Peter Darling (2)

"The World At His Feet" is an engaging police procedural that follows DI Jamieson and his team as they unravel the murder of a promising young footballer. The plot is well-crafted and maintains suspense, with a satisfying resolution that avoids cliché twists. The characters are relatable and fleshed out, adding depth to the investigation, although the pacing fluctuates, occasionally interrupting the narrative flow. Despite some minor typos and the peculiar inclusion of a college intern show more studying algae, the story held my interest throughout, and I would eagerly welcome more cases featuring this intriguing cast of detectives. show less

Fully-realized and likable characters, written with obvious affection while still keeping them human. The story is compelling, and held my interest. The solution to the case was believable, and hidden from the reader without resorting to "Agatha Christie tricks." On the less-good side, some unfortunate typos, the worst of which was the use of the word "phycology" twice in a short space, where the author apparently intended "psychology." Otherwise, the idea of a college intern whose course of show more study is algae being seconded to the police gangs unit is somewhat inscrutable. (If the book were satirical, perhaps the usage might have been a hidden reference to the gang members as "pond scum," but I doubt it. Additionally, the way some of the "suspects/supporting cast" backstories were presented broke the narrative flow, and in one particular instance, felt like an attempted red herring. Despite the above minor quibbles, this was a good read, with a story that held together and main characters who I would like to see again. show less

I received a copy of this book from Goodreads in exchange for a review.

A young footballer (a soccer player to us Americans) seems to have it all. He’s a rising player, soon to be signing a big contract. Until he’s brutally murdered. Why? Who’s got a grudge against this 16-year-old?
DI Jamieson and his crew are assigned the task of finding out who’s behind this murder, but how can they do that when everyone seems to be hiding the truth? And his own crew of detectives are having their show more own personal problems.
Well plotted, the story takes the reader one step at a time into the investigation. Often times I found myself scratching my head along side the detectives, as they tried to find the motive and the person responsible. The story definitely kept my interest. show less

As a police procedural, The World At His Feet has some very interesting and well developed characters, along with an interesting plot which keeps the reader from solving the "who done it" too early on. Darling also frames the locations well. What holds the story back from being great is the pacing. It lurches along from manic to slog and back with transitions that happen far too abruptly far too often. Still, it is a fun read that will keep you guessing.