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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2023
Rating: 2.8/5
I have to confess that I can be prone to having misgivings about reading police procedurals - particularly ones that revolve around yet another serial killer. There are so many run of the mill examples out there that are melodramatic in the extreme, hackneyed, stereotypical, and invariably feature a two-dimensional maverick lead detective with an all too predictable character flaw. "The Seventh Girl" left me with mixed feelings. There are certain aspects that are impressive, while there were other elements that caused me to roll my eyes in frustration and disappointment.
This is the first in a new series of books featuring DS Kat Ballantyne. If possible, I prefer to be able to be in at the start of a planned series, as I almost always feel that you are somehow missing out if you try to join the party at a later stage. However, one of the downsides of a series opener is that the author is having to cover a lot of the groundwork and introduce an awful lot of new characters. That is certainly the case here and at times it did feel like there was a degree of overkill with a host of protagonists, each with their own character traits and foibles needing to be assimilated and filed away for future reference.
However, it should be said that the characterisation is generally handled pretty well and author, Andy Maslen, clearly excels at creating natural dialogue and social interaction, which ensures that there is a natural flow to proceedings rather than the wooden stiltedness that can arise in some books. Against that positive point, there were also occasions when it felt a touch overdone and verged on becoming needless filler.
The serial killer mystery itself is quite engrossing, although a couple of developments that ultimately lead to the solving of the case are disappointingly convenient. There is also a part of the storyline that is reminiscent of Bobby Ewing stepping out of the shower in "Dallas" (you will know the section I am referring to when you get there). I am still uncertain as to why the author felt the need to incorporate this particular twist into the plot as it didn't strike me as adding great value - though perhaps he has plans to develop this thread as the series progresses.
On the whole, I would say that I enjoyed enjoyed the experience of reading "The Seventh Girl". In spite of the slightly irritating shortcomings, the strength of the overall impact of the characterisation and well-portrayed interaction between the protagonists ensured that the overall impression was a favourable one.
I have to confess that I can be prone to having misgivings about reading police procedurals - particularly ones that revolve around yet another serial killer. There are so many run of the mill examples out there that are melodramatic in the extreme, hackneyed, stereotypical, and invariably feature a two-dimensional maverick lead detective with an all too predictable character flaw. "The Seventh Girl" left me with mixed feelings. There are certain aspects that are impressive, while there were other elements that caused me to roll my eyes in frustration and disappointment.
This is the first in a new series of books featuring DS Kat Ballantyne. If possible, I prefer to be able to be in at the start of a planned series, as I almost always feel that you are somehow missing out if you try to join the party at a later stage. However, one of the downsides of a series opener is that the author is having to cover a lot of the groundwork and introduce an awful lot of new characters. That is certainly the case here and at times it did feel like there was a degree of overkill with a host of protagonists, each with their own character traits and foibles needing to be assimilated and filed away for future reference.
However, it should be said that the characterisation is generally handled pretty well and author, Andy Maslen, clearly excels at creating natural dialogue and social interaction, which ensures that there is a natural flow to proceedings rather than the wooden stiltedness that can arise in some books. Against that positive point, there were also occasions when it felt a touch overdone and verged on becoming needless filler.
The serial killer mystery itself is quite engrossing, although a couple of developments that ultimately lead to the solving of the case are disappointingly convenient. There is also a part of the storyline that is reminiscent of Bobby Ewing stepping out of the shower in "Dallas" (you will know the section I am referring to when you get there). I am still uncertain as to why the author felt the need to incorporate this particular twist into the plot as it didn't strike me as adding great value - though perhaps he has plans to develop this thread as the series progresses.
On the whole, I would say that I enjoyed enjoyed the experience of reading "The Seventh Girl". In spite of the slightly irritating shortcomings, the strength of the overall impact of the characterisation and well-portrayed interaction between the protagonists ensured that the overall impression was a favourable one.
