Neil Cross

One of the things that I've really come to expect from author Neil Cross is not quite knowing what to expect when you pick up one of this books. CAPTURED is the latest in a set of standalone novels that have just all been fantastic, and I'm happy to report that CAPTURED keeps up the standard.

When Kenny finds out he has a matter of weeks to live he draws up the sort of list that I guess many of us might draw up. People that he wants to clear the air with. He starts out tracking down the man show more who, as a little boy had been nearly abducted. Kenny had seen the suspect trailing the boy, and yet, when the police questioned him, he wasn't able to provide much detail. Kenny wants to apologise. He wants to make things right with his ex-wife, and still closest friend, but somehow he can't quite get to her name just yet. So he tries to track down his old school-yard friend. Callie had been kind to Kenny when he was a loner, awkward, a kid that didn't quite fit in. Callie, unfortunately, isn't easy to find, in fact she has disappeared in unexpected circumstances. Kenny wants to to make things right, and yet, despite his best intentions it ends up not right. About as far from right as you can possibly get.

CAPTURED is just one of the most fascinating novels I've read in a long time. Kenny is a character that will endear you to him, freak you out completely, but in the end, you just can't help but feel so desperately for a man for whom the best of intentions somehow manage to go so incredibly wrong. His complete inability to pull back from the abyss is intriguing. Is it human nature or is it something to do with the ticking time bomb in his brain? Tightly told, quick moving and tense, at no stage does CAPTURED read like a script despite Cross having credentials as a screenwriter. It's also not just a story about Kenny. There are other characters in this book who stand out from the page - the people who help Kenny and support him, and those who come up against him.

If there is anything at all that links Cross's recent books (NATURAL HISTORY / BURIAL and now CAPTURED) it is possibly the theme of the ordinary, flawed human being, pushed way outside their comfort zone. Add to that a talent for creating bleak and vaguely threatening settings; crisp, spare yet beautifully flowing prose and characterisations that tear at the heartstrings even when they are doing the unforgivable and it just has to be said. Do yourselves a favour. CAPTURED is a one sitting, absolutely tremendous, extremely disturbing book that you'll not forget in a hurry. show less

The ease with which Cross conjures the image and voice of John Luther is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I've read a lot of very high quality tie-in products to movies and TV shows where, as here, the creator is personally the author of the spin-off product as well. Usually, when they're done well, if I read a line of dialogue conscious of the character's voice and mannerisms in my head, I can hear and see the character in my mind's eye, as though played by the on-screen actor.

With "The show more Calling", I never had to try. John Luther was voiced and played by Idris Elba for me when reading this, in every line, every move, every thought. To say this adds to the experience is an understatement ... but the book really doesn't need nor rely on this. The plotting is exciting -- albeit horrific in typical Luther fashion -- and impressingly able to shed lights on the backstory immediately preceding the first series of the TV show. Somehow, it does this without undermining the weight of its own narrative, and I'd be very surprised if people uninitiated to the TV series would not also find this crime thriller very enjoyable.

The writing is sparse and efficient, conveying more vivid behaviours and character insights in clipped, short phrases than most authors manage in a half-page of florid descriptions. A particular strength here is Cross' ability to have the reader learn not only about the character speaking, but also the character listening, in nearly any given scene.

If you like the TV series at all, you positively must read this book. And if you haven't watched the TV series, this book takes place before it, so if a tortured but brilliant London detective chasing a horrible murderer for 340ish pages sound at all appealing, there's no reason not to jump in right here. show less

Portrait painter Kenny Drummond learns that he will die of a brain tumor in a few weeks. He has relatives and friends to reach out to, and he does, but his focus is on the people he believes that he owes. He makes a list. The last name on that list is the little girl who was his only friend in the English version of upper elementary school. He learns that she married, was abused by her husband, and then disappeared, with the husband the only suspect. Drummond is neither a detective, a show more kidnapper, or a torturer, but he does what he must, in the true British manner. This was not a sweet, charming story, but a plausible psychological thriller with convincing twists and characters that you understood, even the bad ones. show less

Hard-boiled. That's what they used to call this sort of thing. I guess they still do. In any event, this is hard-boiled, even brutal, detective fiction. Sparse, hard-hitting prose. Gritty, realistic characters and settings. Bad, bad, bad guys. Basically decent, but driven cops that sometimes cross the line in order to get the bad guys and protect the innocent. Classic hard-boiled.

DCI (that's Detective Chief Inspector - this is a British novel, through and through) John Luther first came to show more life as a television character for the BBC. This novel, written by the show's creator and writer, is a prequel to the series, showing that the detective was just as driven, just as brilliant, before those episodes. It also shows a man tormented to the point that he cannot sleep and he can no longer connect with his wife. He is a driven man. Driven to use his powers of deduction and insight to find a serial killer. A killer that is stealing children for purposes that are beyond the imaginings of even DCI Luther. From page one you know he will not let up until he tracks down the fiend. Until the last page you do not know if he will succeed or destroy himself trying. Or perhaps both.

This is top-flight writing. As I said above, the prose is sparse and hard hitting and will keep you turning pages. Not a book for the squeamish. It's written in the present tense, which adds to the immediacy and probably reflects its origins in television. Highly recommended for those that can take it.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review. show less