Adam CroftReseñas

An action packed thriller that was enjoyable, with a couple little nitpicks. This was my Kindle First pick for February. I'll be honest, I wasn't that excited going into it, but I thought it sounded the most interesting out of what was being offered. I don't regret picking it up at all! Kept my attention from page one to the very last page.

It starts off quickly and doesn't let up until the killer is revealed at the end. A few twists and turns here and there. I had a small inkling of who the killer might be, but was still surprised at the end. Lots of action and very few (if any) slow scenes.

Even though I didn't find our hero to be particularly endearing (but I don't think he was meant to be) and not very likeable, he was written very realistically. I didn't agree with everything he did, but being in the same situation, I think I would have done the same thing, and I understood why he did what he did. We don't learn too much about other characters, other than our hero and a little bit about the young woman who goes on the run with him. Also enjoyed the chapters about our hero's past, and while I didn't think there was too much of a point to them, it did flesh out his character a little more and explained his actions.

There was one other part I didn't quite understand, when he meets two Eastern European men. Without revealing any spoilers, the situation felt unresolved at the end, and left me scratching my head as to what the point of those scenes were. Thought it would lead somewhere, but it didn't.

Other than that, I enjoyed the book and Mr. Croft's writing. I would pick up this author's other, and future works.

I got this free because I was interested to read something by Croft who was featured in the Guardian as someone who has managed to make a (very healthy) living as a self published author. It languished on my to read like for a while until I found myself with 2 hours to kill, no book or Kindle or phone signal and so only the titles I had downloaded to the Kindle app on my phone to choose from. 'Too Close For Comfort' was one of them.
It's basically rubbish, clichéd and predictable with one dimensional characters and ludicrous situations. But the prose flows well enough and I kept turning the pages until I was done.

An okay (but only okay) concept that completely fails to excite due to pretty bad writing. The book includes my most hated of modern crime tropes, multiple narrators for no reason. Here they add absolutely nothing and the book would be better (although still not great) with a single narrator. Worst of all was the unconvincingly neat ending. Bleagh

DNF.

Charlie Sparks is reduced to performing his routine in pubs, until it kills him. Kempston Hardwick happens to be there that evening and is convined it's murder. He decides to investigate.
An enjoyable and quick read, a good start to the series

Overworked and overtired DI Thomas investigates a murder in his street, but a problem arises.
Enjoyable quickly read short story

The introduction to the series brings Knight and Culverhouse to the case of murder of Ella Barrington, a prostitute. Then another prostitute is discovered, and the bodies are not being hidden.
At the moment the main characters are not that likeable but they may develop over the series. But an enjoyable quick read.

A young female approaches Hardwick believing someone is trying to kill her and only he can save her. An enjoyable short story.

DCI Jack Culverhouse and DS Wendy Knight believe they only have a missing persons case when seventeen-year-old Danielle Levy goes missing. Then local business man Bob Arthurs is found dead.
What are the motives and is there any connection between the cases.
An enjoyable crime story

DS Wendy Knight and DCI Jack Culverhouse investigate when a male is found dead, mutilated in his own home. But they soon realise that he, Jeff Brelsford, was murdered because he was a paedophile.
Culverhouses' attitude to the killer and victim leave him sidelined in the investigation.
But Knight begins to wonder if the murderer is a member of the police.
An entertaining and well-written crime story

An investigative journalist is brutal attacked. With her lying in a coma they have no witnesses and no idea what could be her latest topic. It makes investigating the case difficult for D.C.I. Culverhouse and the rest of his team.
An interesting and well-written crime story

When an anonymous phone call reports a murder, DCI Culverhouse and DS Knight approach the religious community at Hilltop Farm. But they find no evidence. But what will happen when the newspapers get involved.
Another entertaining crime story

1981 P.C. Culverhouse has been promoted to D.C. and it is now his first day at Mildenheath, as a detective. The first case is a burglery but will it be a straightforward one.
Another entertaining story

It would seem that Mildenheath has its own serial killer. But are there any connections between the victims, or what motivates the killer. DCI Culverhouse and his team must find the ansers before the killer strikes again.
An interesting crime story

It was a good story and a fast read. My mind was definitely asking from very early “who did what” and even though the reveal was not surprising to me, I still enjoyed the entire book

I think this is a little better than book 1. The attraction remains, as in the first, the setting. Rutland is England's smallest county and is a little old fashioned - it was the last county in England to have a McDonalds - last year. This entry in the series starts with a train driver narrowly avoiding hitting a hanging man - he was already dead, but I doubt that made the driver feel any better about it. So was it suicide? Maybe, maybe not. Enter DI Caroline Hills and the investigation is afoot. It turns into something interestingly twisty, with the crime being solved this time before the confession is extracted. In terms of character, we have a lot less Dexter and more Caroline, but this time we find out a lot more about her and she seems more human. Maybe a better balance could be struck between the two, they both have baggage form the past, but it is of an entirely different nature. I could be tempted by book 3.

