Spoiler Discussion March 2022 Group Book Read - A Song For The Dying by Stuart MacBride

[Beth]

Why doesn’t Ash just go to the police to extricate himself from the evil talons of the criminal world? Why, as a former policeman, would he even think of becoming a murderer?

[Pat]

Beth, Ash really doesn't seem to be a sympathetic character, does he? I wonder if more revelations about his past will improve my opinion of him as I read further. I also wonder if his daughter's demise is behind his need for revenge.

The author's writing style and plotting is a bit too gritty for me. Too many sentence fragments. Too brutal. I can admire his constant use of action verbs. Not my favorite read so far, as characters are difficult to want to know.

[Beth]

I agree Pat. One doesn’t want to think of Ash as being your typical law enforcement person (
Current or previously) — he so easily fits in with the grittier side of the world And because he is breaking fingers and dumping people in the boot, he isn’t exactly a likeable
Character.

[Pat]

Beth, so far I haven't found anyone in the book I can support or wish well. Alice is the most attractive character, but no more fully developed than the others. Characters seem more caricatures than real people. Disappointing.