Street Duty, Case One

Apr 07, 2013 Anastasia rated it 1 of 5 stars

That's what it felt like for every word, every sentence and every paragraph I read in that book. To say it was boring would be the understatement of the year! With every turn of the page I thought to myself: "Oh sweet Jesus, the end is nigh!"

Plot - boring. Characters - boring. Twists and any shock factors? No twists and there was only one shock factor that came when? Surprise, surprise at the very end. There was nothing in this book that kept me interested or motivated to read it. There was no m...more

That's what it felt like for every word, every sentence and every paragraph I read in that book. To say it was boring would be the understatement of the year! With every turn of the page I thought to myself: "Oh sweet Jesus, the end is nigh!"

Plot - boring. Characters - boring. Twists and any shock factors? No twists and there was only one shock factor that came when? Surprise, surprise at the very end. There was nothing in this book that kept me interested or motivated to read it. There was no mystery, no drama.There weren't little clues that made the reader do a little inference and deduction of their own and made them feel like they were solving the case along with the officers in the book. It was just the case of watching the officers do their job.

It didn't feel like fiction to me at all; it felt like a mediocre tv show about police officers that go about their day-to-day lives being translated into a book. For the majority of the book I spent my time daydreaming, not paying attention and taking very little in. If it wasn't for the fact that someone had spent money buying this book for me and I felt obliged to read it, then I would've given up after the first 30 pages and gotten on with my life.

It only started to get interesting about 80 pages before the end of the book and yes I calculated! That's how bored I was; I needed to know how much further before the sweet release from the torturous plot line! Just when something got interesting, it got boring again! I think that's what's cruelest about this book; towards the end it dangled the hope of the story getting a little more interesting and with the turn of the page FLICK! It was gone in an instant...

(view spoiler) but that would have been more interesting and shocking if the author had put in more clues, like I said, from the beginning. From the way the book ended it sounds like there may be a sequel but I'd rather got parachuting into an ocean full of sharks than read it.(less)

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Dec 26, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 3 of 5 stars

Are you on the lookout for a new series to start this summer break or winter break if you are over the otherside of the world than me ?
Do you love reading Crime novels or dream of being in the law force yourself one day?
Chris Ould's new series "Street Duty" tells teens the tale of what its like to be a Trainee Police Officer and the different crime scenes that one in the force can stumble onto. The first book in the series Case One: Knock Down tells the tale of Ashleigh a fourteen year old girl...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Annabelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm honestly quite surprised by how much I liked this book! It was so much better than I thought it would be! The only thing that put me off was the cover, it just doesn't seem to fit too well for me, after reading the book I can see why it is, what it is but I think it could have been better. Anyway past that the synopsis is very intriguing and it interested me right away. After all how many young adult crime books are there with a female heroine? Not many. It was great to see a young female ta...more I'm honestly quite surprised by how much I liked this book! It was so much better than I thought it would be! The only thing that put me off was the cover, it just doesn't seem to fit too well for me, after reading the book I can see why it is, what it is but I think it could have been better. Anyway past that the synopsis is very intriguing and it interested me right away. After all how many young adult crime books are there with a female heroine? Not many. It was great to see a young female take her place in the mainly male world of police officers. Don't get me wrong I know there are plenty of women Police officers but It's interesting to see a male writer tackle a female police officer instead of a male one. Nevertheless Ould does a brilliant job writing this novel! Another thing that is really interesting is that he has written a few episodes of the bill amongst other TV programmes. He has gathered all of his experiences together to create this incredible fast paced novel about youth crime in the modern world.

Street Duty follows Holly Blades, a trainee police officer who is trying to figure out how the police force works. Straight away Holly is taken to the scene of Road Traffic collision where a young girl has been run over. The thing that Holly finds odd is that the girl is wearing no shoes. Why would she be wearing no shoes on a cold night? What was she running from that made her miss the sight of the truck that knocked her over? So many questions confront Holly as she realises that this wasn't just a typical accident it was actually so much more. Holly and her fellow police officers have to weave the way into the girls life and find out all about her, even if that means crossing into the estate, home of the Kaddy boys, a city gang. She needs to find out the truth before it's too late.

