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Wheeler & Ross #1
Riven
First he kills. A psychologist is found brutally murdered, an addict jumps to his death, and a student is found dead. These are the facts. And they are all that DIs Wheeler and Ross have. He waits. As Wheeler and Ross weave through the layers of Glasgow’s underbelly, they find a subculture where truth and lies are interchangeable commodities and violence is the favored currency. He watches. The killer stays one step ahead of them as Wheeler uncovers a web of deceit in which her own nephew is entangled. He leaves his legacy. . . And as the case draws to a close, Wheeler has to confront her own integrity and face the is justice always served by the truth?
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 23, 2014
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86 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 16, 2015
Riven – Brilliant debut
Riven is the debut crime thriller by A.J. McCreanor a Glasgow writer now based down south with us wee sassanachs. For someone who is making her debut writing let alone in the crime thriller genre she has hit all the right buttons, her use of the Glaswegian burr I could just hear friends in the roles of the characters. Her knowledge of Glasgow is impecible and she could almost be giving you a guided tour of the highlights and the low lights of the city. A. J. McCreanor’s writing is compelling that really does draw you in as a reader to the dark and sinister side of Glasgow’s East End.
DI Kat Wheeler is out at the theatre when she receives the call all Murder Teams dread the call out to a fresh body. When she meets up with her colleague DI Ross they are confronted with the murder of Educational Psychologist James Gilmore who has been brutally murdered. They are also confronted with the facts that there does not seem to be any reason as to why he would be murdered. Even his colleagues could not think of any reason other than he taught some of the most damaged kids in the Glasgow school system.
Kat’s nephew, Jason, is at University in Glasgow, probably to put space between himself and his mother down in England. Her sister keeps worrying Jason is dead or missing as he does not keep in touch so Kat tracks hims down to find him buying drugs with his girlfriend. Later his girlfriend is found dead and even though Jason convinces the police he has nothing to do with her death, but Kat is not convinced. She knows he is hiding something but not sure what.
One of the local bosses is taking an interest in to the murder of James Gilmore and making sure that even though he had nothing to do with it, the polis never find the culprit. The local Andy Doyle also happens to have his fingers in many pies and even when the police do visit he has nothing to say. He knows everything that happens on his patch and those that go against him are disappeared. Not a man to be crossed.
Wheeler and Ross find that they are in the midst of a web of lies where the killer is able to keep ahead of them, sometimes by design sometimes by accident. While Wheeler accepts the closure of the case she is not sure if the truth comes out justice will be done.
Riven is an excellent debut that will blow you away taking you to the tough and gritty east end of Glasgow via the education establishment of the city. This is a gripping and exciting read that has a great pace about it the Glasgow accent shouts from each page as if you were in the heart of Glasgow. This will be a hard thriller to follow but I am sure A.J. McCreanor will succeed.
Riven is the debut crime thriller by A.J. McCreanor a Glasgow writer now based down south with us wee sassanachs. For someone who is making her debut writing let alone in the crime thriller genre she has hit all the right buttons, her use of the Glaswegian burr I could just hear friends in the roles of the characters. Her knowledge of Glasgow is impecible and she could almost be giving you a guided tour of the highlights and the low lights of the city. A. J. McCreanor’s writing is compelling that really does draw you in as a reader to the dark and sinister side of Glasgow’s East End.
DI Kat Wheeler is out at the theatre when she receives the call all Murder Teams dread the call out to a fresh body. When she meets up with her colleague DI Ross they are confronted with the murder of Educational Psychologist James Gilmore who has been brutally murdered. They are also confronted with the facts that there does not seem to be any reason as to why he would be murdered. Even his colleagues could not think of any reason other than he taught some of the most damaged kids in the Glasgow school system.
Kat’s nephew, Jason, is at University in Glasgow, probably to put space between himself and his mother down in England. Her sister keeps worrying Jason is dead or missing as he does not keep in touch so Kat tracks hims down to find him buying drugs with his girlfriend. Later his girlfriend is found dead and even though Jason convinces the police he has nothing to do with her death, but Kat is not convinced. She knows he is hiding something but not sure what.
One of the local bosses is taking an interest in to the murder of James Gilmore and making sure that even though he had nothing to do with it, the polis never find the culprit. The local Andy Doyle also happens to have his fingers in many pies and even when the police do visit he has nothing to say. He knows everything that happens on his patch and those that go against him are disappeared. Not a man to be crossed.
