Rating: 4/5
Review:
An interesting start
I enjoyed Head Case.
It had an outstandingly good beginning which wasn't quite maintained
throughout the book, but it's a decent crime novel with an interesting premise.
Tom Mondrian has just begun work as a PCSO when he is shot
in the head, apparently by a stray bullet.
This disrupts his mental processes, of course: he cannot recognise or
recall faces and his ability to behave normally in social interactions is
limited, among other effects, but his senses work unusually acutely and he
experiences synesthesia – all of which gives him an unusual and sometimes very
acute insight into what is going on.
The book is narrated by Tom himself, and the description of
the shooting and his subsequent struggle to recover is quite brilliant, I think. I found this section fascinating and
absolutely riveting. Then, as he returns
to work, he begins to involve himself in the investigation of missing girls. Despite the unusual angle of Tom's account, I
found this plot a little conventional, as well as having the implausibilities
so often found in Maverick Investigator books: the failure to go to the proper
authorities when it's the obvious thing to do, the deliberately putting himself
in danger for the sake of a Tense Climax rather than make sure he has the
obvious backup needed and so on.
Tom's unusual perspective kept my interest throughout, but
only just, to be honest. The book,
especially in the middle, could have done with a good deal of tightening up and
rather more attention to believability.
However, I still enjoyed it and if there's another Tom Mondrian book in
the offing I'll definitely give it a try.
So, recommended with some reservations.
(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)
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