A Liking For Chocolate, by Peter Sheterline.
Review by: Nick Holder – Platform Development Manager
This one is pure fiction (or at least I hope it is, for reasons that will become apparent). It is a mixture of an old-school detective novel set in a current-day high tech world. Set primarily in Swansea it describes real locations, as an integral part of the story.
The story starts with the murder of an academic technologist on a Gower beach, witnessed by a local surfer who can’t explain what happened to the police and so becomes the prime suspect. The detective leading the case is not a technologist and is learning as he goes from people he meets and his resident geek DC, who sails close to the wind in her investigations.
Swansea is my adoptive home and so I recognise a lot of locations, idioms and traits of the area. This has enhanced the reading experience for me, but I don’t think not knowing the area is a barrier to enjoyment. I enjoyed all the usual twists and turns you would expect from a good piece of crime fiction, as well as the technology angle which gave it a nice twist on your standard detective work.
There is none of the Agatha Christie style of “implausible reveal” in there. You get the clues as the characters get them and it all builds methodically to the end. This is especially impressive, as this is the first fictional work from the author.
I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to his next work.
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| If you are a geek who likes crime stories this is a must. If you also happen to be a surfer who knows Swansea, doubly so! 4.5 because being very British, 5 monsters can never, practically, be obtained. |
