Devre Arası

Scott Manson #1

by Philip Kerr, Cem Demirkan (Translator)

Scott Manson is team coach for London City football club. He's also their all-round fixer - he gets the lads in to training, and out of trouble, keeps the wags at bay and the press in his pocket. The players love him, the bosses trust him.

But now London City manager Joao Zarco is dead, killed at his team's beloved stadium at Silvertown Docks. Even Scott Manson can't smooth over murder... but can he catch the killer before he strikes again?

Set in the glamorous but corrupt world of Premier League football, this is a gripping thriller from a bestselling crimewriter.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Football, Mystery, Soccer, Audiobook

415 pages, Paperback

First published October 23, 2014

About the author

Philip Kerr was a British author. He was best known for his Bernie Gunther series of 13 historical thrillers and a children's series, Children of the Lamp, under the name P.B. Kerr.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Maria Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sé si ha estas alturas existen novelas masculinas o femeninas pero, desde luego, ésta es puramente masculina. (A mi entender, claro) Y si afirmo esto no es porque no se hable de otra cosa que de fútbol, sino por la manera de pensar y actuar de los personajes. Aun así, esta entretenida.

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 5 out of 5]

PhilipKerroμανία μέρος 2ο!
Μετά τον Μπέρνι Γκούντερ,έρχεται ο Σκοτ Μάνσον για να μας τρελάνει! Βοηθός προπονητή αρχικά -και προπονητής στη συνέχεια- σε αγγλική ποδοσφαιρική ομάδα,μοντέρνος,αθυρόστομος,πανέξυπνος,διπλωμάτης,πιστός φίλος,λάτρης του ωραίου φύλου και της στρογγυλής θεάς,με κάποια άσχημα γεγονότα στο παρελθόν του που τον έχουν κάνει λίγο κυνικό,ο Σκοτ Μάνσον φαίνεται πως ήρθε για να μείνει!
Με τον "Ξαφνικό Θάνατο" ο Kerr εγκαινιάζει τη νέα σειρά βιβλίων του με τον εν λόγω ήρωα. Ο Μάνσον είναι απόλυτα εξοικειωμένος με τη σύγχρονη εποχή και την τεχνολογία και ο Kerr βρίσκει επίσης την ευκαιρία να μας παραθέσει και τις δικές του γνώσεις επί του θέματος,σε ένα βιβλίο γραμμένο στη γλώσσα της εποχής μας, άκρως "μοντέρνο". Όσο για την ποδοσφαιρική πλευρά,και εδώ ο συγγραφέας παίζει στην έδρα του (για να μιλήσουμε και με ποδοσφαιρική ορολογία) μιας κι ο ίδιος είναι από μικρό παιδί φανατικός οπαδός της Άρσεναλ και του ποδοσφαίρου.
Ο Σκοτ Μάνσον λοιπόν καλείται να λύσει μια δολοφονία,αυτήν του προπονητή της ομάδας Λόντον Σίτυ,και ταυτόχρονα να επιλύσει και τα προβλήματα που δημιουργούνται στην ομάδα και τους παίκτες της από το χάος που ακολουθεί την είδηση της δολοφονίας. Μέσα από τη ματιά του θα δούμε πώς θα καταφέρει να τα συνδυάσει όλα αυτά,προσπαθώντας να μην υστερήσει σε τίποτα - στη δουλειά του,στην προσωπική του ζωή,στην υπόσχεση που έδωσε στη μνήμη του φίλου του.
Προσωπικά,το βιβλίο αυτό το λάτρεψα παρόλο που δεν είναι ένα "σκοτεινό" αστυνομικό. Περισσότερα μαθαίνουμε για τον κόσμο του ποδοσφαίρου και τα...εσωτερικά ζητήματα μιας ομάδας,παρά για τις έρευνες που κάνει παράλληλα ο Μάνσον για να βρει τον δράστη του εγκλήματος. ΟΜΩΣ είναι τόσο καλογραμμένο,τόσο συναρπαστικό,ο λόγος κυλάει τόσο αβίαστα και η υπόθεση τόσο ακούραστα...Ο ήρωας είναι ένας τύπος που ξέρει τι κάνει (κι όταν ακόμα δεν ξέρει,δεν τα χάνει) και δεν αφήνει τίποτα να πέσει κάτω. Θέλεις να μάθεις περισσότερα για εκείνον,για τον κόσμο του ποδοσφαίρου που τόσο αγαπά.. Θέλεις να μάθεις εξίσου αν θα κερδίσει η ομάδα τον επόμενο αγώνα,όσο και το ποιος είναι ο δολοφόνος! Κι αυτό είναι εξαιρετικά σημαντικό,πολύ περισσότερο όταν μιλάμε για ένα τέτοιου είδους βιβλίο. Το να έχεις δηλαδή την ίδια αγωνία για καθημερινά,"αναίμακτα" ζητήματα όπως ένας αγώνας,όσο και για έναν φόνο! Ο μαέστρος Kerr τα κατάφερε και πάλι!