Wheeler and Ross find that they are in the midst of a web of lies where the killer is able to keep ahead of them, sometimes by design sometimes by accident. While Wheeler accepts the closure of the case she is not sure if the truth comes out justice will be done.
Riven is an excellent debut that will blow you away taking you to the tough and gritty east end of Glasgow via the education establishment of the city. This is a gripping and exciting read that has a great pace about it the Glasgow accent shouts from each page as if you were in the heart of Glasgow. This will be a hard thriller to follow but I am sure A.J. McCreanor will succeed.
July 15, 2015
I really thought I was going to enjoy this book. For me it had everything going for it - police procedural crime thriller set in a location I know well, Glasgow, and by a new author so in my opinion always worth a go.
Unfortunately not the case. It started off promisingly with the murder of a psychologist, no apparent evidence no witnesses and no apparent reason for the murder. This sees the introduction of the two main detectives of the story - DI Wheeler and acting DI Ross. We learn a little about these characters such as Wheeler has served in the armed forces, Ross is looking after an abandoned three legged mutt.
If the book was about showing how dull police work is in real life rather than the books and tv shows we love then it was a success. The story line lacked direction at times and there were a lot of what I guess was meant to be red herring misdirection but it all got a bit confused. The blurb stated that in addition to the murder there was also an addict that fell to his death and a student who jumped - after 300 pages I was expecting that at least one of these events would have occurred but nope still only the one murder. That I could have lived with if the introduction of the other stuff had been a - pertinent and b - exciting.
Even when the eventual murderer was revealed it was hidden in amongst the general everyday mundane stuff that if you blinked you would have missed it. The "twist" / link to the second book was lame and with all that had gone before I feel no inclination to get the next book when it is done.
Usually with a debut novel I will give the author the benefit of the doubt and let a few things slide however when the storyline is as confused and directionless as this its difficult to see that there will be a huge improvement in the second book.
Location would be fine if the author hadn't tried so hard to be Glaswegian. There was little description of landmarks or areas to make it easier for those not familiar with the local area and a very high usage of local colloquialisms and idioms would possibly make it very hard reading for those who are not Scottish.
In all I realise this may be a harsh review however I am always fair in what I say and as always it is only my opinion.
Unfortunately not the case. It started off promisingly with the murder of a psychologist, no apparent evidence no witnesses and no apparent reason for the murder. This sees the introduction of the two main detectives of the story - DI Wheeler and acting DI Ross. We learn a little about these characters such as Wheeler has served in the armed forces, Ross is looking after an abandoned three legged mutt.
If the book was about showing how dull police work is in real life rather than the books and tv shows we love then it was a success. The story line lacked direction at times and there were a lot of what I guess was meant to be red herring misdirection but it all got a bit confused. The blurb stated that in addition to the murder there was also an addict that fell to his death and a student who jumped - after 300 pages I was expecting that at least one of these events would have occurred but nope still only the one murder. That I could have lived with if the introduction of the other stuff had been a - pertinent and b - exciting.
Even when the eventual murderer was revealed it was hidden in amongst the general everyday mundane stuff that if you blinked you would have missed it. The "twist" / link to the second book was lame and with all that had gone before I feel no inclination to get the next book when it is done.
Usually with a debut novel I will give the author the benefit of the doubt and let a few things slide however when the storyline is as confused and directionless as this its difficult to see that there will be a huge improvement in the second book.
Location would be fine if the author hadn't tried so hard to be Glaswegian. There was little description of landmarks or areas to make it easier for those not familiar with the local area and a very high usage of local colloquialisms and idioms would possibly make it very hard reading for those who are not Scottish.
In all I realise this may be a harsh review however I am always fair in what I say and as always it is only my opinion.
May 15, 2019
Glasgow police procedural- first time reading this author and it is her debut offering featuring a female detective Wheeler and her partner DI Ross. I believe there are four of these books so far. I was willing to pay the low entry price ($1.99) for the first but still on the fence whether I will proceed onward at a higher price. This book is long. This allows for a surfeit of grim and/or gritty characters that do not seem to me to be fleshed out realistically, but more like caricatures.
I guess I am unable to adequately describe why I could not embrace the characters. Pretty much, I didn't like any of them, I didn't like the theme of gangsters and underprivileged children and the false prophets who claimed to be helping them, I especially did not like DI Wheeler's family or her boss Stewart. OK - that's part of it. No humour. None to be found.