There were many characters in this novel but it never gets confusing, each character was distinctly unique. I also liked how it was written from multiple perspectives giving the reader an insider look to the case and the people tangled up in it. The characters were all great, Holly was my personal favourite. She had such a strong need for justice for Ashleigh, the girl who was run over. She knows something isn't right and she battles on to find the truth even when her elders tell her to stop. She's strong willed and won't give up when she knows she is right. We also got to see into the minds of Drew Alford and Ryan Atkins, two gang members who are rivals. It was interesting how well their thoughts and feelings reflected those of similar people in the real world.

I think Chris Ould has a amazing YA crime novel under his belt here and I think many people should read it, it really shouldn't be missed! Street Duty Case one: Knock Down is a thrilling fast paced novel about Crime in the modern world. The novel really is a page turner that keeps the reader engrossed from page one. I loved how easy it was to bond with the characters. The multiple perspectives kept the book quick moving and kept the reader guessing. It was written so perfectly and it’s wrapped up nicely at the end. I cannot wait to read the next adventures of the TPOs!
(less)

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Oct 10, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kate by: Received as a prize on goodreads

This was the first book I have received as a competition win on goodreads, and was impressed at the fast delivery. I am a massive fan of crime fiction, and although this is a book aimed at young adults, I have to say, I really enjoyed it, even at the age of 26. Whilst the idea of Trainee Police Officers at the age of 16 is something that I find hard to believe (I work with people of this age and very few I believe would be able to handle situations with the mature attitude of those in the book),...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Beth Kemp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-crime, review-books

Brilliant start to a new police procedural series for the YA market.

As a lover of crime fiction, and an enthusiastic YA reader, I was really pleased to hear about this exciting new series. Reading it made me even happier, as it was everything I would have wished for in such a combination.

Chris Ould has written for The Bill amongst other things, and the knowledge he gained from this - of how the police operate and of what makes a successful crime narrative - is put to great use in this brilliant...more Brilliant start to a new police procedural series for the YA market.

As a lover of crime fiction, and an enthusiastic YA reader, I was really pleased to hear about this exciting new series. Reading it made me even happier, as it was everything I would have wished for in such a combination.

Chris Ould has written for The Bill amongst other things, and the knowledge he gained from this - of how the police operate and of what makes a successful crime narrative - is put to great use in this brilliant read. For this YA series, he has invented the rank of Trainee Police Officer (TPO) to allow the creation of 16 to 18 year old characters who can investigate crime. Although they are trainees and therefore often supervised, Holly Blades in this novel shows enough promise that the training officers allow her some slack and she is able to take something of a leading role, particularly in the crimes which focus on teens. I know that some reviewers are commenting on the realism of this, but I fail to see how it's any less realistic than the classic 'child sleuth' trope or the 'meddling little old lady who solves crimes on a regular basis' for that matter!

Holly Blades and Sam Marsden are the TPOs, although Holly has more of the lead in this instalment. Both show potential as police officers, and both are 'up against it' to some extent as the public and other officers don't always take them seriously. This is a classic trope in crime fiction (often it's the woman detective struggling to be accepted, or the older detective whose methods are viewed as outdated), allowing the characters to show their human sides and making it easier to sympathise with them. It certainly works in Street Duty as we easily root for Holly and Sam and admire their resourcefulness.

The focus is very much on the crimes and the plot centres on a few different criminal acts, some of which turn out to be connected. It feels (to me, with no such experience!) like a realistic representation of a short period in policing, with different events being reported in and the officers' attention being pulled in different directions. The narrative is in the third person and past tense, with the focus shifting around different settings and different characters and different fonts used to differentiate the police-focused sections (all headed with location date and time in a very precise way) from the sections concentrating on criminals, victims and suspects. Overall it feels quite visual, as though we are cutting from scene to scene in a TV drama or film. It's clear that as well as the TPOs and other police officers, some other characters and settings are going to be revisited in future cases, and I am looking forward to getting to know the area better.