Ανυπομονώ ήδη για το δεύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς,που θα κυκλοφορήσει σε λίγο καιρό από τις εκδόσεις "Κέδρος". Ένας επιπλέον λόγος,το ότι η δράση λαμβάνει χώρα στα...λιμέρια μας,μιας και η Λόντον Σίτυ αντιμετωπίζει τον Ολυμπιακό στον Πειραιά!!!

Περισσότερα για το βιβλίο,εδώ:
Ξαφνικός θάνατος

[Eirini Proikaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Μάθε μπαλίτσα που λέει και ο Αλέφαντος.Γιατί άμα δεν ξέρεις μπαλίτσα καλύτερα να μην το πλησιάσεις καν αυτό το βιβλίο.Ξεκινάει δυναμικά με μια βροχή αναφορών σε παίχτες,προπονητές,διαιτητές,φασεις και περιστατικά ,και όλο το πρώτο τρίτο του βιβλίου είναι σαν να βλέπεις highlights σε αφιέρωμα της Αθλητικής Κυριακής.Είναι too much και κουράζει λίγο.Μετά σταματάει λίγο αυτός ο καταιγισμός πληροφοριών αλλα ο ήρωας μας δεν χάνει ευκαιρία να μας πει τα δικά του.Μέχρι και για το πώς πήραμε το Euro αναρωτιεται(ζήλια ψώρα ).
Σαν αστυνομικό δεν λέει και πολλά.Κόντεψε να φτάσει στη μέση για να γίνει το έγκλημα και να αρχίσει να έχει λίγο ενδιαφέρον,ο ήρωας είναι λίγο αντιπαθητικός και εκνευριστικός,βαρέθηκα να ακούω οτι η αστυνομία του Λονδίνου είναι άχρηστη,η λύση του μυστηρίου έρχεται πολύ εύκολα και η υπόθεση μου φάνηκε γενικά λίγο χαζή.
Το διάβασα όμως πολύ ευχάριστα κυρίως λόγω της ποδοσφαιρικής του ατμόσφαιρας,παρόλο που είναι τίγκα στα κλισέ,είναι καλογραμμένο,τσουλάει εύκολα και πολύ πιθανό να διαβάσω και το επόμενο της σειράς.

[Infada Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Αποκλειστικά για όσους έχουν βαθιά αγάπη στο ποδόσφαιρο (που κάτι μου λέει ότι είμαστε πολλοί)...

[Yigal Zur · Rating 4 out of 5]

witty thriller. the first 50 pages or so were a bit too much football for me as an exposition for a thriller but going through this i enjoyed it to full (with some jumping on too much football descriptions and its history). for fans it can and should be delight. but for medium football enthusiast like me i could cut and skip some. still: clever, funny full with with chandler type expressions. i found out that Kerr was surprisingly a bit of mucho in describing sex but still acceptable. well, he is gone but left us goodreads. cheers.
been read while in Cuba wandering if i can get home

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

January Window – A Great Football Mystery

Philip Kerr in the January Window introduces to Scott Manson, who for an ex-footballer now coach of London City. Unlike other coaches he has a degree he can speak a number of languages and is popular with players and management alike. This is a change of direction for Kerr who is aiming to be the new Dick Francis with crime and sport.

