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I can't resist comparing this with another Scottish police procedural I read a couple of years ago with a main character named Logan (although in that case it's a first rather than a last name) and featuring child abductions, Cold Granite. As I made clear in my review, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..., that author seems to really dislike women. By contrast, this book features two strong female members of Logan's team, and he makes his respect for them clear. Such a refreshing change. JD Kirk certainly hasn't gone for the genre stretching option, this is straight down the line Scottish detective fiction so anyone on the lookout for something new isn't going to find it here. With that direction in mind Kirk needed those good characters and to put them into good stories and that is precisely what he has done.
A Litter of Bones Image Gallery - JD Kirk A Litter of Bones Image Gallery - JD Kirk
As for the antagonist. The motivation for his crimes were just plain ludicrous and totally unbelievable. I found myself literally groaning out loud at the ridiculousness of it all. I could probably even have overlooked how a man who had reached the rank of DCI and caught "Mister Whisper" ten years ago, made such a glaring error in stupidity that he endangered the life of one of the men under his command. This was very good. The protagonist is immediately likable and interesting, but at the same time a no-nonsense cop. The story developed at a good pace and the ending was not terribly predictable, although I did feel it was a little rushed. Like they went from clueless to A-ha! in 30 seconds and then everything just tumbled together in a hurry. The book started off strong enough, setting up the story, but then it started to fall apart. To begin with, for this being the first in a series, there is a lot mentioned in the synopsis that we learn nothing about. He doesn't appear to have a drinking problem at all - there are no nights mentioned as having been spent in a bar. In fact, I don't even remember him having any downtime to even have a drink. You also don't learn anything about him having an ex-wife, not to mention a daughter he doesn't see (or seem to know anything about). He is brash, and definitely has no respect for the law he is supposed to uphold, even going so far as to practically assault a man outside of his own house (a man with a known history of drug use and a shotty memory at best).
THE SERIES
Kirk says that he had made up his mind to become a writer at the age of nine. He had completed a class assignment on author Roald Dahl and realized for the first time that writing can also help people earn money. And as Kirk loved both money and writing, it seemed like he had found his perfect match. Subsequently, Kirk attempted to write and publish his first piece at the age of 11 when he submitted a letter in a Batman comic. Though he did not receive any money for his effort, it was enough for him to get his name printed as a writer and thereby cemented his ambition. And over the course of the next thirty years, Kirk successfully published more than a hundred novels under different pen names. He also wrote several animation scripts, comics, and also a few screenplays of feature-length films. Trumpai apie siužetą, tai dingus berniukui detektyvas Loganas išsiunčiamas tirti pagribimo bylą, nes berniuko dingimo aplinkybės labai panašios į prieš 20 metų pagrobtų ir nužudytų berniukų atvejį. Ar atsirado pamėgdžiotojas, ar Loganas sučiupo ir nuteisė nekaltą žmogų? The rest of the characters had no personality either. Same thing that happened with Logan, happened with the rest of the characters. If you want character development, you won't find it here. They were like those cardboard cutouts. Flat. This book hit just the right spot. DCI Logan, our hero, is definitely haunted by ghosts from the past, but in A Litter of Bones some of them are put to rest. Based in Glasgow, he is assigned a missing child case in Fort William, in the Highlands. The local team assigned to him are for the most part good at their jobs and work with him cooperatively to find the kidnapper and save the child. Nothing remarkable in the story-telling or the characterizations, and only passing references to the beautiful scenery, but capably written with plenty of forward momentum to hold my attention. If there’s one thing that I love doing, it’s discovering new authors. This sounds a tad superficial but I was sold on this book from the moment I caught sight of the eye catching title and the dark mysterious and moody front cover, let alone from when I read the synopsis. Let’s just say that the synopsis sealed the deal and the book screamed ‘read me’ at me!! Oh my, ‘A Little Of Bones’ is one hell of a read, which I absolutely adored but more about that in a bit.
A Litter of Bones - Goodreads A Litter of Bones - Goodreads
There’s a tangible sense of the Scottish Highlands throughout the book; the author grew up in Fort William and his knowledge of, and fondness for, the area shines through. While it’s not the most remote part of the country, it’s still a long way from bright city lights, and DCI Logan is frequently wrong-footed by the different ways of life and the interactions of the locals. Su J.D.Kirk jau buvau pažįstama iš knygų apie Bobį Huną, tad pasirodžius naujai serijai neatsispyriau pagundai ją perskaityti. Nemeluosiu, pradėjusi skaityti knygą detektyvą insperktorių Loganą lyginau su Hunu 🤭 Tad pasakiau sau STOP, tai nauja serija, nauji personažai, neieškok panašumų ar skirtumų, bet buvo sunkoka, nes Hunas paliko didelį įspūdį, o Loganas tikrai pretenduoja tapti nauju, mano mėgstamiausiu, žodžio kišenėje neieškančiu detektyvu 🤭 Kaulų upė" lengvo siužeto, bet labai įtraukiantis detektyvas. Smalsu sužinoti, kur toliau Loganą nuves likimas, nes tikrai skaitysiu ir sekančias serijos knygas. J.D.Kirk kūryba tikrai pasižymi savitu rašymo stiliumi ir begali kietais pagrindiniais knygos herojais ❤️ Labai lengvai ir greitai įsijaučiau į siužetą, o detektyvų komandoje dirbantys personažai buvo įdomiai sukurti, su charizma ir puikiu humoro jausmu. Tad puslapiai vertėsi itin lengvai ir greitai.I just have to declare it. JD Kirk is an awesome writer. Another police procedural which had me grappling to get to the truth. Got to mention the team, they were all funny and great and knew when to be serious. They were strong and yet flawed. Good humans. I didn't find it to be any more gratuitously violent than any normal police drama on TV, (E.G. Bones. There is some SUPER gross stuff on Bones and this book doesn't even come close to that level) Murder generally produces a corpse. So you can pretty much bet on there being at least one dead body in a murder mystery. If that's a problem, maybe this isn't your genre. Unfortunately the story had none of the sort of things that make a difference in a crime book. Looking for something thought provoking, underpinned with complex relationships? Or maybe a protagonist with an interesting history and character? An antagonist with a past that drives him to commit the crimes, even eliciting some understanding of the motivation? Well don’t bother looking because there are none of those things here. Of course we're talking audio here and so Kirk needed to find himself a good narrator. Job done I'd say. I don't think Angus King is quite as silky on the ear as say a David Monteath but with these characters he gives a very convincing performance. Crucially he seems at his best with Logan himself who he delivers extremely convincingly and with suitable menace.
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