I was looking for something light to read before going to sleep, especially after Pillars of the Earth that I read in January.
This seemed light enough and since I usually don't get too invested into crime novels, I thought I might get a decent night's sleep for once.
First to die is a typical novel about a female inspector looking into some heinous crime and trying to figure out her life. Of course she is paired with a handsome new partner where their relationship ultimately ends up in bed.
Their first lead is off course wrong. Why do I know this? Because when they've already got the name of the killer only halfway in the book, it's not so far fetched to think that more is coming. And this book doesn't let you down. In the last quarter of the book the plot twists are thrown wildly around it becomes ludicrous.
The novel also feels too black and white for me. I like the gritty truth of good people doing bad things and vice versa. In First To Die when you're a bad guy, you even got the scowl and all good people walk around happy and halo'd.
The target of this criminal is couples who just got married and just before he commits his act, you get a look into these picture perfect lives. So enviously perfect I'd kill them myself if I was locked away into a room with them. There's just no perfect love, there are always doubts and insecurities, especially if you're female. On the other hand, you've got the suspect, who is in every sense of the word a very bad man. Abusive, aggressive, dominant, and probably a whole lot of negative adjectives. This black and white division between good and bad makes this into a story soon to be forgotten instead of something that might come alive while you read it.
As for style, maybe cut down on the number of chapters. It felt like every time the author drew breath he started a new chapter. There are such things as paragraph breaks.
