Sarah Gladstone, a two year rookie on the force has to try a maintain order while investigating the murder of the local priest, a priest that broke his vows and recorded the confessions of the villagers. While the outcome was a little predictable, Donaghue does create a feeling of tension and finger pointing that carries the weaker aspects of the story fairly well and the interplay of the villagers amongst themselves and in response to Sarah is intriguing and suggests that there is a lot more to the village than meets the eye. Sadly I did find Sarah a little irksome and her decision making was not the best, even as a rookie she should have known better at times. But it wasn't a bad little read overall.
February 21, 2016
Great short read! I thought the story sounded interesting, and I was looking for a book to engage me on a dreary day. I read it pretty much in one sitting. Yes, it was not a very complicated story, but it was interesting, and reeled me in from the beginning. I wonder how many priests keep a record of confessions?
November 14, 2015
Very slow…
I will be honest I have only gotten about halfway through and I'm completely bored. It's dry, the characters aren't interesting, and for the most part they are rude. The premise seems like it would make for an interesting story. I just think it needs more editing maybe.
I will be honest I have only gotten about halfway through and I'm completely bored. It's dry, the characters aren't interesting, and for the most part they are rude. The premise seems like it would make for an interesting story. I just think it needs more editing maybe.
March 24, 2016
Little slow in the middle, but I liked learning things that are British like crunchy cheese sandwiches. They sound truly awful. I feel like the next book will be better.
July 17, 2016
Don't bother.
June 20, 2019
Enjoyable, mostly
I am a total sucker for British mystery novels. Whether it's Poirot, Marple, Luther, Holmes and Watson, Scott and Bailey, or any other English detective, I can get my mojo with them.
Sarah Gladstone is not QUITE in the same with the characters above, but she has potential. She is not a living computer like Holmes, nor is she infallible. But she is a clever young detective which gives the reader hope that she will grow and mature.
The author however needs to consider either hiring an editor or, if he had one, hiring a better one. Noun-pronoun relationships are poor to the point that whole passages become a mystery as to who and what is being conveyed. Scenes change without notice or warning, and that honestly is laziness on the author's part.
Put simply, great central character and brilliant plot....zero spoilers, seriously good story. But take an aspirin because the writing will give you headaches.
I am a total sucker for British mystery novels. Whether it's Poirot, Marple, Luther, Holmes and Watson, Scott and Bailey, or any other English detective, I can get my mojo with them.
Sarah Gladstone is not QUITE in the same with the characters above, but she has potential. She is not a living computer like Holmes, nor is she infallible. But she is a clever young detective which gives the reader hope that she will grow and mature.
The author however needs to consider either hiring an editor or, if he had one, hiring a better one. Noun-pronoun relationships are poor to the point that whole passages become a mystery as to who and what is being conveyed. Scenes change without notice or warning, and that honestly is laziness on the author's part.
Put simply, great central character and brilliant plot....zero spoilers, seriously good story. But take an aspirin because the writing will give you headaches.
October 25, 2017
The story would easily get 5* from me but the editing......2* so I've needed to split the difference. A few times I wondered if English was the author's first language, which I assume it is but sentences were presented in such a peculiar fashion....a little like German where they write back-to-front as such. I'll provide examples below. A real shame as it cost it dearly. I read he has self-published but he really needs to find a good proofreader.
When Sarah was discussing the missing person with her mum her mum mentioned he was a very popular man....WAS....we'd no idea then what had happened to him so that was careless. He mentions a redhead woman instead of redheaded, then Sarah with a can of tuna as opposed to the can that was mentioned already. The room lounge was mentioned (??) this sentence-"He still sleeping soundly?" and this one "He knew about ? Your male friends?" Someone offered to make a drink for another character and his response was "That's okay, it's no trouble" and this odd phrasing, too-"....send an arrest team in the chopper to pick up him"...."He causing trouble again ?"....this is why I was confused about the author being English or not. These examples are all quite strange errors, sort of written arse-about-face. To cap it all, he dropped the closing bracket on the penultimate page of the book, totally adding insult to injury !! The air turned blue here then !
