Where There's A Will (Inspector Stone Mysteries, #1) in Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie

Sep 24, 2017 Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) rated it it was amazing

This book is the first in a series, but did not end in a cliffhanger. It is a well written crime mystery with solid characters experiencing genuine emotions and reactions. What I enjoyed most about the story is that my suspicion of who was the mastermind behind the kidnapping turned out to be completely wrong... not even close. This made reading about the true culprit even more entertaining. What added another layer of interest to this story is there are two other crimes committed early on and i ...more

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Nov 05, 2016 Carole P. Roman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Meticulously detailed and realistic, Where There's a Will, is a terrific crime drama. Nate Stone is a dedicated inspector assigned to investigate a robbery at a festival. Could the fleeing robbers be guilty of a hit and run, as well? While questioning people about this crime, the daughter of an important businessman is kidnapped. Stone proves he and his team are up to the task as they are thrown into another investigation. AR Carver creates likable characters, from their habit of teasing a junio ...more

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Nov 28, 2016 Alexis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I think this book had a very strong beginning; it was well-written, fast paced and you could truly picture the scenes taking place. It dipped in the middle some with some scenes that I personally could have done without, e.g. a visit to an ailing grandmother that although did show a bit of Detective Inspector Stone caring side really didn't fit in the story. I don't think she or her condition was ever mentioned again. Another thing that bothered me a bit was the amount of chapters and the switch ...more

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Jan 02, 2020 Eugenia Chu rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great crime drama! I was totally caught up in the story - the characters are relatable and the plot believable. But I was horrified and surprised by the identity of the criminal mastermind! You have to read this book to find out and see what I mean!

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Dec 11, 2016 Jessica Jesinghaus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Check out this review, and many more, on my blog https://jessjesinghaus.wordpress.com

Where There's a Will is a wonderfully paced mystery and, as the first installment in the Inspector Stone series, sets the stage for a great British investigative saga.

Inspector Stone is a good guy, a hardworking inspector, so it was easy to invest myself in his endeavors. We learn a little bit about his family, a topic I hope we'll come back to in future installments. Sacrificing details about his family was a ...more

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Mar 15, 2017 Margaret Standafer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was an interesting story with several surprises and a well-written weaving together of seemingly separate incidents. The main character, Inspector Stone, finds himself spread thin when a rash of crimes demand his attention. He is smart and dedicated and comes across as a likable character. I found the story to have just the right amount of technical, police-type references...enough to make it real but not so much as to bog down the story.

An enjoyable read and a good start to a series.

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Feb 05, 2017 Matt Cowper rated it liked it · review of another edition

While I did enjoy some aspects of this novel, I think it needed a tighter focus and better chapter structuring. There was a lot going on, and, since the author uses an omniscient narrative style, a lot of characters to keep track of.

First off, the good. When an action scene comes along, it's a page turner, with the brawls, chases, and injuries the characters receive being well described. The characters don't magically heal up after a few pages, either, as in some novels and movies. Also, I liked While I did enjoy some aspects of this novel, I think it needed a tighter focus and better chapter structuring. There was a lot going on, and, since the author uses an omniscient narrative style, a lot of characters to keep track of.

First off, the good. When an action scene comes along, it's a page turner, with the brawls, chases, and injuries the characters receive being well described. The characters don't magically heal up after a few pages, either, as in some novels and movies. Also, I liked how none of the characters are super-cops; they're sometimes outmatched, and need superior numbers to corral a suspect. You won't see any unbeatable karate moves or impossible feats of marksmanship in this book.

This novel is also decidedly not hard-boiled. The officers are conscientious and kind-hearted, and go about their business with what seems to be a very British efficiency – at least, that's how I see it, being an American myself. You're not going to find much cynicism or bending of rules here – not by the good guys, that is.

The main plot revolves around the kidnapping of a schoolgirl from a wealthy family. This would be important enough by itself, but Nathan Stone, our overworked protagonist, has to deal with several other crimes during the course of the story – and this works against the novel. In general, I prefer the “one major case per novel” style of detective fiction, rather than a series of cases, even if they are interconnected.

One of the pluses of this approach is that the author can then spend time on character development, rather than having his characters run from one crime scene and interview to another – and the characters in this novel do need development. What do they do outside of work? What are their hopes, dreams, fears? We don't really know. Stone has one scene with a family member, and he's working the rest of the time. I actually sympathized more with the Keating family and the kidnappers, instead of the policemen, since we learn more about them, while the officers remain – well, officers.

There are also a lot of chapters in this novel, many of them short, and only serving to convey a minor piece of information to the reader. While I have no problem with an omniscient style, I do think Carver got too carried away here. I think a lot of these chapters could've been combined so they had greater narrative weight. Also, many of the chapters ended abruptly, leaving me confused, since it seemed like a crucial piece of information was about to be revealed.

I think with a lot of manuscript-polishing for subsequent books Carver could have a decent series. However, I can only give this novel three stars.
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