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Mark Tartaglia #3
Evil In Return
Bestselling novelist Joe Logan walks out into a hot summer's evening in central London. The next day his body is found dumped in a disused Victorian crypt at the Brompton Cemetery. He has been tied up, shot, and castrated. The killing has the hallmarks of a professional hit. But what had Logan done to deserve such a brutal end?
Detective Mark Tartaglia is convinced that Logan's personal life holds the key, but unravelling the victim's recent past proves difficult. Then the body of a second man is found in an old boathouse on the Thames -- killed in an identical fashion to Logan. A vicious and methodical killer is at work, but what does he want and how does he lure his victims to their death? If Tartaglia can find the link between the two dead men maybe he can find the killer before he strikes again.
Detective Mark Tartaglia is convinced that Logan's personal life holds the key, but unravelling the victim's recent past proves difficult. Then the body of a second man is found in an old boathouse on the Thames -- killed in an identical fashion to Logan. A vicious and methodical killer is at work, but what does he want and how does he lure his victims to their death? If Tartaglia can find the link between the two dead men maybe he can find the killer before he strikes again.
416 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Elena Forbes
14 books54 followersElena Forbes is an English writer of crime fiction.She grew up in London. After completing a degree in French and Italian at Bristol University, she worked in portfolio management for a number of international groups before becoming a full-time writer.
She lives in central London with her husband and two children. The protagonists of her novels so far are Detective Inspector Mark Tartaglia and DS Sam Donovan of the Barnes Murder Squad. Her first novel was shortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award.
Series:
* Mark Tartaglia Mystery
She lives in central London with her husband and two children. The protagonists of her novels so far are Detective Inspector Mark Tartaglia and DS Sam Donovan of the Barnes Murder Squad. Her first novel was shortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award.
Series:
* Mark Tartaglia Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
April 6, 2015
Evil In Return is the third book in the Mark Tartaglia series by British author, Elena Forbes. DI Mark Tartaglia and his Barnes Murder Squad investigate a body discovered in the crypt of Brampton Cemetery. The victim has been tortured, killed with a single bullet to the head, and the corpse mutilated. He is identified as Joe Logan, ex-actor, teacher and first-time author of a bestseller, publicity-shy and hiding out on a narrow boat on the Maida Canal. His laptop yields a bizarre email in Gothic script, and the team has difficulty locating one of his most recent phone contacts.
When a second corpse subjected to the same brutal treatment is discovered, the team struggle to connect the victims. Clever detective work eventually reveals other potential victims who confess the dreadful secret they have been hiding for years. But just who is targeting these men, and why? As Forbes skilfully builds her story to its exciting climax, the list of potential suspects in the reader’s mind lengthens: it seems everyone has something to hid, and no-one is telling the complete truth.
With each instalment, Forbes expands her main characters and makes them a bit more human. Both Sam Donovan and Mark Tartaglia make some unwise decisions, reminding us that the police, too, are human and prey to insecurities and failings. This instalment touches on missing persons and again involves some psychological profiling. Evil In Return is another excellent offering from Elena Forbes and readers will look forward to the fourth book in this series, The Jigsaw Man.
When a second corpse subjected to the same brutal treatment is discovered, the team struggle to connect the victims. Clever detective work eventually reveals other potential victims who confess the dreadful secret they have been hiding for years. But just who is targeting these men, and why? As Forbes skilfully builds her story to its exciting climax, the list of potential suspects in the reader’s mind lengthens: it seems everyone has something to hid, and no-one is telling the complete truth.
With each instalment, Forbes expands her main characters and makes them a bit more human. Both Sam Donovan and Mark Tartaglia make some unwise decisions, reminding us that the police, too, are human and prey to insecurities and failings. This instalment touches on missing persons and again involves some psychological profiling. Evil In Return is another excellent offering from Elena Forbes and readers will look forward to the fourth book in this series, The Jigsaw Man.
December 16, 2018
Een prima boek uit deze serie.
January 3, 2014
This book is boring. I couldn't get into it at all.
