Tense British police procedural

Excellent police procedural set in Cambridge, UK featuring 25-year old DC Gary Goodhew, a new detective, who is viewed with mistrust and envy due to his quick rise to the DC role.

The book follows the stories of suspects, victims and police, showing the varying point of views (POVs) as we seek to unravel this complex mystery.

DC Gary Goodhew is a bit of a maverick at the station, following his own methodologies and uncanny hunches, much to the chagrin of his boss, DI Marks who is determined to make Goodhew a team player or let him go.

I loved the writing, especially how well all of the characters were fleshed out and the intricate relationships between the families and the co-workers.

Jonathan Broadbent did an excellent job with the narration, although his pacing can be a bit "off-putting" at first.

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12 people found this helpful

Cannot give it 4, 3.5

I like the style, the writing is great, narration great, but...

A little too much gore in places where it is unnecessary? I'm not put off by violence to suggest evil, but it was strange how gore just popped up in the most unlikely places.

This is a real procedural type novel that feels a little like a first time outing. Good, maybe the next will be great?

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5 people found this helpful

Very good police procedural mystery

This is the first in what will become a series, featuring DC Gary Goodhew. In this book, we are introduced to the characters who will move through others, such as Marks--the boss who cannot understand Goodhew's unconventional way of moving through a case, and is almost ready to fire him before he realizes that he actually does have the talent to put clues together. Also, there is the unpleasant detective Kincaid, a colleague who is less than likable. There is Mel, another colleague who plays the saxophone, but Goodhew's favorite woman is: his grandmother, who is also his best support.

This book involves the need to sort out a mystery spanning some years, that leaves the reader considering various of the key people at different points, and comes to its climax with Goodhew acting according to what he thinks he has to do, even if it costs him his job. Almost too late, Marks realizes he has a talented officer, and supports him in solving the crimes.

Alison Bruce is an excellent writer. Not only does she offer a very intriguing mystery, but she has a gift for presenting the details of a situation providing the building tension that brings the reader directly into the moment and keeps the story from being simply a series of scenes offering clues. Also, she has the ability to let the story move back and forth in time, as it plays itself out. She develops this style in future books as well. Recommend!

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6 people found this helpful

My home town

I love reading books about my home town and Alison Bruce does a good job with Cambridge (to be listening to the book whilst, coincidentally, walking the same street was a tad surreal though!). I'm not sure that Goodhew's behaviour would get the same response in a real life police force but, hey it is fiction. I do have issues with the narrator though - he sounds young and Goodhewish to be sure but he mispronounces local names which really bugs me and I find myself wanting to yell at him when he does so - not a good look when you are walking in town! I will follow the series though, I enjoy the context.

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1 person found this helpful

Much procedural detail but no narrative tension

What disappointed you about Cambridge Blue?

The long drawn out plot with many twists and turns but little resolution

What aspect of Jonathan Broadbent’s performance would you have changed?

He should work on his flow, making narration more natural.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The characters are interesting and mostly well portrayed.

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2 people found this helpful

Muddled and unpleasant

I realize I might be owning up to the decline of my gray matter when I say, I did not get this. Who's speaking? That's very hard to keep track of. The characters are extreme: the treacherous sister, the jealous brother, the victim with a big secret, the other victim who had a dog and managed to get away, although I gather she goes down later.

I managed to keep listening, backing up several times to replay chapters that lost me the first time, until the cop hero appeared. Is that early on? I'm hours into this story, and I'm lost. Is drooling next for me, or is this story a mess?

Maybe if I'm desperate to listen to something, anything, I'll come back to this, but I'm thinking of asking for a refund.

Also, this story is way, way unpleasant. Good writer, but nasty.

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3 people found this helpful