Book review: Then She Ran

This is a new feature on Words Worth Writing, in association with NetGalley.

Then She Ran by Charlie Gallagher
Thanks to NetGalley and to Joffe Books for an advance copy of Then She Ran by Charlie Gallagher.

This was my first meeting with Charlie Gallagher and I thought “Then She Ran” was a standalone. However, it’s quite clearly part of a series. This didn’t detract from the story or the enjoyment at all, which is always a sign of good writing. I do feel I would have benefited from knowing some of the history, though, but the author did give some very clever and helpful hints.

I got a bit lost with all the characters with names beginning with J – Jenny, Joseph/Joe, Jimmy, even George has the J sound. The author got a bit confused too, calling Jimmy Joe in one place and Louse Jenny. I found the character of Jenny a little unbelievable, not really very maternal, and not very feminine in places. For example, when her first thought should have been of her daughter, she was gazing out of a window and describing the scene, and clean underwear was a an afterthought. I didn’t think that the George character was particularly likeable either, nor a particularly good copper. I guessed the “massive twist” too, very early on.

The fast pace kept me reading and turning the pages and while it may have finished a little abruptly, I would be interested to read other titles by the same author and in the same series, as well as standalones.