February 22, 2023
I actually liked this mystery book better than its predecessors. Homicide Detective Mark Tartaglia and his partner Sam Donovan have been tasked with finding the killer of Joe Logan, a promising writer whose first novel had been very successful but who seemed to want to live a reclusive life. His maimed corpse has been found in a crypt in Brompton Cemetery, and he was last seen living on a riverboat near Kensal Green. As the story goes on, we discover that the killing of this man may be linked to the deaths of several of his close friends and to an incident that happened twenty years before.
One of the things I like about this series is that it is set in various intriguing parts of London, a city that I used to visit often and would love to explore again. Also, the characters are well-drawn and fairly complex. The only reason that I gave it a middling review is that the plot seems a bit repetitive, and the pacing is off. I feel the author has good ideas, but somehow, her books meander too much and lose the tension necessary to keep a reader's interest.
One of the things I like about this series is that it is set in various intriguing parts of London, a city that I used to visit often and would love to explore again. Also, the characters are well-drawn and fairly complex. The only reason that I gave it a middling review is that the plot seems a bit repetitive, and the pacing is off. I feel the author has good ideas, but somehow, her books meander too much and lose the tension necessary to keep a reader's interest.
January 29, 2020
A good police procedural, twisty and suspenseful, although it was easier to guess the outcome than with the first two books in the series. I really liked the way the end of the book was about endings and new beginnings for the detective squad. I’m curious to see what happens in the next installment and whether Donovan reappears, since she’s my favorite of the recurring characters.
October 6, 2010
Best-selling novelist Joe Logan is found murdered in a disused Victorian crypt in Brompton Cemetery. Detective Inspector Mark Tartaglia investigates. Before long, the body of another man is found – killed in an identical manner. DI Tartaglia must discover the connection between the two victims before the killer strikes again.
Perhaps it was because this book is about a murdered writer (a subject too close for comfort) but it drew me in from the beginning. As Tartaglia probes deeper, the plot becomes even more intriguing. Joe Logan’s best-selling book is about five university friends who try to cover up the accidental drowning of a young girl. When the second victim is revealed to have a connection to Logan, Tartaglia begins to wonder: just how much of Logan’s novel was based on fact, and does it have a connection to his death?
It becomes clear fairly early on that the killer is targeting this group of former university friends because of the secret they have been hiding all these years. But the identity of the killer kept me guessing – in fact, I didn’t work it out until the police did. The book is tightly plotted and atmospheric – the creepiness of Brompton Cemetery really comes across. Mark Tartaglia is a likeable character. He’s a flawed hero, certainly, but that only makes him more real, and the relationship he has with his co-worker Sam Donovan is dynamic and highly charged. There’s clearly a chemistry there, and as these are two single people who work together in a position of trust in stressful situations, there’s plenty of opportunity for the sexual tension to develop in future books.
Evil in Return is the third book featuring Mark Tartaglia, but you don’t have to have read the first two to enjoy this one. It’s an engrossing read, and I would thoroughly recommend it.
Reprinted with permission of Shots E-zine (http://www.shotsmag.co.uk)
Perhaps it was because this book is about a murdered writer (a subject too close for comfort) but it drew me in from the beginning. As Tartaglia probes deeper, the plot becomes even more intriguing. Joe Logan’s best-selling book is about five university friends who try to cover up the accidental drowning of a young girl. When the second victim is revealed to have a connection to Logan, Tartaglia begins to wonder: just how much of Logan’s novel was based on fact, and does it have a connection to his death?
It becomes clear fairly early on that the killer is targeting this group of former university friends because of the secret they have been hiding all these years. But the identity of the killer kept me guessing – in fact, I didn’t work it out until the police did. The book is tightly plotted and atmospheric – the creepiness of Brompton Cemetery really comes across. Mark Tartaglia is a likeable character. He’s a flawed hero, certainly, but that only makes him more real, and the relationship he has with his co-worker Sam Donovan is dynamic and highly charged. There’s clearly a chemistry there, and as these are two single people who work together in a position of trust in stressful situations, there’s plenty of opportunity for the sexual tension to develop in future books.