I feel guilty about not liking the book since seeing the author's photo as she resembles me. Too funny, eh? Maybe it's just the long brown hair and blue eyes. Well...she does allow Wheeler to like Thelonious Monk, so that is also in her favor. Why do publishers call books like this thrillers? Oh well.
I guess I am unable to adequately describe why I could not embrace the characters. Pretty much, I didn't like any of them, I didn't like the theme of gangsters and underprivileged children and the false prophets who claimed to be helping them, I especially did not like DI Wheeler's family or her boss Stewart. OK - that's part of it. No humour. None to be found.
I feel guilty about not liking the book since seeing the author's photo as she resembles me. Too funny, eh? Maybe it's just the long brown hair and blue eyes. Well...she does allow Wheeler to like Thelonious Monk, so that is also in her favor. Why do publishers call books like this thrillers? Oh well.
February 12, 2017
I'm a sucker for a police procedural, especially if it's set in my former home town of Glasgow, so I was immediately interested when Riven came up in my recommendations.
The novel centres on DI Wheeler and acting DI Ross's investigation of the murder of school psychologist James Gilmore with a subplot about Wheeler's nephew, Jason, a student with a recreational drug habit and a poor attitude.
Riven is a bit of a mixed bag. It is very good on Glasgow and I could picture the locations but thinking of novels set in places I don't know I think it could be regarded as overly detailed. The author does a good job with the dialogue which seems very realistic, down to the accent and the content. I like Ross and Wheeler. They are fairly well developed as characters and come across as decent, smart and motivated people.
I think the plot is ok but a bit plodding as nothing really happens in their investigation until the last quarter of the novel. Up until then the team get nowhere and it is hard to get really absorbed as the novel jumps about from one point of view to another, not just Ross and Wheeler but other members of the team, Jason, the young lads who found the body and various criminal figures. Some of it is relevant to the plot, much of it is padding. The ending is inconclusive in many ways and while that is realistic it left me slightly dissatisfied.
I think 3.5*, rounded up to 4* for the Glasgow setting is a fair assessment. It is a debut novel so there will be teething problems as the author tries to find her voice and feet but there is enough in it to make me want to read the follow up.
The novel centres on DI Wheeler and acting DI Ross's investigation of the murder of school psychologist James Gilmore with a subplot about Wheeler's nephew, Jason, a student with a recreational drug habit and a poor attitude.
Riven is a bit of a mixed bag. It is very good on Glasgow and I could picture the locations but thinking of novels set in places I don't know I think it could be regarded as overly detailed. The author does a good job with the dialogue which seems very realistic, down to the accent and the content. I like Ross and Wheeler. They are fairly well developed as characters and come across as decent, smart and motivated people.
I think the plot is ok but a bit plodding as nothing really happens in their investigation until the last quarter of the novel. Up until then the team get nowhere and it is hard to get really absorbed as the novel jumps about from one point of view to another, not just Ross and Wheeler but other members of the team, Jason, the young lads who found the body and various criminal figures. Some of it is relevant to the plot, much of it is padding. The ending is inconclusive in many ways and while that is realistic it left me slightly dissatisfied.
I think 3.5*, rounded up to 4* for the Glasgow setting is a fair assessment. It is a debut novel so there will be teething problems as the author tries to find her voice and feet but there is enough in it to make me want to read the follow up.
February 1, 2017
Read, because I had the next in the series on my bookshelf, but didn't like this book. Started the next one "Silenced", but had enough after about 30 pages. As english is not my first language I found it hard to follow some of the dialogue. It had too many similar names for different people. Just couldn't care less, what happens next. Sorry.
September 17, 2017
I loved it. I honestly didn't think I would since I decided to read it on a whim (thrillers or crime solving novels have never been my thing), but my friends can testify that I loved it. Several of them have been forced to listen to me rant about this book.
The actual murder plot didn't grip me as entirely as I wished it would have (it fell pretty flat, actually) and I'm not a big fan of constant changes of POV, but the characters were amazing. My GOD the characters. It's somewhat no-nonsense — almost brief — in the way everything is described, which gives the reader a very interesting opportunity to fill in a lot of the blanks and form their own opinions. The downside is that the storytelling lacks a certain depth and you feel a little untethered at times, but for me the characters made up for that. I found myself so engaged in some of them that I almost wanted to skip forwards in hope of finding out more about them. I am almost frustrated by how much I ended up liking one of the criminals.
