Cheryl Rees-PriceRezensionen

Cheryl Rees-Price does not disappoint in the ninth in this addictive series of mysteries, here too you cannot see what's coming, and the intrigue keeps getting more and more suspenseful as the story develops. There's a serial killer with a grudge, in a small community that has seen its fair share of bad people. Who's gonna be the one to take revenge? You can't really tell, and that's what keeps you glued to the page!

Here we go again… “Frozen Minds” is not bad; but, sadly, it’s not good either.

It’s a convoluted story in which Rees-Price ventures onto thin ice; to write parts of the story from the explicit point of view, in some cases directly from the mind of a person with mental disabilities is problematic at least. I’m not sure I would call that attempt successful either.

But the story itself is already too much: Complicated to the point of implausibility. While the motivations of the perpetrator(s) might hold at least some water, the execution of their plans amounts to trying to hold water with a sieve…

Rees-Price undoubtedly means well in all she writes: From DI Winter Meadows who starts to become a team player…

»Having transferred from London eighteen months earlier, he’d found it a little too quiet at first. Now he was used to taking cases usually dealt with by uniform, and when his department needed assistance, he was never short of help. There was no “them and us” in the valleys.«

… to Blackwell who’s gaining at least a rough sketch of a character, things do evolve somewhat, compared with the first instalment. Sadly, the same cannot be said of Rees-Price’s talent as an author: Her characters are still very rough at the edges and lack nuances, subtlety, motivation and, in most cases, an actual perceptible character. Edris, for example, who was a young and hopeful newbie on the job, is now the caricature of a “young stud”. He is mostly busy ogling and flirting with same-age women and kissing Meadow’s behind.

»‘You’ve been right about everything else.’ Edris grinned.«

Poor Edris tends to tell everyone they put someone in their place. Repeatedly. With the exact same words, in the exact same context. Why am I mentioning such a detail? Because pretty much everything about Rees-Price’s writing feels strained, effortful and cumbersome, almost clunky.

I think most of her characters are shallow and stereotypical.

Not just her choice of words, repetitions, but also Meadows’ thoughts that are added verbatim to the narration in italics. That’s either a serious lack of talent or laziness. Either way, I didn’t like it.

»‘Fine,’ Jane snapped. ‘Do what you want, but please be aware that there are a number of confidential files on site containing sensitive information. I don’t want you or your officers nosing in those files.’
What was she hiding in them?«

There are also lots of loose ends and plot holes - why is a certain person anxious during a police search when nothing ever comes of it? Unexplained.

Why, ultimately, were certain choices made? Unexplained and not deductible either. Also: There were several points in the story during which it was absolutely clear to the reader what needed to be done and a hard-boiled ex-London cop doesn’t? Excuse me…
(Especially when what “needed to be done” would have amounted to just keep doing what they were doing instead of needlessly going elsewhere…)

The mystery itself, albeit badly told and needlessly complicated, was rather simply structured. The exact same plot devices have been used over and over and over. There’s absolutely nothing new. You feel like you’ve known the story and settings for a long time - just the character names have changed and the composition.

It’s sad because I liked the empathy that Rees-Price projects into Meadows (and even Blackwell, even though she’s not good enough to write him well either) for the challenged residents of the home. I especially really liked how Meadows interacts with Kevin.

And, yet, all in all, this felt like a waste of precious reading time. Bland literary fast food.

Three stars out of five and, to finish with Kevin’s words:

»‘Bye bye, Winter Man.’ Kevin grinned and climbed on the bus.«

I will not continue reading this series.

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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I became aware of “The Silent Quarry” by Cheryl Rees-Price through the review of my Goodreads friend Barry. If Barry rates a mystery, police procedural or thriller highly, chances are high I’m also going to enjoy it.

I was intrigued by the novel's premise of a woman, Gwen Thomas, who survived a brutal attack as a teenager that killed her friend, but lost her memory of the event. When she starts to remember what happened, she becomes a target again. Tempted by Barry and having been looking for the next good read, I basically pounced upon it and finished it in a few hours as it’s a bit on the short side of novels.

I immediately related to DI Winter Meadows, a perceptive but reclusive detective (my wife calls me a hermit…), who tries to find the identity of the attacker before it’s too late. Beyond Meadows’ professional interest he’s further motivated by his teenage-crush on Gwen and the mutual metaphorical sparks are still flying between the two of them…

I really liked Meadows because he's empathic and kind. He’s an interesting character with a lot of (as of yet mostly hidden) depth. I also liked his interactions with his colleagues and the locals. He has a good sense of humour and a sharp mind. His casual weed consumption put a big (and, of course, entirely innocent!) grin on my face.

»He plucked a book from the shelf and opened it. The inside was hollow and held a small bag of cannabis, a grinder, tobacco, and extra-long rolling papers. He rolled a joint, plonked himself down in the armchair, and lit up.«

I also enjoyed how compassionately, fairly and understandingly Meadows treated Edris. He saw Edris’ potential and gave him a chance to prove himself which the latter immediately proved worthy of.