Evil in Return is the third book featuring Mark Tartaglia, but you don’t have to have read the first two to enjoy this one. It’s an engrossing read, and I would thoroughly recommend it.
Reprinted with permission of Shots E-zine (http://www.shotsmag.co.uk)
September 24, 2010
It was ok, enjoyed her other two much more.
April 26, 2024
The third installment in the Mark Tartaglia series does not disappoint. An author of a recent best seller is found murdered, his mutilated body displayed in the crypt of a London cemetery. Little is known about the victim despite his best-selling author status and Mark and his partner, the petite but fiery, Sam Donovan, start their investigation with very little to go on. Other deaths follow and the entire murder team is drawn into an intricate mystery involving a long-ago crime that has set up the current gruesome set of events. The fast-moving plot keeps you engaged and the tense climax is satisfying. The complex relationship between Mark and Sam features strongly in this story and reaches its own watershed moment at the end of this novel that is strangely apt yet disheartening at the same time. One more left in this intriguing series. One I highly recommend if you enjoy British crime procedurals.
January 10, 2022
One murder brings trouble for Mark Tartaglia and his team. But when another murder with similar characteristics occurs, the pressure intensifies. Leads started pointing toward a group of college friends and an event that occurred years ago and details are murky. The fun of this read is how the author uses the process to slowly lay out the details of the case. I need to go back and check out the first 2 volumes in this series.
June 3, 2017
I like whodunnits that keep me guessing till the end. This one, however, was quite easy to guess, which is disappointing. Nevertheless, it can be an interesting read if you like classic investigation stories. I wish some of the characters were better dealt with. At the end, the treatment feels a little superficial.
June 19, 2017
I found this Elena Forbes book to be as good as the others which I have read. It was an interesting investigation of a historic murder. I enjoyed the investigation and also the police characters in the story.
September 15, 2017
2.5 stars - cliché dialogue and writing style, not much suspense. I didn't really care about any of the characters. Not a page-turner. Read her other books and there is one more in the series that I have not read.
April 29, 2019
Na het ietwat tegenvallende tweede boek, toch maar meteen begonnen in het derde. Hoewel het verhaal me soms deed denken aan iets wat ik eerder las, wist het me heel erg te boeien. Perfect is het boek niet, maar 4 sterren ruim verdiend. Op naar het vierde deel dan maar!
October 4, 2019
Ok read, but nothing spectacular. And I find it so annoying when crime fiction writers uses more than three pages describing contents of freezers and what to eat and drink, and then detailed descriptions of cooking and eating. What’s the point?
January 11, 2018
This is a 4 1/2 Star book. Love the books by this author. The story flows well and keeps you interested
June 18, 2018
A relatively entertaining read. A little plodding, but a good police procedural. I do like Tartaglia and his squad though.
April 25, 2021
This is the first Elena Forbes book I've read but it won't be the last.
November 19, 2021
A great start to this book, but soon took a very predictable turn. A nice little twist at the end, but altogether, a forgettable book.
Read
November 11, 2022Good part of series
Read
July 1, 2025DNF
This story just moved to slow for me. I lost interest quickly.
This story just moved to slow for me. I lost interest quickly.
September 17, 2012
Thank goodness for notes! I finished this book at the start of the year, and just noticed that I'd not posted the review I wrote at the time. Which is interesting, as re-reading my notes again, I can remember just about everything about this plot. Which makes it, to my mind, a very good book.
Elena Forbes tackles something interesting in EVIL IN RETURN. Joe Logan is found carefully posed in a cemetery crypt. Shot through the head and castrated, there's something that seems deeply personal, ritualistic about the way he was killed. When Paul Khan dies in an identical manner, in a property which he shared with Joe Logan and 3 other men whilst they were at university, it's obvious there's a connection. Logan is a best selling author, his novel telling a supposedly fictional story of a group of university friends who cover up the death of a young girl. After the way the two friends are killed it's not exactly a leap of faith to consider how much of that novel isn't fictional at all, and are these killings revenge?
DI Mark Tartaglia and DS Sam Donovan are the reoccurring characters in this now third novel from Forbes. There's a nice balance of the professional and personal in all these books, with the police procedural elements, solid, believable and carefully paced. The personal is enough to give the characters a little depth, to make you feel like they are real people.
