Sirens

Publication Date: 12 January 2017

Goodreads Description

Sirens is the brooding and assured debut from Joseph Knox, the next big name in crime fiction. Set in a sprawling, twilight northern city, Sirens introduces Aidan Waits, a disgraced young detective caught stealing drugs from evidence and subsequently blackmailed into going undercover. When an MP's daughter runs away from home, Waits is sent to track her down and finds himself at the centre of a maelstrom of drugs, blackmail and deception. Uncovering the motives of those involved, he's thrown forwards through politicians, police and drug lords - towards a conclusion and a truth he really doesn't want to know.

My Review

I found that this one got off to a slow start and I didn't feel totally engaged at first. I was reading a few pages and then losing interest and doing something else. I wasn't sure if this was because the book hadn't totally gripped me or because life was getting in the way. Either way though, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. But the good news is that once the story progressed, I got into it and I found myself liking it.

This is a dark tale about drugs, murder, lies and deceit. A lot of this story centers around the drug world. People use drugs, sell drugs, do crazy things on drugs, overdose and so it goes on. This is a theme that runs throughout the book and even the lead character, Detective Aiden Waits has his problems. So you'll need to be prepared for that. This book is set in a seedy underworld and in an environment that is probably very foreign to most of us. But that's also what made me like this story. It opened my eyes to a whole new world, one that is dark and dangerous, where anything can happen and where people live by a different set of rules.

As for the main character, wow, does he have his problems! He is flawed in many ways, and that in turn makes him fit perfectly into the seedy, corrupt world in which he finds himself on his assignment. I must be honest though, if I was his boss, I'm not sure that I would trust him to walk around the block let alone go undercover into a dangerous world. Be that as it may, the author does a good job of introducing character after character that are flawed, unstable and often, unlikable. And maybe that it one of the problems with this book - everyone is messed up and I didn't feel that I bonded strongly with any of the characters.

I've spent a long time thinking about why this book didn't totally wow me, why I liked it without loving it and I haven't been able to come up with a solid answer. I think I was expecting more from it, and so perhaps I felt let down. As mentioned, the characters are difficult to like and perhaps that was also an issue. I never felt that I was truly in Detective Waits head, that I actually knew what made him tick. There's no doubt that he's a complicated character but I never felt like I truly understood the reasons why he did the things he did and lived the life he lived. My understanding of him was superficial. The book was also a little long winded, with lots of characters coming and going. I did battle to get into it and I never found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it.

In summary then, it was okay, well perhaps a little bit more than okay, it was good. If you're a fan of dark and dirty crime thrillers, then this one will be for you.

My rating: * * *

Many thanks to author Joseph Knox and publishers Penguin Random House SA for my copy.