Scott Manson really is the fixer at London City FC he keeps everyone at bay especially the WAGs and press. It is game day and the manager Joao Zarco has disappeared and not turned up for the team talk prior to the game and Scott is concerned. He has everyone looking for him but unfortunately he is found murdered. Viktor Sokolnikov, the shady Ukrainian oligarch owner of London City, asks him to investigate the murder while taking on team management duties.

Slowly he uncovers the truth well before the police who seem to be on a completely different track which does not surprise him. At the same time he has a massive game with West Ham to prepare for and when the team take to the field they seem to forgot what they are doing.

For many fans of Philip Kerr this radical departure from the Bernie Gunther as he takes on the Premier League and its many twists and turns. Coming to this book you need an open mind and not put it along side Kerr’s Berlin Noir Series. This is topical and relevant to the present day and a very enjoyable book.

[Δημήτρης · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα και Premier League. Αυτό. Τα potential είναι εξαιρετικά και πήγαν αρκετά καλά όντως.

Θετικά:
- Πολλές ποδοσφαιρικές σκηνές της Premier League. Οι λάτρεις του ποδοσφαίρου θα λατρέψουν την αφήγηση.
- Εύκολη και όμορφη γραφή.
- Αρκετοί αλλά όχι δύσκολοι χαρακτήρες.

Αρνητικά:
- Πολλές ποδοσφαιρικές σκηνές της Premier League. Οι αντιπαθούντες του ποδοσφαίρου θα βαρεθούν με την ψυχή τους.
- Οι τελευταίες σελίδες για τη λύση του μυστηρίου ήταν ολίγον τι βιαστικές.

[Nixx · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay I'm not naive enough to think that a book set within the world of football wouldn't have the odd reference to players/managers but this book felt like it was over 50% name-dropping and, to be frank, that actually bugged me intensely and I very nearly just stopped reading.

There were more than enough moments when a situation or character's behaviour didn't tally with the rest of the storyline; this makes me think that the author was so tied up in trying to show off his knowledge of "the beautiful game" that he couldn't be bothered with any continuity.

Needless to say that there will be people who love this book but it just wasn't for me.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Above average but nothing spectacular.

I like crime novels. I like football (Soccer if you're outside the UK). A book that combined the two was something I'd never heard of and as a cheap charity shop pickup ,something I decided was worthy of a try.

The main character, Scott Manson, is the assistant manager of a fictional club in the very real top league in English football. As he's the only character we follow we get to know about his past, his motives and feelings towards certain situations, not always in the most positive way but I'll get to that in a bit.

As the title suggests the book is set during the January transfer window where clubs are able to sign players from others, and the schedule is as hectic as can be. While plenty of events go on it's strange to thing that it all takes place over such a short period of time.

When a serious crime is committed Manson is charged with solving it before the police do by the club's wealthy owner. This made me think of him as very much a Jessica Fletcher type character, someone who shouldn't be investigating the matter at all but doing a better job of it than the authorities.

This was a fast paced book with enough plot twists to keep me entertained. The language was foul at times (not something that bothers me in the slightest) I suppose due to "menly men" being around each other and there was some more risque moments described in more detail than you usually find. Some could find at least one of these unrealistic and a bit immature but again it wasn't anything I personally had a problem with. It's the first in a trilogy and as it's set in such a unique setting I can see myself finishing it, if only to see what happens to the main character and club.

There was however, a couple of things that either niggled or outright bothered me and prevented me giving this a higher rating.

The first was that, owing to the fact that the book is set in the Premier League, real life situations and people have to be mentioned. All the players of London City were fictional but other players, coaches etc were real. This in itself wasn't too big a problem but what grated on the nerves, very quickly, was the way Scott Manson would constantly drop in footballing facts and history about them at any given moment. And I'm not just talking about inner monologue, I mean during conversations with other people. It was as if he was a walking talking football encyclopedia that spat out a fact whenever he opened his mouth. It was explained that he was someone who was obsessed with football but dropping factoids in situations that made absolutely no sense was ridiculous. It was almost like Kerr had done a load of footballing research in preparation and didn't want it going to waste.

The other thing that I really didn't like was the attitude towards a homosexual player wanting to "come out". I don't care if it's the most common attitude, this was a piece of fiction and instead of coming across as a narrow minded neanderthal it would have been much better to show that all people can be treated equally, regardless of sexual orientation. It was a waste of an opportunity and a real disappointment that it had to be included at all.

[Nicky Nunney · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW: false accusation of rape, suicide

I really enjoyed this, lots of football action and the seedier side throughout, with both fiction and non fictional players and events mentioned. I also enjoyed the mystery and detective side of the book.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a longtime fan of Kerr's Bernie Gunther series of crime novels set before, during, and after World War II, I know he can put a good plot together. As a lifelong football/soccer fan and player, I was curious to see how he applied his talents to a story set amidst the Premier League. Having finally found this in a used bookstore I think the verdict is that he's clearly had a bit of fun writing in a looser, more lurid, thriller style than Gunther books, and fans of that series may not find this to their liking.

The hero is Scott Manson, a coach at a fictional London football club owned by a possibly shady Ukrainian oligarch (clearly inspired by Chelsea's owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich), and managed by a charismatic iconoclast Portuguese (clearly inspired by Jose Mourinho) named Zarco. Manson is a former player who was falsely accused of rape and spent several years in prison before being exonerated, and has managed to resuscitate his career by becoming a coach under Zarco's mentorship. When Zarco is found beaten to death, the owner offers Manson the possibility of taking over as manager (at a salary of 7 million pounds), as long as he can figure out who killed Zarco.

Twists and turns ensue, and it's fairly good fun. Manson is a bit of a typical thriller hero, in that he's got street cred from being in jail, but knows about modern art, has read all the classics, has a sexy girlfriend, fancy car, knows how to handle people, etc... The story ticks along nicely, as he tries to investigate while staying one step ahead of the police, who seem to have it in for him. At the same time, he's got to get his team in order to play West Ham in a cup semifinal, so there's plenty of football stuff for the football fan readers. Red herrings abound, and the final reveal is a bit more clever than I expected. Overall, a solid airport/beach read for a sports fan, but likely to not to be to the taste of Kerr's Bernie Gunther audience.

[Karl Jorgenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kerr has a lot of time on his hands. Here, he begins a series about a soccer coach who's went to prison for a crime he didn't commit. The team manager's been murdered and he has to solve the crime while surrounded by self-important and rich players, agents, and owners, all with axes to grind and knives at the ready. There is an okay mystery embedded here, but 70% of the book is soccer: 'if you don't play, you don't understand how much this means.' For me, it came off like someone trying to explain religion to an atheist; I think die-hard fans of soccer would love this book. Are there die-hard fans of soccer who read mysteries? Perhaps. Like a lot of Kerr novels, I applaud his experimentation, even if the results are somewhat unsatisfying.

[Simon Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Bernie Gunther. I loath Scott Manson. A book filled with the simplest football knowledge and cliches and following the life of a foul mouthed idiot with none of Bernie's cynical charm. I imagine Mr Kerr wrote this book in five minutes and did it for the money, knowing full well that it is a dire piece of crap.

[Lina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hayranı olduğum yazarın üç ciltlik Scott Manson serisi, uzun zamandır kitaplığımda bekliyordu. Yaza uygun bir okuma yapmak için seçmiştim, beklentimi fazlasıyla karşıladı ilk kitap.