Whilst the murders are obviously gory and quite confronting there's nothing sensational or overblown about EVIL IN RETURN. The focus remains very much on the process of investigating, the connections between the victims, the possibility of revenge. There's also a particularly good sense of place in all the books, with EVIL IN RETURN taking the reader into the world of houseboat dwellers in particular.
I've been quite the fan of this series since the first book, and whilst they should work if you pick them up out of order, there's some character build up that will be better if you can read them in order. Hope there's a fourth book in the works.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
Elena Forbes tackles something interesting in EVIL IN RETURN. Joe Logan is found carefully posed in a cemetery crypt. Shot through the head and castrated, there's something that seems deeply personal, ritualistic about the way he was killed. When Paul Khan dies in an identical manner, in a property which he shared with Joe Logan and 3 other men whilst they were at university, it's obvious there's a connection. Logan is a best selling author, his novel telling a supposedly fictional story of a group of university friends who cover up the death of a young girl. After the way the two friends are killed it's not exactly a leap of faith to consider how much of that novel isn't fictional at all, and are these killings revenge?
DI Mark Tartaglia and DS Sam Donovan are the reoccurring characters in this now third novel from Forbes. There's a nice balance of the professional and personal in all these books, with the police procedural elements, solid, believable and carefully paced. The personal is enough to give the characters a little depth, to make you feel like they are real people.
Whilst the murders are obviously gory and quite confronting there's nothing sensational or overblown about EVIL IN RETURN. The focus remains very much on the process of investigating, the connections between the victims, the possibility of revenge. There's also a particularly good sense of place in all the books, with EVIL IN RETURN taking the reader into the world of houseboat dwellers in particular.
I've been quite the fan of this series since the first book, and whilst they should work if you pick them up out of order, there's some character build up that will be better if you can read them in order. Hope there's a fourth book in the works.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
July 8, 2012
"Gute Freunde halten zusammen. Böse erst recht
In einer Londoner Krypta wird die grausam zugerichtete Leiche des Bestsellerautors Joe Logan gefunden. Es scheint, als habe der Täter eine Rechnung begleichen wollen, er hat sein Opfer gefesselt, gequält und am Ende kastriert. Wenige Tage später wird auf einem Hausboot auf der Themse ein Bekannter Logans ermordet. Die Ermittler Mark Tartaglia und Sam Donovan geraten unter Druck. Plant der Killer bereits den nächsten Anschlag? Die Polizei erhofft sich Hinweise von einer Journalistin, die Logan noch kurz vor dessen Ermordung zu seinem neustens Roman interviewt hat. Darin geht es um einen gefährlichen Pakt zwischen fünf Freunden, und offensichtlich enthält das Werk autobiographische Elemente, die in Logans Studienzeit zurückführen..." (Klapptext)
Ich wollte dieses Buch lesen, weil ich schon die beiden Vorgängerbücher von Elena Forbes gelesen habe. Ich mag ihren Schreibstil und das Ermittlerteam um Mark Tartaglia.
Wie auch in den anderen beiden Büchern spielt die Geschichte in London und Umgebung.
Man kann das Buch auch lesen, wenn man die anderen Bücher nicht kennt, da die Geschichte für sich steht. Aber ich mag es, wenn man Charaktere über eine Geschichte hinweg kennenlernt. Es ist schon lange her, dass ich das zweite Buch von Elena Forbes gelesen habe, doch nach den ersten paar Seiten hatte ich wieder ein Bild im Kopf.
Von mir bekommt das Buch 4 Sterne, denn ich finde es wirklich toll! Elena Forbes schreibt gut, spannend und der Mörder ist nicht von Anfang an klar. Für mich war die Auflösung dann doch sehr überraschend, weil ich daran nicht gedacht hätte! Der 5. Stern fehlt, weil es kein Buch ist, was ich mehrmals im Jahr lesen würde. Denn die Spannung wäre dann ja nicht mehr so stark vorhanden.
