Devil's Chimney

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this eARC.

I thought this book is unique in that it heavily leans into its Britishness and most mystery thrillers I read are either American or neutral to me. The book definitely has an atmosphere of its own - set in 2001 and I'm not very familiar with that time period as I was born then, so I enjoyed that. Quite minor but I did not think the author needed to make a note that smartphones were different in 2001, I'd like to think that people know this but I digress. Especially because I highlighted about 10 or so words I hadn't heard of before, which is unusual for me so the vocabulary was very adult-oriented to me. I do think that the time period could have been integrated more clearly in the plot. However, I appreciate the note regarding Devil's Chimney and Belle Tout, so I question why the glossary was at the back of the book. I figured if it were at the front, the reader would be able to refer to it as they are reading along without spoiling themselves of other pages but I also understand how the glossary can be spoiler-y in nature. Anyway, after I finished this book, I was not surprised at all to find out that the author has been serving as a UK police officer for a long time. The voice is present in the writing and it does not detract from the writing surprisingly; I thought it would.

The plot is basically that our protagonist Barnes and his cop partner, Harriet apprehend a criminal fleeing from Harriet's house. Shortly after, Harriet is found deceased and an investigation is underway. Barnes navigates his personal life and seeking justice for Harriet, but there's more to it than what's immediately obvious. This book does a good job of exploring relationships, work politics and attitudes between police colleagues, but I thought Eve (Barnes' wife) was really annoying and irrational as her motivations did not make sense. However, I liked characters such as Hadrian and Emily. I think Barnes' was likeable enough and really felt for him, which is a good thing.

I thought the first 10% was a bit boring so I took away a star, it took me a bit of time to get through but I pushed through and got really invested, peaking in the 50% mark until the end. I read this book in one sitting so that's a good thing. I really appreciated that there was an epilogue because I am sick of books cheapening out with endings and that is a reason why anyone should care about this book. Furthermore, a standout is the police in action.

Lastly, I don't think this was the most shocking or elaborate mystery ever so that is why it was not a 5 star for me, but it was an enjoyable read and it's very in line for this subgenre of books (procedural detective fiction). Like many mystery and thriller books, I start off not understanding the title or cover, but figuring out afterwards is neat.