Also: representation. The female lead has a lesbian best friend (whose girlfriend is pregnant) and pretty much out of the blue in stepped a confident, professional man who, on his spare time, goes to the theatre with his girlfriend wearing tight red dresses. Because he wants to. Also, the relationships between some of the characters is amazingly fun to analyse and I totally called it on the gay cop.
So yes. As you can tell, I loved it. I will definitely continue this series, if nothing else because I want to find out what happens to the characters. The plot was, as mentioned, barely worth it, but I will continue for the characters.
The actual murder plot didn't grip me as entirely as I wished it would have (it fell pretty flat, actually) and I'm not a big fan of constant changes of POV, but the characters were amazing. My GOD the characters. It's somewhat no-nonsense — almost brief — in the way everything is described, which gives the reader a very interesting opportunity to fill in a lot of the blanks and form their own opinions. The downside is that the storytelling lacks a certain depth and you feel a little untethered at times, but for me the characters made up for that. I found myself so engaged in some of them that I almost wanted to skip forwards in hope of finding out more about them. I am almost frustrated by how much I ended up liking one of the criminals.
Also: representation. The female lead has a lesbian best friend (whose girlfriend is pregnant) and pretty much out of the blue in stepped a confident, professional man who, on his spare time, goes to the theatre with his girlfriend wearing tight red dresses. Because he wants to. Also, the relationships between some of the characters is amazingly fun to analyse and I totally called it on the gay cop.
So yes. As you can tell, I loved it. I will definitely continue this series, if nothing else because I want to find out what happens to the characters. The plot was, as mentioned, barely worth it, but I will continue for the characters.
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May 9, 2025Wheeler & Ross #1. I have no intention of reading any more of this series, though. The atmosphere is grim, the characters unlovable, the crimes gruesome. From what I could see until I gave up, there is not a skerrick of humour. The author uses a lot of Glaswegian idiom, and alliterative language which was sometimes difficult to understand even though I am moderately familiar with Scottish pronunciation. I felt that the cover blurb was misleading since there seems to be a crime gang involvement.
DNF so no rating.
DNF so no rating.
January 3, 2015
For a first book this was good,well written and kept you intrigued.I hope she has more novels in the pipeline.
April 21, 2017
Fantastic debut crime thriller, this is a compelling read.
May 25, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Randomly picked it out in the library. Glad I did! Was swept along from the onset with Wheeler and Ross! Loved it! Will continue to read books by this author.
February 13, 2018
Enjoyed this book apart from one little niggle. She uses the term “ Heid high yins” several times. As a Glaswegian born and bred, I’ve only ever heard it as “ high heid yins”. Now reading the second book in the series.
August 11, 2018
Predictable but a good read, well written and some twists I enjoyed it
Plot was good and characters well devised with some unexpected elements, all in all a good read x x x
Plot was good and characters well devised with some unexpected elements, all in all a good read x x x
August 26, 2018
Was OK and only just missed 4*. For me there was a couple of places it didn't hang together but still quite readable.
January 9, 2020
What a mess the first half of the book is. Slow and irritating over use of local dialects. Book overly long and needs lots of fine tuning. Could have been a good read.
January 6, 2022
This was not bad for a debut but I found it a bit predictable. I will probably try her other novels though as I feel there is more from her.
October 16, 2018
A most unusual crime thriller and for me, someone who usually dips in and out of books, an enthralling read with a twist at the end. I found the characters particularly well drawn, including the bad guys, and Kat Wheeler the detective in charge quite a surprise, showing the breadth and depth of the author's knowledge of Glasgow. A book not easy to get into because of the dialect with which I was unfamiliar, but do persevere, you will find it quite gripping.
August 4, 2016
This book had loads of potential, well written and with two interesting DIs. I listened on Audio and very much enjoyed the narrator, with Scottish accent. The plot was loosely developed. At times it was difficult to tie all the characters together and, although the murder was "solved", there was lack of closure at the end. Disappointing.
November 27, 2014
A psychologist is found hung up and battered to death in his own home; Glasgow police investigate. This was a very good debut novel and I hope this is the beginning of a series. The crime and investigation itself was rather cliched but I loved the characters and hope to see them develop.
January 23, 2015
A gritty crime novel set in Glasgow. The story keeps you guessing to the end, a good read I'd say. The Glasgow banter is brilliant, and makes this dark novel sparkle with humour.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews