Pool of Life by Pete Trewin

I stumbled onto this book accidentally, literally.  I was trying to click to my reader dashboard in my Hidden Gems ARC account and inadvertently clicked the "Add me as a reader" button.  I was accepted for the copy and decided I couldn't just not read it even though it wasn't necessarily something I would have chosen.   I don't generally select PI books from the crime fiction genre.

This mystery was set in Liverpool and in Wales.   The author keeps the storyline and the details true to the region as far as I can tell.  Many of the terms and geography was unfamiliar to me.  This just made it read a little less smoothly than I think it would have had I been more familiar.  I appreciate the authenticity and wouldn't want the dialogue and rhetoric to be Americanized, it would detract from the story.

The plot was good and Trewin does a very good job of tying up all the pieces.  Although it did feel a bit rushed at the end- almost like he was told he had to keep the book under a certain length. 

I think another thing that kept me from loving the book and making it a 4 star read was the fact I didn't really  like the characters.  I found them to be rough around the edges and not necessarily nice people.  I do think that is by design to give them depth, I just didn't like the edge to them. 

All in all it wasn't a bad book,  just wasn't something in my usual bag of reading.  I guess that is the point of trying to do challenges though so I did try something new and it didn't kill me and was entertaining and kept me engaged for the day. 

Pool Of Life by Pete Trewin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book but didn't love it. I found the story to be intriguing but a bit difficult to follow at times due to the jumping between characters. I had trouble following who was who at times. I also think the fact it was set in Liverpool and Wales and used local terms and language probably added to my struggle. This isn't a bad thing, I appreciate the author giving it authenticity for the setting it just made it flow a little less smoothly for me.

The story seemed to wrap up quickly after the setup of the storyline and it is possible the author could have taken a bit longer to write the culminating scenes. I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to readers, especially those who like the gritty PI genre.

Disclosure- I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review of the work.


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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Literary Escapes-  Wales
2. AtoZ and Alphabet soup challenge #AlphabetSoupChallenge- P
3. Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #35
4. Medical Examiner-  5 Toe Tag 
5. Mystery Bingo: 
   • Clues:  item in newspaper
   • Crime Scenes: beach/shoreline