Annie Hauxwell
Autor von In Her Blood
Über den Autor
Annie Hauxwell is the author of A Morbid Habit which made the Davitt Awards 2015 shortlist in the category of Adult Novel. (Bowker Author Biography)
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The third Catherine Berlin novel from Annie Hauxwell takes the concept of moving a character out of their comfort zone that bit further. Berlin is one of those unrepentant flawed types. A heroin addict she's prepared to manage the addiction with prescription medications, but she's really not able / or willing to give up totally. Anything that threatens her supply of drugs has a major impact on her comfort zone. She's also a welded-on resident of London. She knows her area very well, often walking miles of a night to soothe the cravings and distract her brain. Taking her to Moscow breaks her final connection with comfort. Not only does she find herself in a city she doesn't know, they speak a language she doesn't and early on the piece, her passport and her medications are taken from her.
From the absolute outset tension builds well - with the distinct sense of something dodgy about the offer of a job in Moscow. Even though the chance is handed to her by her oldest friend (and an ongoing character), everything is odd. Sending a freelance investigator like Berlin seems like a peculiar choice, and whilst it could seem very staged from the start, it works, mostly because just about everything that Berlin gets involved in comes from the dodgy end of the scale.
Whilst the crime and mystery elements in this plot are, as always, strong and nicely complex, the attraction of these books are the characters. Berlin and Charlie, her substitued translator, form an interesting partnership, albeit with the distinct feeling of two people circling each other in the ring. Neither of them is a straight-forward woman, and both of them have secrets they are hiding, and complications they are dealing with. In the earlier books Berlin has played more of a solo hand, and whilst she navigates much of the unknown, and the threats in Moscow herself, frequently she has to work with Charlie, they have to reach some understanding. It's very well done.
It may be that the lurking Russian threat and the questionable conduct of the local police are a bit harder chewing for some readers. In this case it does work, although you are going to have to accept the complicated web of corruption, deceit, illegality, dirty money, gangsters and authorities. It all comes down to the power of the story telling, the pace of the action and the amount of connection a reader can establish with Catherine Berlin. To do that you're going to have to understand why she's so flawed, and accept that this is her comfort zone. Because of that it would probably be preferable if you read the first books in the series before tackling A MORBID HABIT. Which should be no trial whatsoever.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-morbid-habit-annie-hauxwell… (mehr)
From the absolute outset tension builds well - with the distinct sense of something dodgy about the offer of a job in Moscow. Even though the chance is handed to her by her oldest friend (and an ongoing character), everything is odd. Sending a freelance investigator like Berlin seems like a peculiar choice, and whilst it could seem very staged from the start, it works, mostly because just about everything that Berlin gets involved in comes from the dodgy end of the scale.
Whilst the crime and mystery elements in this plot are, as always, strong and nicely complex, the attraction of these books are the characters. Berlin and Charlie, her substitued translator, form an interesting partnership, albeit with the distinct feeling of two people circling each other in the ring. Neither of them is a straight-forward woman, and both of them have secrets they are hiding, and complications they are dealing with. In the earlier books Berlin has played more of a solo hand, and whilst she navigates much of the unknown, and the threats in Moscow herself, frequently she has to work with Charlie, they have to reach some understanding. It's very well done.
It may be that the lurking Russian threat and the questionable conduct of the local police are a bit harder chewing for some readers. In this case it does work, although you are going to have to accept the complicated web of corruption, deceit, illegality, dirty money, gangsters and authorities. It all comes down to the power of the story telling, the pace of the action and the amount of connection a reader can establish with Catherine Berlin. To do that you're going to have to understand why she's so flawed, and accept that this is her comfort zone. Because of that it would probably be preferable if you read the first books in the series before tackling A MORBID HABIT. Which should be no trial whatsoever.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-morbid-habit-annie-hauxwell… (mehr)
Gosh you need something pretty happy to think about after reading this book! It is a very compelling read with excellent characters and plot. But it certainly gives an unrelentingly bleak view of life for some , maybe the underclass, in modern London. Anti-hero Catherine Berlin, more often just Berlin, will take some beating as the most vivid character of the year, 2013. I loved it.
This book followed all the rules when it comes to crafting a good mystery novel. Lots of intrigue, fast-paced action, shady characters, blurred lines between good & bad, and several plot twists the keep the reader guessing right up until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down!
However for some reason I didn't find the main character endearing or attaching as I normally find most protagonists. I hear there's a first book in the series, and perhaps if I had read that one I could have gotten a bit more personal history about Berlin, and how she got to where she is. But without that, I found it hard empathize with her and in fact, I didn't like her most of the time...
I also felt that some of the plot lines needed more closure at the end. It's always good to leave some things to the reader's imagination, but I felt this book left a little too much under the covers for my taste.
Although those small criticisms aside, I'd definitely recommend this book, and would gladly read another one by this author.… (mehr)
However for some reason I didn't find the main character endearing or attaching as I normally find most protagonists. I hear there's a first book in the series, and perhaps if I had read that one I could have gotten a bit more personal history about Berlin, and how she got to where she is. But without that, I found it hard empathize with her and in fact, I didn't like her most of the time...
I also felt that some of the plot lines needed more closure at the end. It's always good to leave some things to the reader's imagination, but I felt this book left a little too much under the covers for my taste.
Although those small criticisms aside, I'd definitely recommend this book, and would gladly read another one by this author.… (mehr)
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- 5
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- #291,557
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- 3.8
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- 1
At times the elements of intrigue and mystery seem insurmountable , but persevere, all finally becomes clear. The conclusion is not predictable, but you will find it most satisfying.… (mehr)