Lovereading Reader reviews of The Jackdaw by Luke Delaney Part of the DI Sean Corrigan Series

Transcription

1 Lovereading Reader reviews of The Jackdaw by Luke Delaney Part of the DI Sean Corrigan Series Below are the complete reviews, written by Lovereading members. Angie Rhodes Revenge? Hmm maybe, or Mercy?? Well the decision is yours yes that's right, yours, all of you who watch Your View. There s a new kind of killer on the streets, one who lets you have the last say, lets you say who lives or dies. The one thing he doesn't let you pick, is who the victim is, as he only picks the rich. Like Bankers who have lost the money of so many "ordinary" people. His name? The Jackdaw. He finds and kidnaps his victims, ties them to a chair, lets everyone see what is happening on Your View, tells you why the victim is tied to a chair, and then asks you to click on the icon, one like or the other for dislike. The highest icon wins. DI Sean Corrigan, has to find this mad man fast, before he can kill again. This has to be the most exciting thriller I have read for a long time. It reminded me of my favourite show on TV Criminal Minds. Brilliant!! So if you want a thriller that will have you holding your breath, this is it!! Rebecca Kirkby

2 An incredibly absorbing book that I struggled to put down. Delaney is a fantastic writer who manages to make this disturbingly realistic... This is the first book from the series that I have read, however that did not cause any issues for me with relating to the characters or following background storylines. Delaney mentions various recent issues (as well as the obvious controversy with banks) that the police have had a significant role in, such as the phone hacking scandal and the high profile celebrity paedophile investigations. By doing this he pulls you further into the story, making it seem like something that worryingly is actually feasible. Although you get an insight into what The Jackdaw is doing and thinking, you re never aware of what his plan is or who he is. You re still completely enthralled, reading on, wanting to find out what is going to happen next and who the next victim will be. The clever (and time relevant) storyline, multi-faceted characters, and the well balanced descriptions have all combined to make this a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you like crime novels and thrillers then I would definitely recommend this book. Janet Gilliard This is a book of 3 halves! Loved the beginning, got bored in the middle and really enjoyed the end-really wanted to know who the killer was. This is the fourth Sean Corrigan novel. It is helpful to have read the others but it can be read as a standalone novel. The characters are well developed and the story has an original take on the usual serial killer novel. The relationship between the detectives is interesting giving glimpses of the home lives as well as professional. Alison Greenacre Well, it s a good story line but unfortunately I feel it is very badly written. Great premise: someone is taking high flyers from banks and putting them on trial via the internet on "Your View", for their financial crimes against the

3 public. The writer mentions the killers of previous books he's written - so I won't bother reading any of those then! There is even a trial that is mentioned a lot but doesn't seem to have any significance. Lots of meaningless dialogue and the longest sentence I've ever seen on page 204! Don't even start me on DI Corrigan, and his special powers??!?! What on earth? All in all the plot was very slow, with repetitive plot points that were very irritating and not at all subtle! I wouldn't bother with this one. Claire Hill This is the first book in the DI Corrigan series that I've read. I didn't realise it was part of a series, it reads so well as a stand-alone novel. The Jackdaw is a well-written and scary character, a vigilante who you wouldn't want to meet anywhere, let alone down a dark alley! Sean Corrigan is a fantastic character to read. He immerses himself in the case to the exclusion of his family and many of his colleagues, as he tries to get inside the mind of the Jackdaw. Whilst not a psychologist or profiler, Corrigan reminds me of Val McDermid's Tony Hill, in the way he approaches the case and talks to himself as he tries to uncover the truth. Supporting characters Sally, Dave and Anna provide useful background information and a wealth of comprehensive interaction with Corrigan. The Jackdaw is a gritty crime thriller full of tense moments and unexpected twists. It held my interest throughout I'd recommend it to fans of crime writers such as Mark Billingham and Val McDermind. Ray Orgill This is the story of a loner who has decided that the world wants him to punish greedy bankers and other public figures who he feels have bettered their prospects and their fortunes by climbing on the backs of, and cheating, ordinary citizens. His method is to capture the offenders and then expose them to the

