The Careless Word is book #8 in the Marc Craig/Belfast Murder Squad series and is very much of the same excellent standard of story telling as the previous 7.
As is usual the story refers back to events in previous books but can be read as either a stand alone novel or as part of the series. The story revolves around an explosion in a small book store in the Smithfield area of Belfast, with only one survivor - is it a return to the old days of The Troubles or a more modern threat? Will they be able to get the survivor to speak? Marc Craig and his squad need to solve quickly as there is a wedding on the horizon. The clock is ticking....
As usual with Ms. King's books there is very much a sense of place. Belfast, it's people and places come to life on the page. What I really liked though was a change in some of the personel in the Squad. Jake, one of the regulars, is absent on medical grounds and two new faces are added Carmen McGregor, a snippy Scot from Edinburgh with a bit of an attitude (who I hope will become a regular) and Ken Smith, from the army's bomb disposal unit. Both these characters added something to the story for me, while I didn't really miss Jake (mainly because his behaviour towards another team member earlier in the series made me dislike him - that's how good the writing is here, you care about how the characters interact with each other, almost as if they were real)
So, another cracking book from Catriona King, which I have no hesitation in giving 5 stars to. As always I look forward to the next in the series
No comments:
Post a Comment