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Cambridge Blue (DC Gary Goodhew Mystery #1)
by
Alison Bruce
Gary Goodhew is intelligent, intuitive, and the youngest detective at Cambridge’s Parkside Station. When Gary discovers the first body in a series of murders involving an eccentric Cambridge family, he gets his chance to work on a homicide investigation. He must use his own initiative to flush out the killer, even though it means risking his job and discovering the truth a...more
Kindle Edition, 256 pages
Published
January 1st 2009
by Soho Constable
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Great page turner, the detective is a compulsive hunter for the truth,even if he is the new kid on the block - he has a gift.
In much that I often feel compelled to solve the mystery before the detectives and wish they could turn over the clues more rapidly and intuitively - well Gary is your man.
A well drawn supporting cast of police all trump him in experience, but his raw talent for people, his undying and sometimes unconventional means of obtaining justice and the truth, ring true and compell...more
In much that I often feel compelled to solve the mystery before the detectives and wish they could turn over the clues more rapidly and intuitively - well Gary is your man.
A well drawn supporting cast of police all trump him in experience, but his raw talent for people, his undying and sometimes unconventional means of obtaining justice and the truth, ring true and compell...more
I jumped at reading this book as it has two elements that I like. Crime and it's set in Cambridge, which is near where I live. A combination of the two make me immediately hit the download button.
I really enjoyed reading about an area that I found familiar. Cambridge has great potential for a crime novel and then there's all those university colleges. I liked the character of Goodhew, I will be reading the sequels to see how his character develops. We are given interesting hints as to his backgr...more
I really enjoyed reading about an area that I found familiar. Cambridge has great potential for a crime novel and then there's all those university colleges. I liked the character of Goodhew, I will be reading the sequels to see how his character develops. We are given interesting hints as to his backgr...more
‘Cambridge Blue’ by Alison Bruce
Published by Constable, December 2008. ISBN: 978-1-84529-863-0
In the prologue we meet Jackie Moran, and in chapter one we meet Lorna Spence, then when the body of a young woman is found on Midsummer common we meet DC Gary Goodhew, a new young detective at Cambridge’s Parkside Station.
The story follows the lives of the suspects and the police in almost equal measures, which makes for a balanced view for the reader. DI Marks is both impressed and alarmed by his new...more
Published by Constable, December 2008. ISBN: 978-1-84529-863-0
In the prologue we meet Jackie Moran, and in chapter one we meet Lorna Spence, then when the body of a young woman is found on Midsummer common we meet DC Gary Goodhew, a new young detective at Cambridge’s Parkside Station.
The story follows the lives of the suspects and the police in almost equal measures, which makes for a balanced view for the reader. DI Marks is both impressed and alarmed by his new...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Cambridge Blue is the first novel in a new police detective series. The protagonist is DC Gary Goodhew, a very young homicide detective. Like all good leading lights in detective fiction, Goodhew tends to operate a little outside the rules. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he more closely resembles a grown-up boy scout instead of a disenchanted womanizing boozer. I do prefer the gritty heroes, but this is an interesting twist in lead characters and has lots of potential.
This book would be a 3...more
This book would be a 3...more
I always enjoy “discovering” new authors – you never quite know what to expect and I find it always allows a fresh, unhindered approach to a title or, as in this case, a series. Alison Bruce is the latest of my “discoveries” and her first title, Cambridge Blue, introduces us to young DC Gary Goodhew, a young, ambitious and resourceful detective still wet behind the ears.
Although just shy of 300 pages in length, the novel is very well paced and with so much information packed in-between, it never...more
Although just shy of 300 pages in length, the novel is very well paced and with so much information packed in-between, it never...more
Cambridge Blue is due to be published in paperback on 22 July 2010. My proof copy has a front-cover endorsement from R J Ellory, he says 'Menacing and insiduous, this is a great novel', with such a positive comment from one of my favourite crime authors, I was really looking forward to getting stuck into this one. Roger was spot-on, this is a thrilling and well-written page turner of a story.
Cambridge Blue is the first in a new police detective series featuring DC Gary Goodhew; Goodhew is new to...more
Cambridge Blue is the first in a new police detective series featuring DC Gary Goodhew; Goodhew is new to...more
‘DC Goodhew is intelligent, intuitive and the youngest detective at Cambridge’s Parkside Station. He is the first on the scene when the body of a young woman is discovered on Midsummer Common and for the first time in his career is given the chance to work on a murder investigation. Soon there is an identity for the victim: Lorna Spence. Richard Moran, her boyfriend and employer, has reported her missing and is distraught to discover that she has been killed. He claims she was loved by his staff...more
I really enjoyed this book.
This was a given to me as a gift and I’m so pleased that it was as I’ve never read anything by Alison Bruce before and I’m always over the moon when I find a new author whose work I enjoy reading.
Now I need to find myself a copy of Siren!
The main character, DC Goodhew, has a brilliant mind which he has to try to restrain in order to keep within the rules; and the law!
He is an engaging character, with many quirks and eccentricities as befits the role.
I loved the descrip...more
This was a given to me as a gift and I’m so pleased that it was as I’ve never read anything by Alison Bruce before and I’m always over the moon when I find a new author whose work I enjoy reading.
Now I need to find myself a copy of Siren!
The main character, DC Goodhew, has a brilliant mind which he has to try to restrain in order to keep within the rules; and the law!
He is an engaging character, with many quirks and eccentricities as befits the role.
I loved the descrip...more
I'm a fan of crime novels but found this book rather tedious. DC Gary Goodhew, 25 years old, has made detective in record time and often stoops to illegal behaviour to capture a criminal. The idea he gets away with leaving anonymous tip offs on his boss's desk are just ridiculous. And what's even more ridiculous, he gets away with it despite the fact that his boss is well aware he is doing it. He is eventually told to stop and threatened with transfer to another dept but ultimately given another...more
I had already picked up the third in the Gary Goodhew series in an Amazon Kindle sale and was more than pleasantly surprised at the quality of writing in the book. When I saw this book available at a discount I jumped at the chance and was certainly not disappointed. Alison Bruce has a great character in Goodhew and the pacing ans suspense she creates in each book is excellent. I found it a real page-turner. While Goodhew is the hero of the piece he is certainly not without his flaws. However th...more
A little different. These British detective books often have a main character who likes to do things his own way and is kept around by his annoyed bosses because he gets results. Generally it is someone with experience and senority (think DI Rebus). In this case it is the very junior DC Goodhew who drives his boss crazy by obsessively working on his own and not keeping him informed. An interesting idea.
My criticisms of this book are that it often difficult to figure out who is speaking in sectio...more
My criticisms of this book are that it often difficult to figure out who is speaking in sectio...more
Jan 12, 2013
Ice Bear
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime-murder-mystery
A believable Detective, DI Goodhew, in the role of a young Adam Dagleish perhaps, certainly not Harry Hole or Kurt Wallender. The usual indepedent worker without the extreme grimness of Rebus, or the quirkiness of Hamish Macbeth (however this comes from the grandmother), however likeable. I bit of a traditionalist feeling slightly out of touch with the modern world.
The Cambridge setting was well researched, being a resident myself I can picture this easily. The plot fair to good, the characters...more
The Cambridge setting was well researched, being a resident myself I can picture this easily. The plot fair to good, the characters...more
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was well written, the characters were plausible and the plot was good. That is until the end which was a bit of a let down (no spoilers). The main character was Detective Gary Goodhew who was the youngest Detective in Cambridge and was not entirely welcomed as a new member of the team. He clashed with his partner Detective Kincaide, and also with his boss who thought he was a bit of a maverick and didn't work entirely as part of the team, often going off and doi...more
Jan 25, 2009
Krob
added it
I started to read this book because I like stories set in college towns and assumed that a book called "Cambridge Blue" fell into that category. Well, it wasn't about Cambridge, but it was a fairly good murder mystery. The protagonist, Gary Goodhew seems to have some slight mystical powers or abilities which is interesting. Also he consults with his grandmother, who is a feisty old woman, and that is a nice twist. I'd give it three out of five stars. The end left something to be desired, but the...more
A profoundly unattractive protagonist - whingeing rich boy who, despite living in his home town, has apparently only 1 friend - his grandmother. He was supposedly a brilliant student who engineers a meteoric rise in the police by breaking into people's houses, stealing evidence and then leaving anonymous tip-offs for his boss. And then he wanders around in the evening chatting to suspects about the crimes and generally ensuring there's no chance of a valid conviction.
Gosh, I do hope that's how t...more
Gosh, I do hope that's how t...more
A police procedural that reads almost like an amateur sleuth novel in that
Gary, the young police detective ignores his bosses and goes off on his own most of the time.