Given the popularity of crime drama and fiction, this is bound to be a highly successful series, and (speaking as a teacher) I also appreciate its positive presentation of (some) teens in relation to crime. Many teens are responsible, resourceful and reliable individuals, and it is a shame that their presentation as such is relatively unusual. I would strongly recommend this series to readers of around 15 and up (it carries warnings about explicit content and strong language).(less)

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Nov 11, 2012 Debbie at Snuggling on the Sofa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Also posted on my blog at http://snugglingonthesofa.wordpress.c...

‘Street Duty, Case One: Knock Down‘ by Chris Ould is a great introduction to crime writing for YA. Although I dislike the stereotypical gang culture of the teenagers in this book, I still found it a good read. There are quite a lot of characters in the book, but I thought it was easy to keep track of them. I was intrigued by Ashleigh’s secret, and this made me keep reading. It was also quite refreshing to have a female heroine; an...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Sarah-jayne Sanders rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, reviewed

I won this book in a Goodreads first-reads giveaway, this is my honest review of the book.
First off, the cover is really striking, the blue reminds me of a police siren and the girl's eyes draw my attention. Though I don't tend to read crime books I found this book really enjoyable, I will probably read crime stories more often after this book! It was easy to connect with the character Holly (the trainee police officer), she is a strong girl who doesn't let others put her down and her intelligen...more

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Jan 25, 2013 TheBookAddictedGirl rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone! It's CSI For Teens - You Gotta Read It!!

Shelves: arc, for-review, in-my-mailbox, signed, action-adventure, british-fiction, contempory, crime-fiction, favourite-series, gritty-realism, murder-mystery, mystery, psychological-suspense, read-2012, real-to-life-fiction, thriller-suspense, ya, ya-adult-crossover

