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A brilliant standalone crime novel and prequel to the acclaimed BBC series by the show’s creator and sole writer: “Luther is to crime fiction what his historical counterpart was to religion.…Gripping, taut fiction by a new master in the genre” (Guillermo del Toro).Meet Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. He’s a murder detective with an extraordinary case clearance rate. He’s obsessive, instinctive, and intense. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. And yet there are rumors that Luther is bad—not corrupt, not on the take, but tormented. He seethes with a hidden fury that at times he can barely control. Sometimes it sends him to the brink of madness, making him do things he shouldn’t—things well beyond the limits of the law.
Edgar Award-winning writer Neil Cross has created one of the most compelling characters in modern crime fiction—a man who may be a force for good, or hell-bent on self-destruction. For fans of the award-winning series starring Emmy-nominee Idris Elba, and for all lovers of crime fiction, Luther is a compelling, compulsively readable novel by the writer hailed by The Guardian as “Britain’s own Stephen King.”
“For all his skill as scriptwriter, Cross is above all else a gifted novelist. Luther: The Calling is more than a tie-in novel. It is some of the best crime fiction to hit bookstores this year.”
“The amazing force and power of the writing and the hell-for-leather plotting together pull readers along whether they like it or not.”
“For all his skill as scriptwriter, Cross is above all else a gifted novelist. Luther: The Calling is more than a tie-in novel. It is some of the best crime fiction to hit bookstores this year.”
Anonymous
Posted December 16, 2012
I had a hard time finishing this book. It was boring in parts. Only benefit is to unerstand the origin of the tv series.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Peanut61
Posted November 30, 2012
First heard of this new series by watching the The British TV show which is FABULOUS! I am excited that the book on which the show is based is excellent - tightly paced, well written characters - a winner!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.AmiBNY
Posted October 24, 2012
Neil Cross is at his best again with Luther a wonderful book. Can't wait for more to come.......
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Hard-boiled. That's what they used to call this sort of thing. I guess they still do. In any event, this is hard-boiled, even brutal, detective fiction. Sparse, hard-hitting prose. Gritty, realistic characters and settings. Bad, bad, bad guys. Basically decent, but driven cops that sometimes cross the line in order to get the bad guys and protect the innocent. Classic hard-boiled.
DCI (that's Detective Chief Inspector - this is a British novel, through and through) John Luther first came to life as a television character for the BBC. This novel, written by the show's creator and writer, is a prequel to the series, showing that the detective was just as driven, just as brilliant, before those episodes. It also shows a man tormented to the point that he cannot sleep and he can no longer connect with his wife. He is a driven man. Driven to use his powers of deduction and insight to find a serial killer. A killer that is stealing children for purposes that are beyond the imaginings of even DCI Luther. From page one you know he will not let up until he tracks down the fiend. Until the last page you do not know if he will succeed or destroy himself trying. Or perhaps both.
This is top-flight writing. As I said above, the prose is sparse and hard hitting and will keep you turning pages. Not a book for the squeamish. It's written in the present tense, which adds to the immediacy and probably reflects its origins in television. Highly recommended for those that can take it.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review.
Anonymous
Posted February 14, 2013
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Anonymous
Posted January 22, 2013
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Overview
A brilliant standalone crime novel and prequel to the acclaimed BBC series by the show’s creator and sole writer: “Luther is to crime fiction what his historical counterpart was to religion.…Gripping, taut fiction by a new master in the genre” (Guillermo del Toro).Meet Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. He’s a murder detective with an extraordinary case clearance rate. He’s obsessive, instinctive, and intense. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. And yet there are rumors that ...