" Herkes bilir ki, futbol bir ölüm kalım meselesidir."

Teknik direktör ve zoraki dedektif Scott Manson' ın anlatıcı olduğu romana polisiyeden ziyade, içinde suç unsurlarının da yer aldığı bir gizem romanı denilebilir. Futbol dünyasında geçen, gerçek ve kurgusal karakterlerin yan yana olduğu kitapta bolca anekdot, kulüpler ve futbolcular hakkında bilgi de var. Futbola ilgi duymayanlar bile sıkılmadan okuyabilir. Alfa yayınlarının gözü yormayan baskısına ve çevirmen Cem Demirkan'ın dipnotlarla birlikte özenli çevirisine teşekkür ederek hemen ikinci kitaba başlıyorum.

[Mary Corbal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mí no me apasiona el fútbol, y aun así me ha encantado, es una historia que te atrapa con facilidad y el autor tiene un estilo muy bueno. Si además el lector es un aficionado al deporte rey, no podrá dejar de leerla hasta llegar al final.

[Evi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really like Kerr's Bernie Gunther series. In comparision this was a huge disappointment. I'm not a fan of football so the background and constant name dropping and the not so subtle commentary about the game's current state were a bit annoying. Also mixing real life with fiction seems to work better in historical setting.

I got the feeling that the book was written fast. It seemed unpolished in so many ways. More like a collection of raw plot ideas than a coherent story. There were too many obvious red herrings and unbeliavable happenings. Zarco doesn't have a pin code on a phone that he uses for illegal deals. The killer washes coffee mugs, but leaves sunglasses on the floor. Zarco has handcuffs for sex and those come handy later on. Manson goes to prison because he doesn't want to reveal his lover's unfaithfulness. His girlfriend leaves him out of the blue, but no worries because five minutes later he has a new one. The fact that she is a cop and Manson hates cops more than anything else doesn't matter at all. And that's just to mention a few. The end of the book felt even more rushed and unbeliavable.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book via the GoodReads Giveaway page.

This was the first time I'd read a Philip Kerr novel but as a football fan and also an avid reader of crime fiction, it seemed like the sort of book I'd enjoy. I was not disappointed.

The story is set in and around the fictional London City stadium at Silvertown Docks after the death of manager, Joao Zarco and is told by the main protagonist Scott Manson. There are plenty of red herrings before the culprit is finally revealed and also a number of other stories to keep the reader entertained. The miscarriage of justice concerning Manson is a recurring theme throughout the book and helps to endear him to the reader whilst explaining his dislike of the police.

Based on this book, I'd be happy to read any further novels concerning the same character.

[Stephen Goldenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have friends who are fans of Philip Kerr and I’ve long had him on my ‘to read ‘ list and, after his recent death, I decided to take the plunge. There’s a lot to choose from and I went for the Scott Manson series because I’m a fan of both football and crime novels.

The football background is totally convincing with real premier League teams,players and managers alongside the fictional London City. I was entertained but I would imagine that you would need to be a football supporter to really appreciate this novel as, at times, the drama on the pitch takes over from the murder mystery.

My one complaint is that almost all the characters are attractive and sexy, especially the women police officers. Nevertheless, I will try a novel from one of Philip Kerr’s other series.

[Vasilis Kalandaridis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Απολαυστικό,κυρίως όμως για ποδοσφαιρόφιλους.Με το κλασσικό υφάκι του μέγιστου Κερρ εμφανίζεται μπροστά μας ένας ωραίος τύπος,ο Σκοτ Μάνσον,που έχει χιούμορ,γουστάρει την καλή ζωή,προπονεί ομάδα της Premier League και στον ελεύθερο χρόνο του λύνει και μια υπόθεση δολοφονίας.Σύντομα εκδίδεται στα ελληνικά και Το χέρι του Θεού,η δεύτερη ιστορία του κόουτς-ντετέκτιβ και θα έχουμε σχηματίσει μια πιο ολοκληρωμένη άποψη για το άτομο του.Όσοι περιμένουν μια δυνατή αστυνομική ιστορία ίσως απογοητευτούν,όσοι ασχολούνται έστω και λίγο το ποδόσφαιρο θα το λατρέψουν

[Cudeyo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Primer libro de la serie protagonizada por el entrenador de fútbol Scott Manson.