4¾ Out of 5
“Ashleigh Jarvis was lying bleeding and unconscious in the gutter behind him.
“She was no longer hugging herself though, and perhaps that's why she looked as if she had finally fallen apart...”
The police service has just set up a pilot scheme called the Trainee Police Officer program. It lets exceptional young people join the force at the age of sixteen and fast track them those with the ability to be amazing officers through the ranks...
Holly Blades is one if those people. Her first...more 4¾ Out of 5
“Ashleigh Jarvis was lying bleeding and unconscious in the gutter behind him.
“She was no longer hugging herself though, and perhaps that's why she looked as if she had finally fallen apart...”
The police service has just set up a pilot scheme called the Trainee Police Officer program. It lets exceptional young people join the force at the age of sixteen and fast track them those with the ability to be amazing officers through the ranks...
Holly Blades is one if those people. Her first serious case is that of Ashleigh Jarvis. The fourteen year old girl ran shoeless and terrified through the streets before running into the road and into the path of an oncoming lorry...
Holy knows she shouldn't allow herself to become emotionally involved in cases, but she can't help it. She is determined to solve the case for Ashleigh.
Even if she puts her future as a TPO in danger...
Oh, how I love crime fiction! There seriously isn't enough YA stuff around and Knock Down was such a gem! Gritty, addictive, thrilling and unique, it had me hooked from start to finish. I even missed my favourite shows to finish gobbling it up! Now that's a sign of a good, good, good book if ever there was one! Knock Down was amazing and Ould is definitely a YA author to look out for! I loved this book to pieces – all sixteen-year-old must read this!
The characters felt so real to me. Even if I didn't know much about them, they all really jumped off the page. None of them felt like they were stereotypes or just walking props. All of them had a personality, all of them had secrets and hidden agendas. I loved that. How they were all so complex. Take Holly for example: she was caring and devoted, and knew how to stand up for herself – which was important as people didn’t always take her seriously, since she was only sixteen. I felt like I really knew Holly’s personality and character but not much about her past – what made her her, if that makes sense. But I didn’t care: she was such a good person and such an amazing copper and I can’t wait to see where she goes. Plus, she’s really relatable, even though she’s a policewoman (girl?). I also really liked her fellow TPO Sam: I don’t really know why but I found Sam really, really cute! He was funny and protective and dedicated: I can’t wait to see more of him! Plus, I just really loved all the cops – they were all awesome. And while I didn't really like them, I loved getting to know all the gang people - they were all really complex.
I found myself addicted to the gritty realism in Ould's writing. It was so realistic and authentic. The writing was very detailed yet simple, a real pleasure to read. Plus, I just loved all the cop stuff – and how real it made it all. And I was just as intrigued as Holly was about the events behind Ashleigh’s accident. The pace was non-stop and action-packed, full of suspense and thrills. And I did not see anything in the whole darn plot coming! On top of that, the chapters were so short – a danger! danger! alert on that front, I'm afraid! But as well as the police stuff, I was thrilled and intrigued by all the gang related chapters and trying to figure out what was going on on that front. And all the unanswered questions - well, I just can't wait to get them answered! I need a new book, a new case - ASAP!
I loved how real all the police stuff was. I loved all the cop talk and cop procedures. It was awesome! You could tell that Ould had a background in the genre – his The Bill experience definitely came across in his gritty, realistic writing style. Loved it! And I loved even more that Ould doesn't talk down to you – he shied from nothing and sugar-coated nothing. Loved that!
Speaking of the awesomeness of crime fiction and gritty realistic, anyone else notice that crime thrillers are sneaking and coming into YA fiction? Gotta say, can't wait for it to explode! Teens love CSI and whatnot and there's nothing more gripping than a good crime thriller - especially if we wanna get teens back into reading! And it's even better when our leads are people teens can relate to - say, teen cops! Plus, all the issues tackled were just so relevant, so current, which is just the cherry on the cake of crime awesomeness!
A totally kickbutt crime drama, the first in a series I just know I'm going to love to bits and never want to end! Twisty, gritty, action packed and just plain awesome, Knock Down has just left me desperate for more, more, more! I'm always saying we need more crime fiction in YA lit and I so wish there are more now I've read how freaking AMAZING Knock Down was! I can't tell you how bad I want - no, need - a sequel!
Crime loving people, young or old, you all have to read this! It's so awesome, awesome, awesome, AWESOME!! I can't wait for Case número Two!(less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Megan Houston rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Megan by: Recieved from a Goodreads Giveaway

I recieved this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and would give it at least 3 and a half stars. I know that the author, Chris Ould, previously wrote crime for television and I think that he made the transition between writing for TV and writing books, well. The plot was realistic and developed nicely, really making you think about what was coming next. It wasn't an outlandish plot and I think the setting also brought that out. It was set in a rough area in London and was quite relatable, with a sens...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Bruce rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the pace of this book. The short chapters and rate at which details were revealed whisked me along with the story. It was refreshing to read a British crime novel that doesn't overdo it with British slang or lingo in every other sentence like a lot of others I've read. A shorter novel than I'm used to and the age of the TPO's aside, I'm rating this 5 stars - an enjoyable easy read that keeps your attention throughout

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Jan 30, 2013 Kribu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, police-procedural

I'm not sure I've actually ever read a YA police procedural before - but in any case, I enjoyed this a great deal. Great pacing, decently drawn characters, a plot that had a few nice twists in it. Looking forward to more in this series!

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May 12, 2013 Tasneem A rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 09, 2013 Lucinda marked it as to-read

Shelves: crime-mystery

Apr 28, 2013 Lyndsay Lewis rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Apr 17, 2013 Sheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21st-century, books-read-in-2013, british-ya, mystery, set-in-england, set-in-the-present, young-adult, third-person

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Mar 01, 2013 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

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Street Duty, Case One: Knock Down

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