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Suffer the Children [Paperback]

Adam Creed
2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
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Book Description

5 Nov 2009

London. A city where no-one feels safe and one man's crime is another man's justice.

A paedophile is brutally murdered in his own home, and to protect other known offenders the police must haul the families of their victims down to the station for questioning. It's just another day in the life of D. I. Will Wagstaffe; better known to friends and enemies alike as Staffe.

In this case nothing is simple, least of all Staffe's personal life. There's heartache from Sylvie, his estranged lover, and the dark shadow of Jessop, his mentor. And as he digs for answers into the grime of the city he finds the boundaries between right and wrong have been blurred, but the main question remains: just how far would you go to protect your children?


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Suffer the Children + Pain of Death (Di Staffe 3) + Willing Flesh
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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber (5 Nov 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0571243657
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571243655
  • Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 12.6 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 35,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

'Creed writes with a gritty realism that doesn't let go. It keeps you transfixed right up to the nail-biting climax.'
-- Simon Beckett

'Pungent, edgy, visceral ... as good a snapshot of the state of the modern British crime novel as you're likely to encounter ... Creed's writing gods, self-evidently, are the tough Americans George Pelecanos and James Ellroy [and...] The Wire's David Simon.' -- Independent, Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

'Creed writes with a gritty realism that doesn't let go. It keeps you transfixed right up to the nail-biting climax.'
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read - recommended 24 Jun 2009
By Tramps like us VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I must be doing something wrong - I opened up the page to review "Suffer the children" expecting to see a few 4 and 5 star reviews but, to my amazement, I find that very few people like the book !!
Oh well - it would be boring if everyone liked the same things I guess.
I enjoyed this - yes there are plenty of similarities with other crime novelists but, let's face it, it is a very crowded genre and there are not too many different twists on a plot line such as this. But that doesn't make it a bad book in my eyes. The writing is taut and graphic (sometimes perhaps too graphic for some sensitive souls) and, yes, the characters are fairly standard - "damaged" cop is hunting down a vigilante killer who is targetting paedophiles who were never brought to justice. However Adam Creed's writing is extremely entertaining - there are some nice touches with the dialogue and I think the characters are quite well drawn. I read a fair bit of crime fiction and I feel that this book is light years up on, say, Martina Cole whose books seem to be written to a formula even including much of the same vocabulary in each book.
My one criticism of the book is that it all seems to be a bit "crowded" but perhaps that was the impression Mr Creed was trying to acheive. The book is part of a series and I am certain that any loose plot lines will be gathered together in later books.
It is also nice to read books about a city with which one is familiar - and Mr Creed's depiction of a London suffering through a heat wave is well done indeed (especially as London at the moment is so hot).
On the whole I found DI Staffe a likeable well drawn character and I have no hesitation in giving 4 stars. I will be looking out for subsequent novels.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars ...graphic and tortuous... 25 Jun 2009
By Mr. H TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I'm a simple man at heart, so half way thorugh this book I was flailing around, trying to keep up with the array of characters and plot lines. I even contemplated giving up, despite the strong storyline, but I decided to push on to the end. And it was worth it, although it's never an easy read.

The characters are fairly standard crime fare, what with the damaged policeman who's always in conflict with those around him, but when you get to grips with what the hell is going on and who's doing what to who, then things move on apace. Mr Creed is particularly good at writing dialogue, and some of the exchanges are delightful.