Lo primero, el fútbol es el gran protagonista de este libro. Lo importante no es el asesinato, ni la investigación; lo importante es el FUTBOL, así con mayúsculas, subrayado y en negrita. Y eso es lo que me daba miedo de este libro; que al estar ambientado en el fútbol, no me gustara debido a lo poco que me gusta este deporte de masas. Pero me equivoqué, el tema fútbol lo llevé bien. Era incluso "interesante", teniendo en cuenta que no entiendo nada de fútbol y no sé si me están colando goles por la escuadra, como se suele decir.

Lo que he llevado mal y la razón de que le de una valoración tan baja es el MACHISMO que hay en esta novela. Y sí, también con mayúsculas, negrita y subrayado. Lo puedo aceptar e incluso comprender en libros ambientados hace años, pero en un libro ambientado en el siglo XXI que la novela destile tanto machismo hace que me repela el personaje, el libro y el autor. No le doy menos nota porque reconozco que está bien escrito, pero este fallo garrafal le quita toda la gracia al libro.

[Johnster · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author writes very authoritatively about soccer, so much so that it almost reads as a non-fiction factual account. On the other hand, the plot, while interesting, suffers from the tenuous and contrived reasoning used to justify a Football coach investigating a murder. There is also a problem with the female detective he becomes involved with. For someone who has supposedly achieved the rank of Detective within a major police force, she comes across as subservient, apologetic and laughingly easy to bed. She actually does virtually no investigative work, instead, she is spoon-fed the solution to the crime and then falls into bed with the main character (not before using some very stilted and juvenile language to discuss what she wants to do when they get there).

I wanted to like this book, so much so that I bought the next book in the series at the same time as this one, based solely on what appeared to be an interesting premise. Unfortunately, I'll probably not bother with Hand of God. If it's anything like the first one, then the idea of a Football manager solving murders while bedding cops has worn thin already.

[Ystyn Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a very long time now, I have been looking for any type of fiction novel set in the world of football so, when I stumbled across this novel written by Philip Kerr creator of the excellent Bernie Gunther series, I was understandably excited. I was also equally terrified because the football content sounded fascinating but the fact that the protagonist - the manager of a fictional EPL club - was also tasked to play detective and solve a murder sounded absolutely ludicrous. And while the murder-mystery premise definitely did have the whiff of being shoehorned in for drama's sake, the saving grace is that this is definitely a novel about the ins and outs of football first and foremost and I loved it because of that. It covers so much football-related territory in relation to club management, to the history of the game, to the world of the elite footballer, to references to real life players, matches and other odds and ends that it speaks to that audience specifically. Others may struggle, but it was exactly what I was hoping to find and, happily, the murder investigation was downplayed and pushed to the background for the majority.

[Philip Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, credit where it's due: Philip Kerr is nothing if not versatile. But this one is not up to his standard. Kerr writes context with clarity and authenticity (or, the appearance thereof), but the "thriller" element is missing here. The crime plot is clever but unfolds without the need for a reader's epiphany. The resolve stretches credulity and has a "Murder in the Caribbean" feel. I really liked the Günther books, but this one feels like it was written in a bit of a hurry. Another rewrite or two were needed.

