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kevinrutherford

kevinrutherford@ramblingreaders.org

Joined 2 years, 2 months ago

I loving walking in the great UK outdoors -- usually in the Scottish highlands or (more usually) in and around the Peak District, which is close to where I live. I read a lot of police procedurals and books about software development.

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commented on Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr

John Dickson Carr: Hollow Man (2013, Orion Publishing Group, Limited) 4 stars

In M W Craven's The Botanist, DS Washington Poe references John Dickson Carr a couple of times, so I also read The Hollow Man.

This is less a novel, more a pair of related logic puzzles. The style isn't really to my taste, but the resolutions are very satisfying. 4 stars (but only because I didn't get on with the prose style).

M. W. Craven: The Botanist (2022, Little, Brown Book Group Limited) 5 stars

'I swear I'm one bad mood away from calling it black magic and going home …

I've read far fewer books in 2022 than in previous years, but easily the best was The Botanist by M W Craven.

It's the 5th and latest Washington Poe, and is a gripping chase rather than a classic #whodunit . The main characters, Poe and Bradshaw, are very likeable, Craven's sense of humour is right up my street, and the plotting and puzzle set-pieces are highly satisfying. 5 stars.