4 general public by breaking into a television or net connection and then subjecting them to a trial where their misdeeds are exposed and are then submitted to the audience for them to pronounce the fate of the wrongdoers who are then publicly punished. These punishments which are watched by many people can range from a horrific death to a very painful amputation. The loner calls himself The Jackdaw and he is very devious in his actions. A worthwhile investigation. Tracey Poulter A vigilante, nicknamed The Jackdaw, is kidnapping Londoners for crimes of greed, incompetence or corruption during the banking crisis. He broadcasts live videos of them, tied to a chair, awaiting their punishment a punishment which he asks viewers to vote on. DI Sean Corrigan and the Special Investigations Unit are given the case to solve. This is the 4th book featuring DI Corrigan but can be read as a standalone story. This is an absorbing crime novel with well-drawn characters. Both the Jackdaw & Sean Corrigan are unpredictable, in different ways, and the plot moves at just the right pace. The tensions and dynamics within the police are believable and the members of the Special Investigations Unit seem like real people with problems outside work. The author cleverly weaves in references to mental health and press responsibilities to give the reader food for thought. I would recommend this to readers who like realistic, intelligent crime novels. Alan Brown An atmospheric police procedural which concentrates on people in the investigative team and professionals and not facts. The tension ebbs and flows keeping the reader in suspense almost to the end. Not a who dun it but why. The story has alternative plot lines which keep the reader guessing while a number of psychological red herrings are introduced. The author tries to capture all sides of a police team investigation and does this well with the relationships that develop between different ranks. The problems that exist between the investigation leader and his family are raised strongly but are not resolved and left to hang. This is the only weakness but takes nothing away from the plot

5 The author took on a great challenge trying to incorporate personal, professional, team- related, factual and police- procedural concepts into the story. It is a great success but does not quite incorporate all angles into the storyline. Paradoxically the 2 per cent miss worried me more than the 98 per cent success The next book will determine if this is a magnificent series or just a good one. Sharon Matthews A tense thriller and a race against time for DI Sean Corrigan to find The Jackdaw before he selects his next victim... This was the first book I had read featuring DI Corrigan and although it was officially book 4 of the series I could understand the story line and the characters enough to enjoy it as a standalone book. I found the book to be well written and the situations and descriptions on the crime and the police work kept me interested in finding out who The Jackdaw was and why he was committing the crimes. Michelle Hodson Interesting concept with a very different but up to date topic. How would you vote? In the aftermath of the Banking crisis somebody is kidnapping people from the banking world and putting them on trial on the internet. The Jury is the public. If found guilty the victims are 'punished'. I found the story to be current, imaginative and very different from the usual crime/thriller genre, with an interesting twist at the end. The book was quite long and at times I found it a bit of a struggle but overall I enjoyed it. I think this is the 4th in the series of DI Corrigan novels and as the characters all had history it did take a while to get a handle on the relationships, but the book can be read as a standalone novel and I don't think would disappoint. Jocelyn Garvey Bankers are abducted from the London streets. They then appear on Your View bound and gagged. Should the abductor kill or release them? You are asked to vote. A masked man with a voice altering system suddenly appears on Your View.

6 He has a man strapped to a chair and states that he is going to kill him. He is a member of the banking community and therefore partly responsible for the banking crisis and the woes of the people in general. These people should be punished for their avarice. He asks people to vote if he should live or die. No one takes him seriously until the vote reaches a point where he says he will die. He then kills him on screen. DI Sean Corrigan and his Special Investigations team are given the task of finding him. Corrigan throws everything he has into the investigation but quickly realises that the Jackdaw (as he is now being called) is intelligent, careful and has planned well. The Jackdaw then takes another female banker who the votes lets live, and then another. How far will he go? The pressure on Corrigan is immense from his bosses, politicians and himself. He realises that the Jackdaw has an agenda but what is it and how many will he kill? Will it be only bankers? A superb novel, well written and gripping. Can the police solve this? The DI Corrigan series goes from strength to strength. Neil Williams An interesting read, that I struggled with to begin. DI Sean Corrigan can't seem to get in to the mind of his latest murderer, but not everything in the case adds up! I wasn't familiar with Delaney's work but I ll be sure to look at more. A new twist on a murder, giving the public the vote, acting as live jury to "The Jackdaw's" Judge and Executioner. A novel very much set in the here and now all focusing on the fall out of the banking crisis and its impact on everyday people. The Jackdaw is determined to seek retribution on the bankers for putting "hard working people" in this position. Delaney draws you into the worlds of The Jackdaw and DI Corrigan leading you on a cat and mouse journey where it's not clear that the killer will be brought to task. There were some muddled elements that may be clearer if one is familiar with the series. The parallel running court case is mentioned often, but doesn't

7 actually appear to have any merit as nothing actually occurs, and the relationship between DI Corrigan and Anna is teased with without really knowing the history of it all.