Rips Along - Rated 
This is the first Jack Kerley book that I've read. I'll be looking out for more. We're firmly at the action/adventure end of the crime genre - there's not much to the plot really, but it moves along smartly, and stays just about on the right side of giving it's hero superhuman powers of recovery.
Engaging read, but a bit confusing at times - Rated
The Broken Souls is the the third Carson Ryder novel. Ryder is a homicide detective in the deep south, based in Mobile, Alabama. He and his partner, the rather strangely named Harry Nautilus, also have a specialism in cases involving psychopaths, serial murderers etc.
In this book, the pair are tracking the murderer of a young journalist, who has been appallingly brutalised. With more deaths, the case leads to the Kincannon family, one of the region's richest, yet most uncouth, moneyed clans.
The book cracks along at a fair pace, but, I've got to be honest here, I didn't understand a lot of it come the end. The family appeared to have so many madmen (and women) stashed away that I lost track of who was who. It was, I suppose, a bit Gothic having a family apparently cursed by mental illness, but not much was made of that.
I thought the author 'cheated' a bit too, slipping into third person narrative when first person was no longer possible (the hero was unconscious) and in the early stages, without giving too much away, there are passages that appear to have one 'suspect' carrying out the killings, which aren't as they seem.
Having said that I liked the pace of the thing, I liked the setting - makes a change from Maine and LA, I liked the fact that Ryder had real problems with his girlfriend which hinted that he was quite as invulnerable as these guys usually are and I liked the fact that the identity of one of the baddies took me completely by surprise, but was not a cheat. Once revealed, it made sense.
I think this work echoes quite a bit of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels, convoluted family history, psychological insight etc. It was my first Kerley, but I'll certainly read the others.
Action with intrigue - Rated
A couple of brutal murders lead us to believe, pretty quickly, that a madman is on the loose. Ryder and Nautilus are the cop partners tasked with finding out what has been going on. Soon the story opens up to involve a very rich and influential local family, Ryder's failed relationship with his girlfriend and some possibly corrupt police. Kerley weaves the threads together well and provides twists and turns along the way sometimes, however, taking things a little too far. This is a good detective story nonetheless and keeps you both interested and guessing. The writing is better than usual for this type of cop novel and you do warm to the lead characters. There is the odd dose of humour too to round it all off. This is not a sensational novel, but it certainly isn't a drab police procedural either. I'll certainly look out for more of Kerley's books.
superb, an author to watch! - Rated 
I have recently read both the other books in this series featuring Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilius, and I thought The Death Collectors was excellent, so it was with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation that I picked this one up. I thought it might be that tricky third novel and not match the pace of the previous novels.
I needn't have worried. I took it with me to bed to get started on it...and was literally up half the night, gripped by this novel! It was a slower start than his others, but this helped construct the plot and story gradually, giving an unsettling sense of genuine evil building throughout the novel.
Kerley builds well upon the already established characters of Harry and Carson. We particularly get to see Carson in a new light, less tied to his brother Jeremy than before. Other characters build well, and there are some excellent twists and sleight of hand with them. But most importantly, Kerley doesn't lose the humour that makes Harry and Carson a cut above most mean n' moody cops in crime thrillers today.
I have to recommend this wholeheartedly. If you have read the other two in the series then don't hesitate to clear some space in your diary and treat yourself to this one straightaway! If you haven't read the others , then I would suggest starting with them to really get the impact of Kerley's characters and writing...but either way this is a great novel from a top class crime writer!
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