- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Robinson Publishing (29 July 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1849012873
- ISBN-13: 978-1849012874
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 489,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Blood Wedding
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Product Description
Review
Hot and steamy Granada, Spain, centre of the old Muslim Empire, a place where the past is intertwined with the present, is the setting of this atmospheric series debut... Brooke writes a compelling and well-paced mystery, smoothly weaving in historical and cultural background and creating, in the young, sensitive Max, a refreshing new face in international crime fiction.<BR> --Booklist October 2008
A vivid novel that doesn't shy away from police brutality or the ruthlessness of Islamic terrorism. --Sunday Times
Very well plotted and good humoured. --Daily Telegraph
A vivid novel that doesn't shy away from police brutality or the ruthlessness of Islamic terrorism. --Sunday Times
Very well plotted and good humoured. --Daily Telegraph
Book Description
The investigation into the murder of a beautiful Muslim girl spirals into terrorist outrage in Granada, Spain's most exotic city.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Blood Wedding is a gripping, page-turning novel set in modern day Granada. The central character, Max Romero, is a likeable Spanish-Scottish cop who is, confidently but also cautiously, finding his way in the Spanish police force as well as the wider world in which he lives. It is a crime novel that successfully engages with themes of war, fundamentalism, political change and the universally difficult business of living alongside people who are different from ourselves. After years of officially sanctioned forgetfulness about the Civil War, the issue of memory is becoming a sensitive political issue in Spain and the way this book deals with remembering and forgetting is both subtle and nuanced.
The treatment of women in the book is another matter and the fact that the authors have borrowed their title from an author (Lorca) renowned for his portrayal of complex women makes that particularly disappointing. The only well-rounded female character is Max's grandmother. Otherwise, they are very definitely second class citizens and their primary role is to service and support the men in their worlds. The male characters are allowed to express sexual desire but none of the women does - which may be a whole other novel in itself. The kindest thing to say about the representation of lesbianism is that it is risible.
The plot and its resolution are convincingly well developed. This book is the first in a series and, despite my misgivings, I will give the next one a go.
The treatment of women in the book is another matter and the fact that the authors have borrowed their title from an author (Lorca) renowned for his portrayal of complex women makes that particularly disappointing. The only well-rounded female character is Max's grandmother. Otherwise, they are very definitely second class citizens and their primary role is to service and support the men in their worlds. The male characters are allowed to express sexual desire but none of the women does - which may be a whole other novel in itself. The kindest thing to say about the representation of lesbianism is that it is risible.
The plot and its resolution are convincingly well developed. This book is the first in a series and, despite my misgivings, I will give the next one a go.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
The story-line is not bad and holds the attention, although it sometimes reads like a travelogue of Granada, however the Kindle edition is let down by appalling proof-reading and editing
Proof-reading (was there any?)apparently failed given the high number of typos and incorrect capitalisations.
Editing was patchy. For those of us who know Granada and its surrounds it is remarkably irritating that the author uses made up names for some locations (usually truncated or faintly disguised real names- "Banjaron" for Lanjaron- for goodness sake!) Some of the Spanish translations are iffy- usually because of a typo in the Spanish original.
As for those lorquistas among us, the less we say about the Lorca-theme used as a leitmotiv the better!
Pity- a good holiday read spoiled by bad proof-reading and editing!.
Proof-reading (was there any?)apparently failed given the high number of typos and incorrect capitalisations.
Editing was patchy. For those of us who know Granada and its surrounds it is remarkably irritating that the author uses made up names for some locations (usually truncated or faintly disguised real names- "Banjaron" for Lanjaron- for goodness sake!) Some of the Spanish translations are iffy- usually because of a typo in the Spanish original.
As for those lorquistas among us, the less we say about the Lorca-theme used as a leitmotiv the better!
Pity- a good holiday read spoiled by bad proof-reading and editing!.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This first novel is a moderately intellectual whodunit with an ambitious scope. During a recent Spanish general election campaign, Granada detective Max Romero investigates the death of a Muslim student who was researching the unexplained betrayal and death of the poet Lorca in the Spanish Civil War. The backdrop is Granada and its hinterland, the homeground of Romero's own friends and family, where a residential centre for young Muslim entrepreneurs has just been set up. All play their part.
What with cultural and ethnic tensions, the legacy of a civil war, and the repercussions of the "war on terror", It sounds a recipe for intricate plotting and wooden characters. But that is not what happens: the book is a compelling read. Having said that I'm not quite sure why. There's not a great deal of action, the Granada weather and townscape -- and the cast's copious intake of drink and food -- are recorded in great detail, and I had to work hard on what makes Romero tick. Nevertheless the narrative is finely paced, the people, from redneck cops to pious extremists, do come alive, and there's a sting or two in the tail.
If you like Fred Vargas' commissaire Adamsberg thrillers, this will probably appeal.
The reality test will probably come with the sequel -- there has to be one, the jacket already talks of the "Max Romero novels"!
What with cultural and ethnic tensions, the legacy of a civil war, and the repercussions of the "war on terror", It sounds a recipe for intricate plotting and wooden characters. But that is not what happens: the book is a compelling read. Having said that I'm not quite sure why. There's not a great deal of action, the Granada weather and townscape -- and the cast's copious intake of drink and food -- are recorded in great detail, and I had to work hard on what makes Romero tick. Nevertheless the narrative is finely paced, the people, from redneck cops to pious extremists, do come alive, and there's a sting or two in the tail.
If you like Fred Vargas' commissaire Adamsberg thrillers, this will probably appeal.
The reality test will probably come with the sequel -- there has to be one, the jacket already talks of the "Max Romero novels"!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great Holiday Read
Having had this book for some time I got the opportunity to read it while travelling to and from Croatia for the weekend. Read more
Published 2 months ago by daltee
Just ordered the sequel
I met Jane in my coffee shop she suggested I read the book! So I did with some scepticism as its not a book I would have randomly purchased. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jolie Maison
Abysmally Formatted
I agree with a lot of the other reviewers. This is quite an interesting story, a sort of topical whodunnit. Read more
Published 15 months ago by MR A J CROSSLAND
Mixed views
After a shaky start - the dialogue is unconvincing - this was an enjoyable read, but it was almost spoiled by the appalling proof-reading.
Published 16 months ago by Mr. M. A. Mcclean
Appalling editing!
I haven't yet finished reading this book, but I like the story. It is captivating and intricate, can't wait to go home and continue reading during my commute... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Leseratte
Bad Start then Improved
Got to about a third of the way into the book and questioned why I was reading it. Found the characters flat, unbelievable and didn't care about them. Read more
Published 16 months ago by mum of lots
Plot good writing okay
Good plotline, writing could be better. Could do with more underpainting to really get you hooked, some of the characters were written as exaggerated stereotypes without anything... Read more
Published 16 months ago by bookie
Great book
A very good book very enjoyable. I really loved this and their should be more books like this. So many victims have died due to politics and so many lies have been told and... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Noora
What happened to proof-reading?
I'll be honest I was sucked in by the fact that this was a crime novel set in Spain. As an ardent Hispanophile, I was looking forwards to a good read and perhaps a little cultural... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Fiction Fanatic
Blood Wedding
The main protagonist Max Ramero is well drawn but in parts the writing and pace is uneven.....and spoilt by numerous typos, as many as five on a page. Read more
Published 16 months ago
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