Ich hoffe, dass noch mehr Bücher mit diesen Ermittlern erscheinen werden, denn mir ist das Team nach 3 Büchern ans Herz gewachsen.
In einer Londoner Krypta wird die grausam zugerichtete Leiche des Bestsellerautors Joe Logan gefunden. Es scheint, als habe der Täter eine Rechnung begleichen wollen, er hat sein Opfer gefesselt, gequält und am Ende kastriert. Wenige Tage später wird auf einem Hausboot auf der Themse ein Bekannter Logans ermordet. Die Ermittler Mark Tartaglia und Sam Donovan geraten unter Druck. Plant der Killer bereits den nächsten Anschlag? Die Polizei erhofft sich Hinweise von einer Journalistin, die Logan noch kurz vor dessen Ermordung zu seinem neustens Roman interviewt hat. Darin geht es um einen gefährlichen Pakt zwischen fünf Freunden, und offensichtlich enthält das Werk autobiographische Elemente, die in Logans Studienzeit zurückführen..." (Klapptext)
Ich wollte dieses Buch lesen, weil ich schon die beiden Vorgängerbücher von Elena Forbes gelesen habe. Ich mag ihren Schreibstil und das Ermittlerteam um Mark Tartaglia.
Wie auch in den anderen beiden Büchern spielt die Geschichte in London und Umgebung.
Man kann das Buch auch lesen, wenn man die anderen Bücher nicht kennt, da die Geschichte für sich steht. Aber ich mag es, wenn man Charaktere über eine Geschichte hinweg kennenlernt. Es ist schon lange her, dass ich das zweite Buch von Elena Forbes gelesen habe, doch nach den ersten paar Seiten hatte ich wieder ein Bild im Kopf.
Von mir bekommt das Buch 4 Sterne, denn ich finde es wirklich toll! Elena Forbes schreibt gut, spannend und der Mörder ist nicht von Anfang an klar. Für mich war die Auflösung dann doch sehr überraschend, weil ich daran nicht gedacht hätte! Der 5. Stern fehlt, weil es kein Buch ist, was ich mehrmals im Jahr lesen würde. Denn die Spannung wäre dann ja nicht mehr so stark vorhanden.
Ich hoffe, dass noch mehr Bücher mit diesen Ermittlern erscheinen werden, denn mir ist das Team nach 3 Büchern ans Herz gewachsen.
August 31, 2012
‘Evil in Return, by Elena Forbes
Published by Quercus, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-84916-259-3
When the body of Joseph Logan is found in an old Victorian crypt at the Brompton cemetery, the manner of his murder points to a professional killing. Investigation by DI Mark Tartaglia and DS Sam Donovan finds Joe to have been a quiet guy currently living on a boat in Little Venice, whilst the boat owner Sally Matthews is away. An actor, Joe had been to a degree thrust into the limelight by the success of his book Indian Summer. But he refused to give interviews and was reluctant to do book signings. He had however, surprisingly agreed to several meetings with freelance journalist Anna Paget
The discovery of a second body killed in an identical manner poses the question for Tartaglia as to whether he has a serial killer at large picking random victims, or is there a link between the two deaths.
Whilst seeking to speak to any of Joe’s friends Tartaglia interviews Anna Paget but with unsatisfactory results – did no one really know Joe Logan.
Cleverly plotted this is an enthralling mystery, as we follow Joe’s friend Alex Fleming as he tries to make sense of his friend’s murder. The characterisation is brilliant, I wanted to follow all their lives, Maggie Thomas who lives a couple of boats up from where Logan was living, and Mark’s boss DCI Carolyn Steele is intriguing – there is a story there I want to know about. And the handsome Mark Tartaglia who clearly has commitment issues – can he resolve them?
Utterly engrossing this intriguing mystery kept me reading into the early hours. Whilst the solution was satisfactorily tied up, there is a good hook at the end to make me want to keep an eye out for the next book. Highly recommended.
