Review of 'Nightingale: London 1966 (Rivers of London, #0.5)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
A confusing book. It's very Terry Pratchett-like in its humour, in many ways, and there are plenty of over-the-top characters and places, much like a typical Discworld novel. Set in London, with a good knowledge of both London itself and how the police operate, it starts off being a rather good read. I very much enjoyed the first third: wry humour, amusing people, well-written and easy to follow.
I wish I continued to enjoy the remaining two-thirds; but there were times I was willing the book to finish. The humour evaporates, as does the novelty, and the plot gets confusing; you sense a well-polished, well-edited book has been replaced, in some way, by a desperate urge to finish it. Characters lose their sparkle, and in most cases fade into the background; the interesting historical detail begins to disappear, and it all gets a bit odd and rather incomprehensible.
This is …
A confusing book. It's very Terry Pratchett-like in its humour, in many ways, and there are plenty of over-the-top characters and places, much like a typical Discworld novel. Set in London, with a good knowledge of both London itself and how the police operate, it starts off being a rather good read. I very much enjoyed the first third: wry humour, amusing people, well-written and easy to follow.
I wish I continued to enjoy the remaining two-thirds; but there were times I was willing the book to finish. The humour evaporates, as does the novelty, and the plot gets confusing; you sense a well-polished, well-edited book has been replaced, in some way, by a desperate urge to finish it. Characters lose their sparkle, and in most cases fade into the background; the interesting historical detail begins to disappear, and it all gets a bit odd and rather incomprehensible.
This is the first of a series, by the looks of the end plate, featuring the same characters. I hope that the second book is like the first part of this: but all the way through this time.
