The Ice Maiden (Doug Bateman Mystery, #1)

by B. D. Smith

[booksandcats]

Alright, so this is a book that I managed to get for free, as it was on discount for a day or so. And it started out really good, better than I expected. The Characters were interesting, the interactions as well, it seemed rather realistic, as in how it follow Police Procedures. The storyline started out quite fascinating as well, setting up a serial killer that uses Christian (and later others as well) torture and killing methods, that go back to the Spanish Inquisition.

But I just couldn't adjust very well to B.D. Smith's writing style and, it got worse in my opinion the further I got into the book. The mix of when Smith uses interactions and drives the plot forward with us being there and when he uses a kind of narrative, far more descriptive kind of voice, that in my opinion is far better utilized for descriptions and background informations is often weird and misplaced. Several of the big showdowns and scenes that should be gripping are in that descriptive style and loose all sense of suspense and thrill. It's a real bummer, because the Characters and the Story by itself have great potential.