Based on the cover (which says "The *New* Tennison Thriller"), I thought that this book was part of a series featuring Detective Jane Tennison. But when reading the excerpt, it did not feel like the new espisode of a continuing story, but more like the start of one. Jane seems very immature and unsure of herself. What has she done in the past few books? Is this all because of her demotion? (I'm assuming based on the synopsis and her rather scant references that somehow she was demoted.)
And I'm totally confused because she's a detective but has never held a gun? I gathered from the the quick reference that apparently the UK trains their police force differently than the US. But I think there are some overarching facts about Jane, the UK police force, and maybe the entire setting of the book that may need to be at least quickly revisited here in order to eliminate reader confusion. Most series provide some kind of quick overview to make sure the reader knows the background. Maybe it's made clearer later on, but right now, I feel I'm either at the very beginning of a series or I've walked in the middle of one with no clear understanding.
Also, I was a bit put off by the implied sexism. I actually went back to page one to see if I missed the year (as sometimes stories include the year the story is set in) because the writing style and tone made the story feel old. I get that there's still sexism in the workplace, but the writing and tone felt much more 1980s than 2020. Even the title, Blunt Force, feels dated.
So these issues, combined with the fact that this really isn't my genre, mean I probably wouldn't check this book out of the library.
And I'm totally confused because she's a detective but has never held a gun? I gathered from the the quick reference that apparently the UK trains their police force differently than the US. But I think there are some overarching facts about Jane, the UK police force, and maybe the entire setting of the book that may need to be at least quickly revisited here in order to eliminate reader confusion. Most series provide some kind of quick overview to make sure the reader knows the background. Maybe it's made clearer later on, but right now, I feel I'm either at the very beginning of a series or I've walked in the middle of one with no clear understanding.
Also, I was a bit put off by the implied sexism. I actually went back to page one to see if I missed the year (as sometimes stories include the year the story is set in) because the writing style and tone made the story feel old. I get that there's still sexism in the workplace, but the writing and tone felt much more 1980s than 2020. Even the title, Blunt Force, feels dated.
So these issues, combined with the fact that this really isn't my genre, mean I probably wouldn't check this book out of the library.