There were some missed words from sentences like of/a/in along with the obligatory e-book apostrophe mistakes. He threw in Americanisms here and there for some reason-hard-ass, fantasized, tires....put was used and not putt and maybe and not may be. He referred to daffodil-scented air freshener which isn't something I've ever encountered.
I enjoyed his passage giving a great description of faith along with the reference to money. and I also got a kick out of a lot of the humorous little asides, too. Sarah certainly had a baptism of fire in the story. I thought she did a great job considering the circumstances. I found I had a lot of time for her, though felt sorry for her trying to manage with no assistance. I have the second book downloaded and I just hope to goodness that it's better presented, since this one should get a higher "score" and if not for the want of a good proofread would have got it on merit. I always mark my reviews on the complete work.
When Sarah was discussing the missing person with her mum her mum mentioned he was a very popular man....WAS....we'd no idea then what had happened to him so that was careless. He mentions a redhead woman instead of redheaded, then Sarah with a can of tuna as opposed to the can that was mentioned already. The room lounge was mentioned (??) this sentence-"He still sleeping soundly?" and this one "He knew about ? Your male friends?" Someone offered to make a drink for another character and his response was "That's okay, it's no trouble" and this odd phrasing, too-"....send an arrest team in the chopper to pick up him"...."He causing trouble again ?"....this is why I was confused about the author being English or not. These examples are all quite strange errors, sort of written arse-about-face. To cap it all, he dropped the closing bracket on the penultimate page of the book, totally adding insult to injury !! The air turned blue here then !
There were some missed words from sentences like of/a/in along with the obligatory e-book apostrophe mistakes. He threw in Americanisms here and there for some reason-hard-ass, fantasized, tires....put was used and not putt and maybe and not may be. He referred to daffodil-scented air freshener which isn't something I've ever encountered.
I enjoyed his passage giving a great description of faith along with the reference to money. and I also got a kick out of a lot of the humorous little asides, too. Sarah certainly had a baptism of fire in the story. I thought she did a great job considering the circumstances. I found I had a lot of time for her, though felt sorry for her trying to manage with no assistance. I have the second book downloaded and I just hope to goodness that it's better presented, since this one should get a higher "score" and if not for the want of a good proofread would have got it on merit. I always mark my reviews on the complete work.
January 27, 2016
I liked it, I did but its not the best I've read.
Though I have to say Darryl's writing in this book made fall in love with Sarah and want to see her succeed. It wasn't even about the case anymore it was simply cause I felt she deserved it.
The story line is good but there are parts that seem detailed and yet after reading these details you still feel like you have no idea whats going on! maybe it's just me!
Apart from that
Sarah: Loved her, great character though I don't like that I still barely have any idea what she looks like! Descriptions of her were more character based which is still okay considering the genre of the book.
John: It seemed a little ridiculous to me that he'd keep a dead body in his home and still live in it. If that wasn't an indication that something was wrong with this guy then I don't know what is. And those journal entries were clearly about Suzanne!
Speaking of Suzanne: Despite her loose moral and lame excuses for doing what she does not to mention her crass approach to getting what she wants I kinda liked her. Odd
Tom: ASS.
Sean: Another Ass. Good excuse to be one but still an ass.
Anne: I feel a lot of pity for but I still feel like she let it go on too long!
Basically there character did become real to me which I take as an indication the book was well written but I still feel it could have been better.
Though I have to say Darryl's writing in this book made fall in love with Sarah and want to see her succeed. It wasn't even about the case anymore it was simply cause I felt she deserved it.
The story line is good but there are parts that seem detailed and yet after reading these details you still feel like you have no idea whats going on! maybe it's just me!
Apart from that
Sarah: Loved her, great character though I don't like that I still barely have any idea what she looks like! Descriptions of her were more character based which is still okay considering the genre of the book.
John: It seemed a little ridiculous to me that he'd keep a dead body in his home and still live in it. If that wasn't an indication that something was wrong with this guy then I don't know what is. And those journal entries were clearly about Suzanne!
Speaking of Suzanne: Despite her loose moral and lame excuses for doing what she does not to mention her crass approach to getting what she wants I kinda liked her. Odd
Tom: ASS.
