Ruth Bainbridge

Trophy is a dissatisfying murder mystery that, at its best, is mildly interesting. Much of it is boring. The writing is unpolished, with a sampling of sentence fragments, awkward sentence constructions, clichés, awkward word choices and sentence constructions, and stilted, unnatural dialogue. Many characters are beautiful, elegant, intelligent, and sensitive caricatures that snap, address, and retort instead of saying things.

Nick Cross is an anxious, self-doubting detective who goes with his gut. We are told this repeatedly, but the repetition is unconvincing and dull because we are never shown his inner turmoil. The plot movement is sabotaged by the frequent appearance of extended, multi-page digressions to pontificate about animal rights. And in the final analysis, the reader is denied the opportunity to identify the murderer before the detective because Cross relies on his gut, freeing the writer from any need to provide subtle clues about the murderer’s identity.… (meer)

I haven't read a book this thrilling in a LONG time! Kudos to Bainbridge for introducing another fantastic detective, Nick Cross! I was hooked from the first sentence and found myself reading late into the night as each page held more and more mystery!! The small chapters, similar to James Patterson, made it so easy to keep reading. I also loved how the mystery was fully explained and then kept on going. I can't wait for Book Two!

My only complaint - it's only an ebook and I would so love to add this to my bookcase!

Fans of Richard North Patterson and James Patterson - you're going to love this!… (meer)

procedural, law-enforcement, serial-killer, psychological, family-dynamics

An imperfect cop with an oversized ego. A killer with an unknowable agenda. Departmental politics and a rather obnoxious FBI agent. Each murder is swift and painless for the victim, but finding the reason for each, not to mention the connection between them, is a severe strain on the department in general, and Detective Nick Cross in particular. He oversteps procedure and common sense to find out who and why, while trying to make better decisions in his home life.
This is a very tense and suspenseful mystery with some horrific elements, but is very well done and all too realistic. I think that Det. Nick Cross will be a good man to follow in subsequent books.
I entered and won a copy of this book in a giveaway and am very pleased with it.… (meer)