----
Lizzie Hayes
Published by Quercus, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-84916-259-3
When the body of Joseph Logan is found in an old Victorian crypt at the Brompton cemetery, the manner of his murder points to a professional killing. Investigation by DI Mark Tartaglia and DS Sam Donovan finds Joe to have been a quiet guy currently living on a boat in Little Venice, whilst the boat owner Sally Matthews is away. An actor, Joe had been to a degree thrust into the limelight by the success of his book Indian Summer. But he refused to give interviews and was reluctant to do book signings. He had however, surprisingly agreed to several meetings with freelance journalist Anna Paget
The discovery of a second body killed in an identical manner poses the question for Tartaglia as to whether he has a serial killer at large picking random victims, or is there a link between the two deaths.
Whilst seeking to speak to any of Joe’s friends Tartaglia interviews Anna Paget but with unsatisfactory results – did no one really know Joe Logan.
Cleverly plotted this is an enthralling mystery, as we follow Joe’s friend Alex Fleming as he tries to make sense of his friend’s murder. The characterisation is brilliant, I wanted to follow all their lives, Maggie Thomas who lives a couple of boats up from where Logan was living, and Mark’s boss DCI Carolyn Steele is intriguing – there is a story there I want to know about. And the handsome Mark Tartaglia who clearly has commitment issues – can he resolve them?
Utterly engrossing this intriguing mystery kept me reading into the early hours. Whilst the solution was satisfactorily tied up, there is a good hook at the end to make me want to keep an eye out for the next book. Highly recommended.
----
Lizzie Hayes
January 25, 2011
Five college mates, one best-selling novel. The first to die is Joe Logan, author of Indian Summer, a supposedly fictional story of some college students who conspire to cover up the death of a girl and never tell anyone. Logan is found shot through the head, castrated and carefully posed in a crypt in Brompton Cemetery. Then Paul Khan, the second of the five, dies. His body is discovered on the property where the friends used to live while at school. Again, death is by a gunshot wound to the head with the corpse castrated. And Mark Tartaglia, Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Investigation Team, begins to wonder: Just how much of Indian Summer is fiction and how much is confession? Is the murderer one of the three remaining "friends," or is there another as-yet-unknown suspect?
Evil in Return seals the deal for this British detective series by Elena Forbes following Die With Meand Our Lady of Pain. This third entry delivers a solid police procedural with enough twists to keep readers on their toes. The characters are well developed with Mark Tartaglia and colleague Sam Donovan becoming true people that have grown beyond their professional constraints. The author does not sensationalize the bizarre nature of the murders but keeps the narrative focus of the crime on the investigative process--autopsies, forensic results, locating victims' friends and family, tracing the victims' last movements, etc. For crime readers, this one hits the bull's-eye.
Evil in Return seals the deal for this British detective series by Elena Forbes following Die With Meand Our Lady of Pain. This third entry delivers a solid police procedural with enough twists to keep readers on their toes. The characters are well developed with Mark Tartaglia and colleague Sam Donovan becoming true people that have grown beyond their professional constraints. The author does not sensationalize the bizarre nature of the murders but keeps the narrative focus of the crime on the investigative process--autopsies, forensic results, locating victims' friends and family, tracing the victims' last movements, etc. For crime readers, this one hits the bull's-eye.
November 9, 2015
Kwaad om kwaad is een interessante thriller. Het gaat om de dood van een man. Rechercheur Mark Tartaglia en zijn team worden op de zaak gezet. Dan overlijdt er nog een man. Is er een verband of niet? En waarom moesten zij dood? Beetje bij beetje wordt het mysterie ontrafeld. Het is wel een boeiend verhaal, maar echt spannend is het niet. Alleen tegen het einde wordt het een beetje spannend. Een minpuntje, vind ik. Ik houd het liefst van thrillers die zo spannend zijn dat je ze - als je daar de kans voor hebt - in een keer uit wilt lezen. Dat had ik bij dit boek niet. Het verhaal zit verder wel goed in elkaar. Bovendien heb ik de twee andere boeken van Elena Forbes met dezelfde hoofdpersonen ook gelezen, dus het is leuk om de draad weer op te pakken. Dat maakt dat dit boek leuk is om gelezen te hebben, maar geen absolute aanrader.
