|
|
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rumble in Brighton, 29 Mar 2004
This grimy first entry in what looks to be a series, does for Brighton what Ian Rankin has done for Edinburgh, and John Williams has done for Cardiff. The story commences with Det. Inspector Steve Madden sitting in his car, staring at his ex-wife's house, unable to deal with his divorce. Jealous, angry, and not at all coping well, he is cheered by a phone call from Jason, his 19-year-old son, coming for a visit from London. What Madden hopes will be a pick-me-up visit turns into disaster, Jason announces his homosexuality and Madden reacts poorly. When Jason disappears early in the morning before any reconciliation, even the most obtuse reader will realize that Madden will never get to apologize.And when Madden gets called to a gruesome murder scene later in the morning, it's pretty obvious who the victim is. The bulk of the story has Madden wrestling with his own guilt, as more and more lurid details emerge about his Jason's life. Officially off the case, Madden runs between London and Brighton, interviewing rent boys, drug dealers, pimps, and a millionaire with a beautiful French wife. Of course this riles his fellow officers up, as it casts aspersions on their ability to catch the murderer. There's a fairly engaging subplot revolving around Madden's desire to reunite with his wife, and his casual affair with a much younger Asian officer. Ultimately, the story reads well, but is too over the top, with transvestites, informers, hit men, more killings, and bizarre sex triangles, muddying the waters. If there are more Madden books on the way, hopefully the craziness will be toned down a bit.
|
by Glenn Chandler
by R.D. Wingfield
by John Harvey
by Reginald Hill
See all Product Description
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home