A Simple Act of Violence by R J Ellory
This is an extremely gripping thriller from the first page to the last. Detective Robert Miller is a cleverly sculpted character who is normal enough to be utterly believable. Ellory draws you into this character so much that empathy for him is not even a choice. I particularly liked the way that Ellory had the killer speak to us at the end of each chapter, this gives the reader a much deeper insight into the mind of the perpetrator of the crimes than you usually get in a murder/thriller novel.
The murders keep coming and leads are hard to find, the reader gets led along by the fast pace and can pick up on lots of clues along the way, but do they tell the whole story?
You will never completely work out the ending yourself the details are drip fed to you throughout and you think you have it – then ‘bam’ another twist.
This is an extremely gripping personal read and I think it would also make a good group read as the characters are so well written they will provoke much discussion, and the plot will also cause much debate as too what the final outcome will be.
R J Ellory has written nine novels, translated into twenty-three languages, has picked up many awards and has one book optioned for film. I would highly recommend this book and this author.
Personal read 5/5
Group read 4/5
Publisher Orion
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