3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
If you are searching for a great historical fiction or crime mystery then Dennis Talbot’s, The Killing of Cristobel Tranter, is for you! I was immediately drawn into the book because the main character, Will Dexter, has a great history and a fascinating job. He is a police constable who right off the bat finds a dead body of a woman. This novel expertly mixes Dexter’s home life, past, and the thrilling police work necessary to find the killer!
One of the things I found most impressive about this novel was the dialogue. Dialogue can make or break a book, and Talbot did a wonderful job of making it feel authentic. I enjoyed the quirky slang and period appropriate wording. It also really helped in character building because it created dynamic characters.
Will Dexter is an extremely likable character. His dedication to doing his job well, paired with his treatment of the deceased, was incredibly refreshing. I loved how this novel did not only focus on his work life, but also his home life. He was so tender and loving to his wife. A great deal of the book is also set in flashback memories of his childhood during the Great War (World War I). It gives a glimpse into where his hard work ethic and loving nature come from.
While I absolutely loved the plot of this story, I found many issues with formatting and grammar. It was not a good sign when I found ten errors in just the first twenty or so pages. I also found there to be an excessive use of commas. While commas can help to create dynamic sentences and assist with the flow, it became distracting with how many sentences seemed to just go on forever. I did find, however, that some of the words that I thought were incorrectly spelled were not. Words like “cosy” and “realise” look wrong to me, but are in fact the British spelling. When it came to the formatting it was just an issue of extra spaces throughout different sentences.
It is very hard for me to rate this book; I was so fond of the characters and plot but I can not ignore the errors. I wish that a proper editing had been implemented because that would have solidified a perfect score. As it stands, I rate it a 3 out of 4 stars. While it did have the errors, I would still recommend it to others.
******
The Killing of Cristobel Tranter
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like britt13's review? Post a comment saying so!