The plot is very intricate and the characters are interesting. The only faults were
perhaps too many POVs and too many typos on the Kindle version, making it hard
at times to figure out who was speaking or if there were words missing. And I am
wondering why so many mystery novels start with Prologues these days. Why not just
make it ch...more
Gary, the young police detective ignores his bosses and goes off on his own most of the time.
The plot is very intricate and the characters are interesting. The only faults were
perhaps too many POVs and too many typos on the Kindle version, making it hard
at times to figure out who was speaking or if there were words missing. And I am
wondering why so many mystery novels start with Prologues these days. Why not just
make it ch...more
DC Gary Goodhew is the youngest detctive in the Cambridge P.D. He is very eager and bright but goes about things in a rather strange way. When he is assigned his first murder case, that of a young woman found sufficated atop a garbage heap the investigation leads him to an eccentric family. Gary is eager to solve the case but must also be careful as his unorthodox methods may lead him to losing his job.
This is the first book in the Gary Goodhew series. The author has created a very interesting l...more
This is the first book in the Gary Goodhew series. The author has created a very interesting l...more
I'd prefer to mark this 3.5 stars, but that's not an option.
A young, manipulative woman is found murdered and soon after a
second woman dies. Investigating the first death, DC Gary Goodhew
finds a trail of death going back 25 years.
This is a first novel with definite potential. The writing is very good and
with an interesting voice. The protagonist is likable although not fully
fleshed out. On the downside, the plot was more convoluted than it
had to be. In fact, at the end I had one body I wasn't ce...more
A young, manipulative woman is found murdered and soon after a
second woman dies. Investigating the first death, DC Gary Goodhew
finds a trail of death going back 25 years.
This is a first novel with definite potential. The writing is very good and
with an interesting voice. The protagonist is likable although not fully
fleshed out. On the downside, the plot was more convoluted than it
had to be. In fact, at the end I had one body I wasn't ce...more
Loved the setting, loved the young and atypical detective, loved his grandmother (I hope she continues to appear in the next books of the series). I look forward to reading more in this series. The story did get a bit too tangled up at the end (which is why I didn't give it quite a 5 star), but it certainly had me reading furiously to find out the solution.
This is the first book in the Gary Goodhew series and I will definitely be reading anymore that come along. Nicely paced, good thriller but the author has a bit of a problem with holding back far too much in the story and then splashing it out at the last minute. It's a bit too convenient of a way to keep the mystery in place. Feed us a bit more as far as clues and we might find your story even more fascinating. Goodhew himself I find a strange puzzle of a character, alot of interesting things a...more
The first installment in a new crime series. I found DC Gary Goodhew a bit too good to be true, and I thought there were a couple of holes in the mystery plot (or perhaps I was just missing things). But overall I enjoyed reading the book, it was a quick holiday read, and I will probably read another in the future.
A so-so procedural with some interesting twists but ultimately it's dull. The young detective protagonist, who is brilliant and breaks all the rules, might be an interesting series character, but the story lacks focus and spends too much time inside the heads of the various characters.
This was a great book....got to know the characters easily and the story kept me hooked. I read this book in one sitting. I would definitly read another book by this author. I live in Cambridge where this book is set and it was great to visuise the story so well.
I am always happy to discover the start of a new series. This one holds a lot of promise and has both the feel of a "English Village mystery" and something a bit grittier. The rating is more like a 3.5! Looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
It's good to read a book featuring Cambridge that focuses on the town itself and presents a picture of the city that will be recognised by residents rather than tourists. Plus this is a convincing police procedural with a likeable protagonist.
I enjoyed this book, but something was missing. The characters weren't fully developed especially the main protaganist, Goodhew, but that may change in the later books in the series. And the motive for one of the killings seemed off somehow.
I really liked it and have just ordered the second part. The series features a young detective, who is obsessed with the truth and ignores everything and everyone while solving a crime. What is a bit disturbing: his best friend is his grandmother, but it´s even charmingly odd.
Fantastic Novel. Couldn't put it down. Kept me intrigued and wanting to know more each and every page! Can't wait to read the second in this series!
Alison Bruce is such a great mystery writer! I was on the edge of my seat and I just kept telling myself I want to know who the killer is. Glad I started with this book~
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Alison Bruce was born in Surrey, United Kingdom, and now lives in Cambridge.
More about Alison Bruce...
Alison Bruce was born in Surrey, United Kingdom, and now lives in Cambridge.
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