Sean: Another Ass. Good excuse to be one but still an ass.
Anne: I feel a lot of pity for but I still feel like she let it go on too long!
Basically there character did become real to me which I take as an indication the book was well written but I still feel it could have been better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2016
The writing style is very good. The basic plot was clever and well presented. The characters were believable with enough subplot interest going on. That said, I have to give it a mediocre 3 stars only because the suspense aspect was pretty poor and that is the main bone in that genre. The guilty villain was too obvious too early in the story. It was so obvious until I convinced myself I had to be wrong, but I wasn't. When it was finally revealed there was no ah-ha at all. That seriously took away most of the mystery mystique. So if he works on that aspect of his quite good storytelling ability he will be a wonderful mystery/suspense writer.
I loved the way it ended. That is a sweet ending and Segway into future novels. I may continue reading them because I really like the writing style and I would like to see if that making the villain less obvious issue is improved upon.
I loved the way it ended. That is a sweet ending and Segway into future novels. I may continue reading them because I really like the writing style and I would like to see if that making the villain less obvious issue is improved upon.
October 5, 2016
A journal of sin indeed......
The author needs to seriously recheck what a true thriller is, because this book was everything but! Like other reviewers have mentioned before I figured out the bad guy before the halfway mark. The concept of the plot wasn't bad and the characters ok at best, the biggest thing that irritated me was the way they were introduced and their first person perceptions were mashed together in such a lazy and thoughtless manner.
I think the author shouldn't shy away from investing in some good editors to help out because there is potential. Sad to give this such a low rating but then I myself would have to be 'nicked' for attempting to give it any other score.
The author needs to seriously recheck what a true thriller is, because this book was everything but! Like other reviewers have mentioned before I figured out the bad guy before the halfway mark. The concept of the plot wasn't bad and the characters ok at best, the biggest thing that irritated me was the way they were introduced and their first person perceptions were mashed together in such a lazy and thoughtless manner.
I think the author shouldn't shy away from investing in some good editors to help out because there is potential. Sad to give this such a low rating but then I myself would have to be 'nicked' for attempting to give it any other score.
February 7, 2015
As a lover of this genre I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is as good as some other books from well known authors in this genre. For a debut book from Donaghue, he certainly knows what he's doing and writes like he's been doing so for years. With an intricate plot, clever hidden dots of information, a host of well developed characters and fantastic attention to detail, Donaghue goes on my list of favorite authors amongst Patterson, Gerritsen and Slaughter. I look forward to more from Sarah Gladstone and I am truly excited about a new crime series that I can hopefully follow for years to come.
March 31, 2016
. Worth a read!
Thank you for the opportunity to ride along with Sarah! Enjoyed this - particularly the strong female protagonist. Keep going!
Thank you for the opportunity to ride along with Sarah! Enjoyed this - particularly the strong female protagonist. Keep going!
July 23, 2022
PC Sarah Gladstone is stuck in her mother's home in the village she lives in. A hurricane has doused the area and the village is literally underwater with emergency services unable to reach them. As the waters start to recede and people begin to leave their homes, it is discovered the local Father is missing. Nobody has seen him since the storm and there's no way he could have gotten out of the village safely during the storm. Where could he be? Word is out that PC Gladstone is in the village and she's called upon to investigate. This is way outside of Sarah's experience, she's only been on the force for 2 years and just ended her probationary period. But she's the only true copper around so she agrees to do what she can to find the missing Father. When the body is found, mutilated beyond anything she could have imagined, Sarah is no longer dealing with a missing person. She's trying to find a murderer in a village that is currently cut off from the rest of the country. Can rookie PC Gladstone find the murderer? And if she does, what then?
The premise of the book is good. The murder was gruesome. But something about the execution of it all didn't float my boat. It read very slowly. I felt like I was dragging a large, heavy wagon through the book and it wasn't reading as fast as I thought it would given the summary. Many times I felt like, "just get there already" in terms of the resolution. And many points of it felt very obvious to me, which I think contributed to my impatience for Donaghue to "just get there already." When I finished the book I had no desire, and still don't many days later, to continue with the series. So I'm going to start and end this series with book 1 and move on to other authors and titles that keep me on the hook, so to speak.
