Come a Little Closer: DCI Tom Douglas Series

February is just flying by.  Lethal in Old Lace by Duffy Brown will be published on March 13 along with Six Feet Under by Tonya Kappes.  

Come a Little Closer by Rachel Abbott is a DCI Tom Douglas novel.  DCI Tom Douglas is called out to Pennington Flash Country Park.  A woman has been found in a birdwatching hide.  There is no identification on her, she is very thin, no shoes or sign of a struggle.  At first glance it would appear to be suicide.  Tom, though, knows there is more to this woman’s story.  Nearby three women are in a dark kitchen.  They are thin, scared, tired and afraid.  Sharon is taking the trip her father always talked about it.  Her boyfriend, Ian wanted her to cancel and give him half the money since he is out of work.  She is honoring her father by embarking on this cruise.  The trip is not as relaxing as she expected.  A man seems to be following her and someone was in her cabin.  She returns home to an angry Ian and a puzzling problem at work.  It is a relief when a new friend offers her assistance.  DCI Douglas and his team work to unravel what happened to the woman found in the Flash.  They soon discover that she is not the first woman found this way and, undoubtedly, she will not be the last unless the police stop them. 

Come a Little Closer may be the seventh book in the DCI Tom Douglas series, but it can be read alone.  I struggled with this novel.  It is very confusing in the beginning because it jumps around.  One minute with DCI Tom Douglas, then with Sharon, then with women, then it jolts to next chapter.  It all starts to gel at the half way mark and comes together into a complete story at the end.  I thought the writing was choppy and it lacked a nice flow (slow pace too).  The dialogue was stilted (awkward).  The characters were not fully developed (lacking in details that help bring them to life).  The mystery is one that plays out and is supposed to be suspenseful.  Unfortunately, I did not feel it.  I wanted to get a hold of these women and shake them.  I cannot see anyone in this day and age being that naïve (unless they are under 6).  I do not want to say to much and spoil for you.   I wanted to the story to be less predictable.  The chapters that focused on Tom’s private life felt off.  They did not blend well with the rest of the book.  Be aware that this is a British novel, so it contains British slang and the words are spelled differently (British spelling). My rating for Come a Little Closer is 2 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). Come a Little Closer was not the right fit for me, but many other readers have found it thrilling.  I suggest getting a sample and see if it appeals to you.  Every individual has their own perspective.

Thank you so much for visiting today.  I will be featuring some cozy winter reads tomorrow.  See what I books I have enjoyed reading on a cool night and recommend for others.  May you have a beguiling weekend.  I will return on Monday with my review of No One Can Know by Lucy Kerr. Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader