29 December 2010

Review: LOVE YOU TO DEATH, Gail Bowen

Publisher: Raven Books, 2010
Rapid Reads series
ISBN 978-1-55469-262-0
94 pages

Publisher's Blurb
Charlie D is the host of a successful late night radio show that offers supportive advice to troubled listeners. LOVE YOU TO DEATH takes place during one installment of  "The World According to Charlie C" - two hours during which Charlie must discover who is killing some of the most vulnerable members of his audience.

My take:

This novella proves that you don't really have to write 350 pages or more to tell a story that really packs a punch. Of course we all know that, but Gail Bowen demonstrates it superbly in LOVE YOU TO DEATH.
In retrospect the police should have been able to work out where to look for this killer who is doing away with those monopolising Charlie D's airtime, without setting a honey trap, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

An excellent shortie from an established Canadian crime fiction writer who is new-to-me. It has whetted my appetite for more.

My rating: 4.4

Click HERE to read a sample chapter from this book

LOVE YOU TO DEATH by Gail Bowen is one of four inaugural titles in the Rapid Reads series from Raven Books, an imprint of Orca Book Publishers. The concept seeks to provide short novels by established authors for those readers who find reading a full-length book does not fit their skills, interests, or schedules.

Gail Bowen’s bestselling mystery series featuring Joanne Kilbourn will number an even dozen titles with the publication of The Nesting Dolls in August 2010. The first six books in the series have appeared as made-for-television movies with world-wide distribution. Winner of both the Arthur Ellis Best Novel Award and the Derrick Murdoch Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Crime Writers of Canada, in 2008 Bowen was named “Canada’s Best Mystery Novelist” by Reader’s Digest.
Gail Bowen's website

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kerrie - I like well-written novellas, too. You are absolutely right that it's not necessary to take hundreds and hundreds of pages to tell a good story...

Gail Bowen said...

Thank you for the generous words, Kerrie. I hope you'll enjoy the next books in the Charlie D series and ALL the books in the Joanne Kilbourn series. I appreciate the time and thoughtfulness your brought to Love You to Death. Gail Bowen

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