The premise of the book is good. The murder was gruesome. But something about the execution of it all didn't float my boat. It read very slowly. I felt like I was dragging a large, heavy wagon through the book and it wasn't reading as fast as I thought it would given the summary. Many times I felt like, "just get there already" in terms of the resolution. And many points of it felt very obvious to me, which I think contributed to my impatience for Donaghue to "just get there already." When I finished the book I had no desire, and still don't many days later, to continue with the series. So I'm going to start and end this series with book 1 and move on to other authors and titles that keep me on the hook, so to speak.
February 1, 2019
The outline of this book caught my attention- the murder of a priest in a small close-knit community that has been cut off from the outside world for 2 weeks due to a storm. The priest had kept journals of the confessionals of the local residents, and the word was out. A police officer was in the village as she was caring for her elderly mother during the storm. It became the responsibility of this officer to investigate without any help or support from the police force - but she's out of her depth as she's only recently completed her probationary period with the force.
The author has a good writing style, and the scenes were set well. The main character PC Gladstone was likeable and we were able to get to know her, her thoughts and her insecurities about the job she had to do. We were introduced to a variety of other characters, which helped build a good picture of the community. The flow of the story was slow in places, especially where the author was demonstrating his knowledge of the police force. This wasn't necessarily off putting, but it did slow the pace down.
It was a shame that the actual contents of the journals weren't utilised more during the story. Some contents were briefly revealed at the end in relation to the main characters, but I feel that the author could have expanded on this to throw in a few twists along the way. The identity of the murderer was rather predictable, but this was fitting for the novel and I feel that any other culprit would have felt 'wrong'.
Although this isn't a fast paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller, I really enjoyed it and would recommend for an easy and entertaining read with a great plot.
The author has a good writing style, and the scenes were set well. The main character PC Gladstone was likeable and we were able to get to know her, her thoughts and her insecurities about the job she had to do. We were introduced to a variety of other characters, which helped build a good picture of the community. The flow of the story was slow in places, especially where the author was demonstrating his knowledge of the police force. This wasn't necessarily off putting, but it did slow the pace down.
It was a shame that the actual contents of the journals weren't utilised more during the story. Some contents were briefly revealed at the end in relation to the main characters, but I feel that the author could have expanded on this to throw in a few twists along the way. The identity of the murderer was rather predictable, but this was fitting for the novel and I feel that any other culprit would have felt 'wrong'.
Although this isn't a fast paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller, I really enjoyed it and would recommend for an easy and entertaining read with a great plot.
August 2, 2017
OK. Somewhere in England the village of Sunbury is cut off following a devastating storm which floods the surrounding countryside.
A policewoman, Sarah Gladstone, is visiting her mother and finds herself - along with the rest of the villagers - cut off from escape, electricity and communication.
The local Catholic priest then goes missing and is subsequently found dead by a Yorkshire terrier and its alarmed owner.
Sarah then has to mount a single handed murder investigation, handicapped by uncooperative locals, and their fear of having had their confessions recorded for posterity in Father Michael's secret journals.
It's not a bad read but I had several problems with it.
The premise relies on the priest being Catholic since he has recorded details of his confessions in several journals.
I'm not convinced that a village like this would have a large enough Catholic population. It's not clear to me where Sunbury is, but presumably somewhere in Middle England prone to floods.
Catholics in England, in my experience and I am happy to be proven wrong, tend to live in towns and cities. but, even given that there may well be villages with large Catholic populations. the characters that may have confessed are either not Catholic or don't appear to be. The one person with an Irish name, Sean, has not it appears confessed himself but wants to see the confessions of someone else.
Then there's the characters. There's not a lot to make one care about any of them. There's a kind of bleak realism that isn't supported by any tension or real drama. The characters are defined only by their bad behaviour and one sees little of another side to them. Some occasional light relief would have been welcomed. They come over as cold and unlikeable. Even the heroine herself goes through the novel in a state of worried annoyance.
Thus, now and again, the reader's switch gets flipped from exciting to depressing.
It's well written and I stuck with it. Given some work on characterisation and perhaps a subplot I would have been more sold on it but as it stands it doesn't encourage one to read more.
A policewoman, Sarah Gladstone, is visiting her mother and finds herself - along with the rest of the villagers - cut off from escape, electricity and communication.
The local Catholic priest then goes missing and is subsequently found dead by a Yorkshire terrier and its alarmed owner.
Sarah then has to mount a single handed murder investigation, handicapped by uncooperative locals, and their fear of having had their confessions recorded for posterity in Father Michael's secret journals.
It's not a bad read but I had several problems with it.
The premise relies on the priest being Catholic since he has recorded details of his confessions in several journals.
I'm not convinced that a village like this would have a large enough Catholic population. It's not clear to me where Sunbury is, but presumably somewhere in Middle England prone to floods.
Catholics in England, in my experience and I am happy to be proven wrong, tend to live in towns and cities. but, even given that there may well be villages with large Catholic populations. the characters that may have confessed are either not Catholic or don't appear to be. The one person with an Irish name, Sean, has not it appears confessed himself but wants to see the confessions of someone else.
Then there's the characters. There's not a lot to make one care about any of them. There's a kind of bleak realism that isn't supported by any tension or real drama. The characters are defined only by their bad behaviour and one sees little of another side to them. Some occasional light relief would have been welcomed. They come over as cold and unlikeable. Even the heroine herself goes through the novel in a state of worried annoyance.
Thus, now and again, the reader's switch gets flipped from exciting to depressing.
It's well written and I stuck with it. Given some work on characterisation and perhaps a subplot I would have been more sold on it but as it stands it doesn't encourage one to read more.
September 15, 2018
I truly enjoy a good mystery set in the British countryside, but I cannot decide if I liked this first of the Sarah Gladstone series. Sarah is visiting her mother when a severe storm hits and blocks access into or out of the village. The parish priest is missing and the townsfolk rely on Sarah to do something about it. During her investigation, of sorts, she relies on the first person on the scene, John, to help her out. Now isn't it typically a rule of detective work that the first person on the scene should be treated as a suspect, especially when there is evidence of a break-in & the priest's rooms have been ransacked? As to the village itself, why was there no one of any authority within it; no council person, village bobby, even the local doctor didn't seem to have any authority.
The story line is good, but not worked out enough to keep the reader hanging on. Sarah's constant personal whining over being separated from her husband and twin daughters was grating on the nerves. Only 2 years on the force and having a panic attack that there was no one of greater authority to take charge, and no way to communicate with headquarters as the phone lines were down. No, Sarah certainly began to annoy me.
If the 2nd in the series is offered for free for Kindle (not on Unlimited, don't have that), I might just try it to see if Sarah has developed more, or is still a whiny panic attack victim.
The story line is good, but not worked out enough to keep the reader hanging on. Sarah's constant personal whining over being separated from her husband and twin daughters was grating on the nerves. Only 2 years on the force and having a panic attack that there was no one of greater authority to take charge, and no way to communicate with headquarters as the phone lines were down. No, Sarah certainly began to annoy me.
If the 2nd in the series is offered for free for Kindle (not on Unlimited, don't have that), I might just try it to see if Sarah has developed more, or is still a whiny panic attack victim.
December 18, 2020
A storm hits small villages in Great Britain, isolating the villagers from traveling. Flood waters have risen so that no one can leave; communications are nonexistent, and Sarah Gladstone, a fairly recent police officer, is visiting her mother when the storm hits.
Into this mix, there is a break-in at the local church and priest's residence. Added to this, he is discovered to have been brutally murdered. But by whom? The locals all profess to love the priest, and no one can figure out why anyone would kill him. It is up to Sarah to solve prior to the roads re-opening because one thing is sure: no one is going anywhere until the floods recede and the roads re-open.
This small English village, though, harbors secrets, and the priest is at the heart of it, having written down confessions in his journals. Which of the many secrets caused his death? Sarah investigates, causing havoc as the answers are slow in coming and everyone is on edge, but she is limited in her abilities. Can she solve the case? Or will she lose the position she so recently received when a news crew helicopters into the area, causing her to unintentionally blurt out the murder.