It does veer towards the extremely graphic (not surprising when you consider the basic plot is about a vigilante hunting, torturing and killing suspected paedophiles), so it's not for everyone. However, I'll be happy to look out for future books by the author.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Suffer The Children but spare the reader 2 Jun 2011
By kenpat
Format:Paperback
I can only echo the majority of reviewers. It's not bad but not Rankin or so many others.
There is so much plot crammed in that it's distracting. I don't mind the odd bit of angst in my coppers but this lot take things to the limit.
I read it in a day skimming some pages as I'd started to lose interest by halfway and I never regard that as a good sign.
Staffe has potential so who knows I may try another some time when the memory of this one's faded.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars overwrought, over plotted, underwhelmed... 17 Mar 2010
Format:Hardcover
I was looking forward to reading this new author as I have had two days in which to just sit and read a book from cover to cover - luxury. How disappointing to have picked this awful book. There are dozens of characters to get to grips with in the first 50 or so pages; several sub-plots (the one about DI Wagstaffe's parents being a particularly unnecessary diversion). The characters are devoid of any interest, in spite of involving them in unbelievably complex scenarios and labourinng them with "colourful" histories. It is so badly written that the reader doesn't care or empathise. the plot is totally ludicrous - I know it is "fiction" but there has to be some link with reality surely? The ending is farcical and ridiculous. The gory descriptions are gratuitous in the extreme. the sub plot at the beginning about a gang taking revenge on the DI and an informant flickers into life and then just gets extinguished - it goes nowhere and again, an unnecessary diversion in an already overwrought and crammed book. The book blurb has the cheek to compare this tripe to an Ian Rankin novel. I only finished it because I had the time to "indulge" in it. This is two days' of reading that i will never get back and I implore you not to waste your time either!
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Hugely Disappointing 26 Aug 2009
By R. Shear VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
After reading the plot synopsis on Amazon, I was really looking forward to reading this book.

Unfortunately, the book itself fails to deliver on all levels. After a reasonably bright start it just drifts into mediocrity. This really is the crime novel version of colour-by-numbers (as long as all your colours are grey!).

As many other reviews have pointed out the book falls down on a number of points:

No development of characters, especially it's central character, DI Wagstaffe. We are left to read about what he does, but never find out why.

Written in the present tense. This made the book feel pretty unwieldy.

Every crime novel cliche you care to name.

However, what really annoyed me was DI wagstaffe's repeated breaches of police procedures. These were not the bending of rules used so well by Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus and Peter Robinson's DI Banks. These were just so numerous and flagrant that they would not have been tolerated in the police force. Pretty farcical stuff really.

All in all, it feels like the author had a good idea for a novel, but gave up on it a quarter of the way through. After reading it, I know how he feels!

I can't really recommend this to other people. You would be better of re-reading a favourite novel than enduring this dross.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Book review
It didn't quite reach its full potential for me. It is a good read, but it didn't quite keep me on the edge of my seat.
Published 1 month ago by Mary Harvey
3.0 out of 5 stars Good enough debut
This was an above average debut although there was the usual struggle to balance the "lead cop with issues" with the story, though that seems to be normal for English crime... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Born Again Bookworm
2.0 out of 5 stars Not for me
A new name in a crowded genre, Creed will have to do better than this is he is to survive. Derivative, violent and graphic, at times this is a difficult read, although to be fair... Read more
Published on 6 May 2011 by Andy Edwards
2.0 out of 5 stars If only....Mr Creed lacks credibility.
I was sort of getting on with this, nearing the end, thinking ok so it's an average read - no where near as gripping as Ian Rankin by the way - when the "suicide clause" is thrown... Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2011 by andy furkins
4.0 out of 5 stars Another great British police thriller
I enjoyed this book, quite gritty police story and a horrible theme but I liked the characters and would be interested in seeing how they develop. Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2010 by Louiseog
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't throw away your receipt
This book comes with the offer of a refund if you don't find it as good as Rankin as long as you've got your receipt. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2009 by M. Considine
4.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down
I couldn't put this book down once I got into it. Yes, the subject matter was controversial and I agree that the author tended to switch back and forth a bit with the characters. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2009 by Chelsea Cool
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Crime Thriller
This is a great crime thriller with a good pace and nice characterisation of all the key players.

I confess to being interested in it for the way in which it promised to... Read more
Published on 19 Dec 2009 by Lark
2.0 out of 5 stars Suffer indeed.
Adam Creed's, 'Suffer the Children', was a great disappointment. Creed's style of writing is fragmented and awkward. The story is packed with cliche, e.g. Read more
Published on 17 Dec 2009 by R. Grinney
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad read
I love reading crime books so unlike other reviews I am not put off by the subject matter. The only thing that I didn't really like about this book is the weird third person... Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2009 by A. Douglas
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