Adam Netherlund

This was a Early Reviewers Book. While the book started with a great deal of promise, it could have used a tighter edit. Like another reviewer, I could have done without the last chapter. I don't like to be strong armed into reading the next book. I did like the main character and his partner, though. I am a Michael Connelly Harry Bosch fan so most of my detective gets held up to that standard. I might read the second book, not sure.

This was an ok crime thriller and I found it entertaining to read but the cliff-hanger ending was totally unnecessary and enough to knock a full star off my rating. Had the author stopped at the next to last chapter, he would have achieved closure and I would have thought this was a pretty darn good book - so why throw in a totally unnecessary "zinger" at the very end? There were also a handful of typos and some unnecessary colloquialisms which could have been prevented by using the services show more of a skilled editor. That said, it wasn't a bad book, it was just a forgettable one. I would guess that as this author writes some more, his books will become more finely tuned and it isn't bad for a debut novel.

I liked Berlin, the main character in this book, though he was almost too flawed and I couldn't see him being allowed to lead an investigation into a murder in the frame of mind that he was in - major depression and in a constant alcohol-induced fog. I'd hate to be his partner, having to rely on this guy to watch my back!

I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing in exchange for agreeing to write a fair and unbiased review. show less

This one was quite a good read, actually. Pacing, interesting characters, enough mystery, car chases - you name it, it's in it. The book keeps Your interest alive, starts off just right, and in the end you wonder what the Gardens Could be like. Only setback: too many well-known set pieces and plot devices (Policeman with a dark past, mysterious dame connected to the Case, a partner who grows on him etc.).

A lot of cliché characters show up during the course of this tale and yet there is something compelling about the main character, Joseph Berlin, an alcoholic homicide detective who is struggling with a tragic loss. Berlin has the relentless obligation to solve the murder of a fellow police officer. While the story is a bit over the top at times, the ending is unexpected… and unsolved. So glad to realize this is the first in a series! I look forward to the resolution, and to the show more development of this character. show less