Damaged Goods: A Dectective Inspector White Caper by Jack Everett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Damaged Goods: A Detective Inspector White Caper (D.I. White Mysteries Book 1) by Jack Everett and David Coles
A tested British detective versus a battle fatigued American soldier on a murderous tear.
FOUR STARS * * * *
This story spans multiple homicides across two continents as tested British detective becomes embroiled in an investigation into a murderous tear executed by battle fatigued American soldier who has succumbed to a mental break and has lost his full grip on reality and morality.
This is the second novel I have read this year where the story is told from more than one narrative point (the first-person perspective) to a third-person narrative. The transition is properly defined so you can pick up right away on it when it occurs. It was a little more abrupt than in the last novel I read (where I liked that transition style better) but it does not detract from the story flow.
The story is told from an investigative perspective (when in that first person perspective) and then it lends to a tension / thriller setup when you are reading the parts of the story where it is being told in the third-person narrative.
I personally felt the change up kept me as a reader slightly more engaged (“gee – what’s going to happen next”) than how I might be with one avenue of storytelling alone.
I felt a little disconnected at times with the story where it was being driven from Robert Cleghorn’s “tell” (the American soldier) but tried to read it (once I got used to that feeling) like I was the disassociated special forces trained killer. I really feel locking my mind into that perspective helped me get a feel for the character and the pacing and emotion (or his lack of it) of his situations and scenarios as they played out.
I recommend “Damaged Goods: A Detective Inspector White Caper (D.I. White Mysteries Book 1)” by Jack Everett and David Coles – * * * * Four Stars (out of five)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1203324423
The GUNDERSTONE review 