Suspect - Robert Crais

courtesy: hachette.com.au

An interesting thriller set in the police world.

I have never read Robert Crais and would not have picked it up if left by myself. Thanks to Goodreads, I got the chance to try him and discover a liking for his writing.

As the jacket suggests, the man and the dog are the main characters in the story. Before you start conjuring up ideas of a sob story about bonding and loyalty, the tagline suggests otherwise and well, that is what is different about this story. But you need to delve into the story to find out what is the big deal and believe me, it is worth your time.


Gist

A policeman, Scott James goes through a bad time when he and his partner were shot by late at night, while off duty. A traumatised Crais is then transferred to a platoon that trains dogs for police work. Maggie, too has a similar history. She was shot while detecting explosive devices and saw her handler die by her side. Considered unfit for work, James and Maggie have a last chance of making it when they are paired off together. Each has a healing effect on the other and together they try to find out what happened on the fateful night when James' work partner was killed and he was left for dead.

What works:

• A cracking story. Maggie's and James' voices are done very well and their slow bonding is done in a subtle and succint manner instead of overdoing it.
• The story is weaved beautifully and the depiction of the police world sounds authentic.

What doesn't:

• The workings of the police system sometimes seems too coiled for my liking
• Even the way the detection is made is slightly complicated for the layperson. I had to read it twice to make sure that I got it.

In a nutshell, a great book for crime lovers who like the detection more than the violence associated with a crime thriller. Good writing style that is easy to read and keeps you hooked. What else does one need?