November 12, 2014
So, I searched high and low for a copy of this book, and eventually realised that I could just buy it online. Having read the previous two books, I couldn't wait; I've loved the whole series.
However, I'm not going to lie, I was kind of disappointed with this one; it felt a bit of an anti-climax. I mean, not only was I kind of rooting for Mark and Sam to get together (what can I say; I think they'd be a cute couple), but for the end of a series it didn't particularly stand out.
The plot was as good as the last two, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't anything great; it felt like it could have been followed by something else; it didn't make the trilogy feel *finished* if you know what I mean.
That being said, the trilogy overall is really good, and totally worth a read.
However, I'm not going to lie, I was kind of disappointed with this one; it felt a bit of an anti-climax. I mean, not only was I kind of rooting for Mark and Sam to get together (what can I say; I think they'd be a cute couple), but for the end of a series it didn't particularly stand out.
The plot was as good as the last two, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't anything great; it felt like it could have been followed by something else; it didn't make the trilogy feel *finished* if you know what I mean.
That being said, the trilogy overall is really good, and totally worth a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 28, 2017This is the third in a series about D.I. Mark Tartaglia a British police officer in the Metropolitan Murder Squad.
In this novel he has to find out who has killed Joe Logan who is found, executed, in a crypt. Joe Logan has recently won a prestigious prize for his first novel. There are few clues or links and seemingly no motive. It takes a lot of work from his team and himself to even begin to see why and who.
Tightly written, excellent and complicate plot, lots of interesting characters but I wanted to kick D.I. Tartaglia. He's a handsome man who knows it, won't commit to any one woman and is remarkably selfish. Still the series is popular so most readers like the man and the novel is a good and exciting read.
In this novel he has to find out who has killed Joe Logan who is found, executed, in a crypt. Joe Logan has recently won a prestigious prize for his first novel. There are few clues or links and seemingly no motive. It takes a lot of work from his team and himself to even begin to see why and who.
Tightly written, excellent and complicate plot, lots of interesting characters but I wanted to kick D.I. Tartaglia. He's a handsome man who knows it, won't commit to any one woman and is remarkably selfish. Still the series is popular so most readers like the man and the novel is a good and exciting read.
January 10, 2014
I like Elena Forbes' books: they're solid police thrillers with likeable characters. The central story wasn't that gripping: the 'group of friends did something terrible in their past, covered it up then it cones back to haunt them' trope is overdone and the reveal was easily guessable. I also thought we spent too much time with the friends, none of whom I remotely cared about.
Still, Forbes' crisp prose, sharp observation and well-drawn characters made it a nice, fast read. It did suffer from my pet peeve, though, in that the digital version is occasionally poorly formatted, and at times it felt like it needed a tighter proof, which is outrageous in a professionally published book.
Still, Forbes' crisp prose, sharp observation and well-drawn characters made it a nice, fast read. It did suffer from my pet peeve, though, in that the digital version is occasionally poorly formatted, and at times it felt like it needed a tighter proof, which is outrageous in a professionally published book.
June 26, 2011
The third in the Mark Tartaglia series which is proving to be a great series. Author Joe Logan is found dead and castrated in a Victorian crypt. When a second man is found dead in a similar manner it becomes clear that their deaths are linked by an event in their pasts but who is it who is carrying out these murders and when will they stop?
Forbes continues to develop the characters of Tartaglia and Sam Donovan well and all the characters in the novel are believable. It is a clever story with a few twists that I wasn't expecting. I look forward to the next one in the series.
Forbes continues to develop the characters of Tartaglia and Sam Donovan well and all the characters in the novel are believable. It is a clever story with a few twists that I wasn't expecting. I look forward to the next one in the series.
May 15, 2016
The pacing in this book is a bit off, so I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous ones. There's a lot of potential in the premise, but it gets squashed by the narrator's obsession of detailing everything and by the fact that some of the POV characters are boring or unlikeable. Also the main characters have the emotional maturity of teenagers, which gets annoying after a while. Some of the decisions are just plain weird - Tartaglia is leading the investigation, but he doesn't bother to read the book, then he sleeps with Anna out of the blue... The story could use some more editing as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews