There is a quote from the ‘Times” that John Baker is “One of Britain’s most talented comtemporary crime writers’” I picked up a couple of his books because I came across his blog/website which I found very interesting because he posts some of his draft writing, not to mention some wonderful quotes from a variety of people (not just authors), links to interviews with other authors, political commentary, his views basically of the world he lives in. Its as if there is an opportunity to sit in a cafe with an intersting person for a change, who doesnt want to just talke about the obvious weather conditions.
Anyway John’s writing is refreshing in that he uses plain language, simple punctuated style of writing which keeps the book moving forward without realising it. Theres no time for boredom, or “what is the author trying to say” moments. What I thought was a good example of a good writer is that in this particular book, the story starts with letters from a female to a female friend, and I kept thinking how well Baker had managed to come through with the female voice without it sounding like a male trying to impersonate a female.
I rate my reading experience of this book as 3 and half stars out of five. Bearing in mind 5 stars goes to my absolute favourite crime writers (PD James, Colin Dexter, Ian Rankin) who have a totally different style of writing and story.