I enjoy reading Adam Croft. Well written; likeable, true to life characters who lead normal lives when they are not policing. A nice murder mystery. What's not to like. Blanket over your knees, hot coffee and an Adam croft book.

I think this almost works, but it ends up being a bit of a disappointment. What works is the setting, Rutland is a little world in its own right and he captures this quite well. His main detective, Caroline Hills, has been lumbered with an awful lot of baggage, not all of which feels to be necessary or germane to the plot. She's an incomer and has yet to adapt and integrate. Her main support, Dexter Antoine, is much more rounded and interesting as a character, while being another outsider. He feels far more human and three dimensional. The murder is an interesting one, with enough red herrings that keep crossing the trail. Although there was an awful lot of theorising ahead of one's data. Caroline got a bee in her bonnet and wouldn't let it go, despite nothing more than circumstantial evidence to support her theory. The solution, when it comes, was one that had been telegraphed in advance, but it resorted to that least satisfactory of plot devices, the confession. It was OK. I have book 2, so I'll give it a go, but the series will have to get better from here for me to be fan.

I enjoy reading Adam Croft. Well written; likeable, true to life characters who lead normal lives when they are not policing. A nice murder mystery. What's not to like. Blanket over your knees, hot coffee and an Adam croft book.

I am a fan of Adam Croft. I feel more of a connection to British characters. The story is very down to earth. I'm sure it's happened in the past and will again in the future. I didn't especially like Grace but I did sort of understand how she ended up in the situation. Fast read.

I hate Dan. He is the reason his wife is dead, yet he gets off scot-free. Yeah, he didn't kill her technically, but the reason Lisa is dead is because he's a cheating bastard. That poor woman. Also, the way Jess acted in the beginning was a huge clue that she was the killer. Who does that? Ugh.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

I loved this book!! It is heavily influenced by Sherlock Holmes (whom I love). Fans of Sherlock and classic detective books will love this book.

I love how short & sweet this book is, yet it is able to fit the full story in. Also, I am a big fan of books with short chapters. For some reason, it makes me read them faster, haha.

The plot and two main characters felt real.

I'll definitely be reading more of this author and this series. =)

Too Close Makes the Story Too Limited

Too Close for Comfort is the story of DS Wendy Knight’s investigation into a serial killer who, according to the title and the author’s synopsis is ‘too close for comfort.’

In general, the story is well paced. Of course, if you are going to find a serial killer who is on a one-victim-per-day killing spree in 182 pages, you’ll have to keep moving. The dialog was good. For the American reading audience, you’ll need to do a few mental translations and brush up on British law enforcement acronyms, like DS. I found most online, but was stumped by a few. Nonetheless, the intent was always clear.

Character development could have used some work, as what we were told about people often seemed at odds with their behavior. For example, in the first few pages, Knight’s reaction upon hearing she is part of a murder investigation seems inexplicable given what we were told of her aspirations and life history. I also found some of the characters’ interactions strained. The friction between Knight and Culverhouse, in particular, was much more than good-natured workplace ribbing, to the point of being dysfunctional and juvenile in places. But for me, the greatest limitation in the book was the level of the mystery/suspense/tension. It was low. Knowing that the serial killer is close, and having a protagonist whose attachments you can count on one hand – and use only two of your fingers doing so – gives the author little latitude to create tension.

Overall, Too Close for Comfort is a quick read with good action and pacing, but you’ll need to deal with some predictability and some inconsistencies in character development.

Another enjoyable read from Adam Croft. He writes murder mysteries with characters who could live next door to you and plots that could actually happen. I didn't guess the reason for the first death.

**spoiler alert** Well written, but I have a number of issues with the story. An interesting premise: how does an amateur deal with a hit? The plot started too slow for my taste. I wouldn't have spent so much time in the wife's first person point of view. In contrast, not enough time was spent with the antagonist or foreshadowing to allow the reader to solve the mystery. Beyond that, the conclusion was too neat, too coincidental, particularly the hit going so badly that the victim could get back to work days later. Lastly, the two chapters in hard-to-read italics weren't necessary, since the salient points were immediately covered in the following chapter.