PositiveCrime Fiction LoverFowler always manages to keep things fresh, and Hall of Mirrors is no exception ... well written and original as ever ... London is normally like an additional character in the Bryant and May novels. However, the unique, macabre and peculiar aspects of the city and its people, which Fowler writes about so well, are missing here and the story suffers a little for it.
Lee Child
MixedCrime Fiction LoverFor much of the book, Lee Child does what he does best. He has Reacher stubbornly working at a problem of someone else’s making that most people wouldn’t even notice much less bother with, taking out a string of bad guys along the way through a combination of brute force and willpower ... Once Reacher gets to his Mule Crossing, The Midnight Line becomes a more pedestrian affair. It feels as if Reacher gets steadily more lost in the events taking place, particularly once he achieves the original objective. Plenty more happens towards the end, but the narrative just isn’t quite as compelling ... For diehard fans it’s likely The Midnight Line will prove a big hit. Reacher novels are sure fire bestsellers, every time. For those of us who were hoping for a return to past form, we’ll have to keep waiting. It’s good, but no cigar…
