I started reading a book from my tbr pile that I've been looking forward to, based on readers' reviews and the publisher's blurb (and the book will remain nameless here). There was an interesting opening chapter set primarily in the past, an event that will color the rest of the book, and then an opening passage in the "present day," with the Detective Inspector arriving at a crime scene to find a naked, disembowelled woman tied to a bed.
At that point I found myself stopping, uncertain whether I want to go on with the book. Haven't we had enough crime scenes like that, and is it inevitable that if we continue reading this one we're going to be treated to lots more women tortured in extravagant and lurid manners? I've pretty much stopped reading serial killer books because I'm weary and nauseated by this sort of thing, but these scenes seem to be unavoidable even in the police procedural and noir segments of crime fiction.
Are there no other plots or crimes? Do these scenes reflect something about real crime today, about the society where such crimes happen--or more about a culture that's interested in portraying these scenes over and over. Sorry for the rant, and I'll probably end up reading the book anyway, to see if the writer is actually trying to do something more interesting. But still...
International Noir Fiction includes reviews and ideas on crime novels (mostly from outside the U.S.)
1 comment:
Yes, I'm tired of it. You see on popular TV shows and in books. It's almost like you can't avoid it. I try to go for other novels that feature different types of crimes. Daniel Woodrell is a good one to try. His books can be violent as well but they don't feature serial killers. He is in the US and so that makes him ineligible for reviewing here I realize. At any rate, I share your opinion.
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