[Kostas Kanellopoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Διαμαντακι ποδοσφαιρικής αποθέωσης με αστυνομική επίφαση. Ο,τι πιο κοντινό στο Ted Lasso


..και μια άσχετη παρατήρηση: άκυρος ο τίτλος Ξαφνικός θάνατος όπως και στο βιβλίο της Ρόουλινγκ

[Colin Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Difficult to describe quite how I feel about this book. Indiscriminate use of foul language turns me off any story. The world of professional sport is probably like this, but is it necessary to write this way? No, for me as the art of the storyteller is to convey the message in a clear, literate manner. The referee is to be applauded for sendinging Scott to the stand. Characters, not much you can like about them. Sonja and Louse might be an exception.

How do I score this one? Only 2 stars and there are many more books out there before I look for another of this series.

[Labijose · Rating 3 out of 5]

No es Bernie Gunther.
No es la típica novela a la que nos tiene tan mal acostumbrados Philip Kerr. No es Bernie Gunther, sino una nueva serie cuyo protagonista, Scott Manson, mánager de un equipo de la Premier League de Londres, se ve envuelto, casi sin quererlo, en la investigación de una serie de sucesos que ocurren en la sede de su equipo, incluido el asesinato de su anterior mánager.
Mucho fútbol y pocas nueces, así definiría yo el resumen de la trama. En definitiva, un poco decepcionante para los que esperábamos un nivel similar a su reputada serie. No es que resulte aburrida, de hecho es una lectura ágil y entretenida, con muchos datos interesantes sobre el mundo del fútbol y de sus personajes reales. Pero quizás esa sea la pega, que se regodea demasiado en datos y tecnicismos futboleros, y la novela se hace un pelín pesada.
La trama, aunque bien tejida, no me llegó a enganchar plenamente.
Espero que podamos seguir disfrutando de Bernie, y que Mr Kerr sólo se desvíe de su magnífica serie cuando necesite darse un respiro para tomar nuevas fuerzas.

[La comunidad del libro · Rating 3 out of 5]

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Me ha gustado mucho leer como funciona un club por dentro, los secretos. Y como no, como Scott demuestra su ingenio para descubrir al culpable.

También hay varias cosas que no me ha gustado, hay una pequeña trama que tiene que ver con el delito que hizo que el protagonista acabará en la cárcel que a mi parecer no aporta nada al libro. El otro punto negativo es el exceso de anécdotas sobre el fútbol, cuando nos narra cualquier cosa acaba ilustrándola con algo que paso de verdad, por ejemplo que hay una entrada muy dura… nos cuenta una que sucedió en el año tal y que tuvo de protagonista éste y aquel futbolista, que meten un golazo, nos cuenta el golazo que metió tal futbolista y así constantemente, al final se hace muy pesado.

[Chumba Tribes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining and occasionally funny, "January Window" is more like the author's tribute to the "beautiful game" than a gripping crime story. Linear narrative, uninspiring characters and numerous cliches challenge the Kerr faithful as we struggle through a long and not particularly interesting story packed with football history incidents. A Mourinho-type football manager is found dead in London, his knowledgeable assistant steps in as caretaker manager and amateur detective, a couple of fine ladies play minor parts, a mysterious ex-Soviet oligarch remains mysterious, the bad guys are bad, the good guys win, and this is, more or less, all about the first Scott Manson novel. There are already another two in the series but I'd rather go back to good old Bernie Gunther.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter saved this book from a lower rating. The football (especially the match at the end) came across as realistic, however the story was not up to the standard of the Bernie Gunther novel that I had read previously (March Violets). For example the very late introduction of the perpetrator, and the ending of Scott's relationship very rapidly followed by the start of a relationship with an unconvincing police woman both reduced the credibility of the book. Surprisingly, the subject matter will probably draw me sufficiently to read the sequel.

[Phil Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

You really do not need to be a fan of football to enjoy this book, although a little knowledge of the game would help. I picked it up determined to have no preconceived ideas, as I'm a big fan of the Bernie Gunther novels, and I think that's why I enjoyed it.
Scott Manson is a good character and manages to impart his knowledge of and passion for football to the reader without becoming boring. The plot and other characters involved were fun too.
All in all a fun read.