Gwen Thomas was also a very interesting character: Rees-Price’s depiction of Gwen felt very authentic and disarmingly honest. Gwen is disgusted with her marriage, her jerk of a cheating husband and yet she does all she can to help. Even if it puts her in danger and potentially comes at great cost to herself. I admired her courage and determination to face the truth.

There were quite a few twists that, I have to admit, I saw coming but still enjoyed - except for one that left me feeling sad…

Speaking of sad: There were a few rough edges; the interesting setting of Wales doesn’t really play a role at all. Apart from the names of the villages, this could have played anywhere rural. Apart from Edris, all of Meadows’ colleagues remain underdeveloped, indistinct and flat.

There also are a few loose ends: What is Carl Perkins going to do? What is Ariana going to do about Edris?

Nevertheless, this was an engaging, suspenseful, intelligent police procedural and certainly a good entrance into this series.

Four out of five stars.

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An original and gripping take on the genre: a woman begins to recovery her memory about a terrible attack. But what she finds out will lead her inexorably into danger. Exciting from the word go with a wicked twist.

How does she do it? Rees-Price's books just get better and better, and this one is truly jaw-droppingly good.

Rees-Price does it again with this domestic murder mystery set around the Usk Reservoir. Two deaths launch a murder inquiry but it is when someone goes missing from a farm at the centre of the investigation that the plot thickens. Tenderly told in places, the book demonstrates Rees-Price's wonderful ability to keep the reader guessing and bring everything together when the real killer is finally revealed.

Whilst this story has some of the stock elements beloved by crime writers, the plot is unusual and contains plenty of red herrings. DI Winter Meadows returns to the town where he was brought up after winning his detective spurs in the city, creating resentment from the existing Sergeant, who expected to win promotion. Winter is unmarried and was bullied at school by some of those he must now investigate. He also had a passion for a girl, Gwen, who is now at the centre of his investigation, but married with children. Twenty years ago, Gwen was apparently attacked and a school friend murdered in a local disused quarry, but Gwen suffered amnesia afterwards as a result of her injuries. After making her first return to the scene, Gwen trips and some memories start to return. This sets the scene for those who don't wish her to remember anything, to try to prevent the truth emerging, but what is the truth? Clever twists and turns before the complex story finally emerges

One of the proposed titles for this book was A Host of Sparrows, but when the term knot was discovered (it appears it was used in a Hardy book) it seemed all the more fitting for this mystery, which is based upon the close and messily entangled connections between members of quite small remote village community. As ever, Rees-Price delivers a captivating and immersive read.

Winter Meadows was raised on a commune, until events not fully discussed in this book led to him living in town and discovering the benefits of central heating and other comforts. The change didn't lead to him abandoning the beliefs he was raised with. Those beliefs didn't prevent him from becoming a police officer, and eventually a Detective Inspector, investigating a murder in a small Welsh town.

Seventeen-year-old Stacey Evans is found murdered, and a surprising number of people have potential motives for murder. She had recently dumped the teenage boyfriend her parents believe she didn't have. She had been involved with several married men in the village. She had mercilessly bullied and harassed another teenage girl, Erin Kelly, who committed suicide as a result. In Erin's case, it's not just her mother and father who might have wanted Stacey to pay for what she did. There's also Donald Hobson, another teenager, Erin's best friend, who has made no secret of blaming Stacey for her death.

The killer did leave a calling card, though. Written in marker on Stacey's body is REV17--Book of Revelation, Chapter 17. The Whore of Babylon. Surely this is a useful clue?

Unfortunately, as the investigation continues, instead of leading quickly to the killer, it connects Stacey's death to other deaths. A missing doctor is found dead, with another Biblical verse written on his body. An unsolved arson case with two deaths turns out to have a brick that was thrown through a window with a Bible verse written on it--and the two people killed are widely believed, despite lack of direct evidence, to be involved in the death of another young girl.

Yet in every case, as Meadows and his team identify the most likely suspects, each proves to have a seemingly ironclad alibi. They couldn't have committed the murders they're accused of--seemingly.

It's a nice, twisty plot, and the character development is excellent. Meadows himself is a likeable, interesting character, and I'm likely to be reading more books in this series.

The only real flaw I see here is the sloppy copyediting. That may have gotten corrected between the ARC and the published book. I hope so!

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

A powerful, suspenseful story. BLUE HOLLOW is about a woman seeking justice for a family member but gradually uncovering the truth of her past. Impactful writing and nail-biting in places!

Rees-Price does it again with another atmospheric mystery set in the heart of Wales. DI Winter Meadows looks into the disappearance of a toddler from her mother's home, but the investigation unearths a troublesome find that leads to a fatal consequences for a neighbour and unsettles the community at large.
A gripping read that keeps you guessing.

fine offering from the heart of Wales. DI Winter Meadows is quite a softy, really. I wonder if he has a tough side. Here he looks into the killing of the manager of a care home for vulnerable adults. Crucial to collaring the killer is gaining the trust of the residents. And each one of them presents their own challenges. A good read.