Usually, this reader can read English English (as opposed to American English) easily enough, but a few of the terms took a while to understand, making it a bit difficult for this reader. Enjoyed the story with the quaint characters who inhabit this village.
Into this mix, there is a break-in at the local church and priest's residence. Added to this, he is discovered to have been brutally murdered. But by whom? The locals all profess to love the priest, and no one can figure out why anyone would kill him. It is up to Sarah to solve prior to the roads re-opening because one thing is sure: no one is going anywhere until the floods recede and the roads re-open.
This small English village, though, harbors secrets, and the priest is at the heart of it, having written down confessions in his journals. Which of the many secrets caused his death? Sarah investigates, causing havoc as the answers are slow in coming and everyone is on edge, but she is limited in her abilities. Can she solve the case? Or will she lose the position she so recently received when a news crew helicopters into the area, causing her to unintentionally blurt out the murder.
Usually, this reader can read English English (as opposed to American English) easily enough, but a few of the terms took a while to understand, making it a bit difficult for this reader. Enjoyed the story with the quaint characters who inhabit this village.
August 27, 2022
This was a bit laboured. Sarah Gladstone is a police constable who has gone to check her mother is alright during a storm and then finds the village surrounded by floodwater and is unable to leave. The local catholic priest seems to be missing during this storm and as she sets out to look for him his body is discovered.
Having nowhere to keep the body refrigerated as the electricity is off and the phones are not working, she has to move the body wrapped up in a tent to a shed in the back garden of one of the village's residents. She also, along with John the resident, discovers that the priest kept records of all his confessionals for around 20yrs, although no names are mentioned. These 20 odd journals are making the residents want to steal them from Sarah to check if anything they confessed is written down in them. She hides them at her mother's, now where else could she hide them from the residents, as if that wouldn't be the first place they think of!
To cut a what is fast becoming a rather boring book, the flood waters recede and a helicopter lands in the village and she is rescued, and the body taken by the police and Sarah finds the stolen journals. I confess here that I was now not that interested in who murdered the priest or whether she spent the rest of her life trapped in a small village surrounded by flood water living by candlelight, I was just glad that I got to the end.
Having nowhere to keep the body refrigerated as the electricity is off and the phones are not working, she has to move the body wrapped up in a tent to a shed in the back garden of one of the village's residents. She also, along with John the resident, discovers that the priest kept records of all his confessionals for around 20yrs, although no names are mentioned. These 20 odd journals are making the residents want to steal them from Sarah to check if anything they confessed is written down in them. She hides them at her mother's, now where else could she hide them from the residents, as if that wouldn't be the first place they think of!
To cut a what is fast becoming a rather boring book, the flood waters recede and a helicopter lands in the village and she is rescued, and the body taken by the police and Sarah finds the stolen journals. I confess here that I was now not that interested in who murdered the priest or whether she spent the rest of her life trapped in a small village surrounded by flood water living by candlelight, I was just glad that I got to the end.
November 13, 2017
An excellent premise for a book but I was disappointed with the way the it was presented. The story is clearly set in modern day England yet the village in the story is cut off from everything due to avsevere storm. The electricity is out and mobile reception is also cut off. It seems no-one in the village has an old fashion landline phone? I don't believe it. Because she can't ask for guidance from her superiors Sarah has to make decisions and do what's best in the circumstances. She does her best but is, essentially sacked because she could do nothing else. Where do you keep a body if there's no power to run the fridges? She chose to keep it wrapped up and out of sight. What else could she do? Sarah, like most readers, figured out who the real culprit was but when no-one listens, should she just let him go? The more senior officer who arrives late on the scene is happy to take the credit but can't see past the end of his nose! Jobs for the boys! Sarah is only a girl with minimal experience. That's a nuisance but she's the one who's been there long enough to get to know some of the people first hand. Tom is so generous with his money but everyone in the village is beholden to him so no-one speaks out about the domestic violence - not even anonymously???
Editing and proofreading deserve more attention than this book was given.
Editing and proofreading deserve more attention than this book was given.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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