Family Matters

Greg Mandel #2.5

by Peter F. Hamilton

Richard Townsend would proudly call himself a man of business as he secures a lucrative, though not entirely legal, financial deal. What he believes to be easy money turns his life into a nightmare when detective Amanda Patterson knocks on his door to arrest him under suspicion of murdering the local celebrity, Byrne Tayler.

On the surface, all the clues seem to point to Richard. But Richard professes his innocence. Desperate to find out the truth, and driven by her remarkable instinct, Amanda seeks advice from an ex-

The only description I managed to find is the Amazon one, and it stops like that, mid-word…

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories

108 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2014

About the author

Peter F. Hamilton is a British science fiction author. He is best known for writing space opera. As of the publication of his tenth novel in 2004, his works had sold over two million copies worldwide, making him Britain's biggest-selling science fiction author.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit that I have read and enjoyed a number of Peter Hamilton's books but this is the first of the Greg Mandel stories and I have to say I am intrigued.

This will be interesting considering I do not want to give away any spoilers - so here goes. There were a number of surprises along the way, the story shifts focus a number of times which caught me out at the time but in hindsight did not feel jarring.
The characters are easy to related to a yet they have their faults which make them fascinating and for me are the flexible - after all if you character was rigid in their actions of beliefs they become predictable and I think can dilute a story.
Then you have the world the story resides in - there are hints of some interesting social changes which I wonder are explored further in the mains 3 books.

And yes I realise that it may not have been the smartest move of mine to read the novella from within the series rather than starting with the first of the main books - an error I will look to correct shortly.

And finally there is the fact the story is set around Rutland, currently the smallest of the UK counties and one I am very familiar with and I think there is always a bit of added fun when you start to recognise places and names.

[Harald Talts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kort och enkel att ta sig igenom. Useplar sig efter första boken och följer ett fall osm huvudkaraktären tar på sig och kopplar ihop två mord. Läsvärd om man gillade bok 1.

[R. Andrew Lamonica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favorite Greg Mandel story even though it is short and doesn't even focus on him. It has a mystery or two, a hard boiled detective or two, a corporate plot or two, and even a bit of character development for our intrepid hero. It's kind of a bummer that it took me so many years to track down and read a copy.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's to say, there's nothing Peter Hamilton can write that I won't like. :)

[Danielle Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ IT WAS GOOD BUT NOT GREAT -- This book was enjoyable, but I didn't LOVE it. I may have had some small issues with things like the plot or characterisation, or it may have just been a bit slow occasionally which led to my attention wandering. I'll also probably not remember this book distinctly in a few months time. Still, I would recommend this book to people who like other similar works.

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My ranking criteria (✅= Yes, ❌= No, ➖= Kind of/a little bit):

*Bonus points if I can't put the book down, it makes me feel strong emotion, or genuinely surprises me in some way.
*Penalty points for editing errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.), for children who act too mature or too young for their age (this is a bugbear of mine), or if there is something in the book that just really pisses me off for any reason.

1. I was sucked into the story from the beginning ➖
2. The story had a proper beginning, middle, and end ✅
3. The writing evoked a feeling of suspense ➖
4. I was engaged the whole way through/didn't get bored ➖
5. The characters were interesting ➖
6. There was some form of character development ➖
7. The book wasn't predictable in terms of relying on tired tropes, clichés, themes, stereotypes, etc. ➖
8. I cared about the outcome of the story ➖
9. I didn't work out the ending/the ending surprised me ➖
10. The ending was satisfying ➖

🌟 Bonus points: None.
☠️ Penalty points: None.

🏅 OVERALL RANKING: 5.5/10 (2.75/5 stars)

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Thoughts, Conclusion, and Recommendation:
Family Matters is a short story that was printed in the back of Mindstar Rising (book 1 in the Greg Mandel series). I'm not sure why this decision was made by the publisher, given that this short story actually comes after book 2 (A Quantum Murder). I've recently read A Quantum Murder, and I can confirm that Family Matters is better read after that book. Still, what's done is done!

Family Matters is a short mystery in which a b-list celebrity, Byrne Taylor, is found dead, and then business man Richard Townsend is accused of the murder. But did he do it? Detective Amanda Patterson isn't sure, so she brings in our friend Greg to help investigate. There is also a side plot involving Eleanor's family from the kibbutz.

As far as short stories go, Family Matters was a decent length. Unfortunately, much of this length was taken up with unnecessarily complicated twists and turns that kind of ruined it for me. Still, it wasn't bad by any means, and as someone who has really enjoyed what I've read of the Greg Mandel books, I'm not sorry that I read it. Also (and I guess this is a tiny spoiler, so skip this bit if you don't want to know), the reader finds out in this story that Greg and Eleanor had a baby, which really did warm the cockles of my lukewarm heart!

All in all, Family Matters does not require a huge investment of time to read, and while it can get a little overcomplicated at times, I'd say it's still worth the read. Just read it after book 2, not book 1 (curse you publishers for putting it at the end of my library copy of Mindstar Rising!). I would definitely recommend this to people reading and enjoying the Greg Mandel series. 2.75 stars (rounded up to 3 for the purposes of Goodreads).

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Series ratings:
1. Mindstar Rising - 4 stars
2. A Quantum Murder - 4 stars
2.5 Family Matters - 2.75 stars

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool story bro. I've missed Mr Mandel

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely written short story that complements the series without giving us any particular new insights

[Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story (actually more of a novella in length) is set after the Greg Mandel books. Mandel is not the protagonist, but nevertheless has a starring role.

A C-list celebrity is found dead in mysterious circumstances. Psi-cop Greg Mandel is brought in to consult. At the same time, a real estate developer is caught up in a shady deal.

This is a fun read from Mr. Hamilton's early years, and there is no requirement to have read the Mandel books beforehand.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=2005

[Pedro Marroquín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen relato, aunque lo único que lo hace especial es que cuenta la historia al revés, con el principio casi al final, excepto la resolución, que esa si llega al final, cuando ya lo sabes todo (o casi todo). Pero se lee muy bien, y el asesinato está hien explicado y resuelto.

[Russell Hay]

Wasn’t nearly as good as the other books in the series, additionally without too much of a spoiler, the main character essentially compromised themselves, which was at odds with the behaviour of the character in previous books.

Good to see a new book in the series, but disappointed with it.

[Tyrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the Mandel books so it was great to find this short. Brilliantly constructed and as well written as any of his books.

[Kelvin Clements]

Excellent short story from Peter Hamilton, interestingly he writes the story three times, showing you three different perspectives of the same story.