[S4Z]≡ PDF Free The Hollow Man A Novel Detective Nick Belsey Series Oliver Harris 9780062136718 Books

The Hollow Man A Novel Detective Nick Belsey Series Oliver Harris 9780062136718 Books

Download As PDF : The Hollow Man A Novel Detective Nick Belsey Series Oliver Harris 9780062136718 Books

The Hollow Man A Novel Detective Nick Belsey Series Oliver Harris 9780062136718 Books

I really struggled to get through the first half of the book. I kept slogging and about 2/3 of the way through, I got a second wind, and ran through the rest pretty quickly. I kept at it only because I promised myself that any book I purchased this year I would see to the end – having many unread books stashed in my home, this was less a resolution than a necessity to prevent having to find room for more bookcases. But I digress.

As a police procedural, this was an OK read. Plenty of details about inquiries and how information can be pieced together to get a result.
The writing was good, which is not always true for first novels. The descriptions of locations were just detailed enough, and the dialogue believable.

That having been said, it was such a slog for me because I simply could not engage with any of the characters, particularly not with the protagonist, Nick Belsey. His life is a disaster – a penniless, homeless, alcoholic DC who has stolen and crashed a police cruiser while drunk. He’s under investigation and about to lose his job. All of that in the first few chapters. He continues in this vein of full-blown self-destruction for the remainder of the story, with increasing intensity as the new life he is trying to build for himself moves further and further away from his grasp. I am sure there are many people in the real world who find themselves in similarly desperate straits but I’m hard pressed to believe they would so corrupt themselves to escape their lives. Sadly, it put me off him completely.

Then there were some aspects that just felt inauthentic – like when he uses the stolen credit card but doesn’t have the pin and the clerk rings him up anyhow. And since this is the beginning of a series, it was inevitable that he would get to keep his job at the end of the book, but there is no redeeming action that should make his superior officers agree to keep him in the face of all the crimes and obstruction of justice he’s wrought.

I won’t be checking out the other books in the series.


Tags : The Hollow Man: A Novel (Detective Nick Belsey Series) [Oliver Harris] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. “A twisting spiral of lies and corruption, a pitch-perfect portrait of contemporary London, and a beguiling bastard of a hero—what a recipe for a great read.”<br />—Val McDermid,Oliver Harris,The Hollow Man: A Novel (Detective Nick Belsey Series),Harper Paperbacks,0062136712,Mystery & Detective - General,Thrillers - Suspense,Detective and mystery stories,Identity theft;Fiction.,London (England),London (England);Fiction.,Missing persons,Mystery fiction,Mystery fiction.,Police,Rich people,FICTION General,FICTION Mystery & Detective General,FICTION Mystery & Detective Police Procedural,FICTION Thrillers Suspense,Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,Fiction-Mystery & Detective,FictionThrillers - Suspense,GENERAL,General Adult,Great BritainBritish Isles,Identity theft,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural,MysterySuspense,United States

The Hollow Man A Novel Detective Nick Belsey Series Oliver Harris 9780062136718 Books Reviews

I could barely get thru the first 1/3--actually was going to stop, then decided I should at least try to finish. It was til the final1/3 that the action picked up and it was less stupid. What kind of cop is homeless drunk and ready to take on dead man's identity?! I needs serious help, and I doubt II will read any more of this author.
He is bankrupt. He has a drinking problem. He will steal a hot stove. He rarely tells the truth. He is Detective-Constable Nick Belsey and he sees a way out of his problems when he investigates a rich missing man Belsey will steal the missing man's identity. But rich people seldom go missing without a good reason and the detective soon finds himself in more trouble and conspiracies, violence and surprises abound as Nick tries to plan his getaway while figuring out what is going on. A rollicking good read.
I did enjoy this book very much. DC Belsey is a character I would like to see a lot more of. It is a story of many twists and turns. Some of them truly surprising. Better yet, you actually can't figure out who did it till the end. Belsey is very unusual, he likes to walk on the edge, actualy step over it, just as much as alot of the bad guys. His thought process where he is concerned just makes you shake your head. The first couple chapters are a little slow, but, once it "hits the fan" it doesn't stop.

My book reviews don't go into the specific details of the books, alot of reviews are like someone telling you the end of a movie before you watch it.

A worthy read, and hope there is a lot more DC Belsey.
Other reviewers have described the plot, so I won't recap. Well written, and, given the spin put on Belsey's situation and temperament, reads much like a modern hard-boiled PI novel, as the should-be insider is really functioning outside the law. Harris has created a protagonist who is seriously flawed, yet still surprisingly likable.

The plot is complicated, with a lot of characters, but very clearly and effectively presented, and moves at a good pace. Harris knows exactly what information is needed to move the plot along and to quickly establish characters, with no extraneous fluff, but the complexity of plot and characters make it a rich read.

As soon as I finished, I came to to check on a sequel, as the title indicates that this is the first in a series. The next book, "Deep Shelter," doesn't yet show up on .US, but .UK lists it with a February 2014 release. I'm anxious to read it.

Highly recommended. And it would make a great movie.
This book, this main character and this author blew me away. I've missed Rebus and Banks, but Nick Belsey has given them a run for the money. I read a review saying the writing was good, but he didn't like the characters.....that's so odd to me. I fell for Nick right from the start. And the writing!! So many gorgeous turns of phrase; I was texting one after another to my daughter as I read. Just too good not to share!
Have already ordered the next two in the series, and hope there will be many more. Oliver Harris is my new favorite author. This guy can write!!
READ THIS BOOK!!!!!
I loved this book from beginning to end. It's a very complicated plot, but so well written that it flows beautifully. Other reviewers have outlined the story, so I won't repeat it. I love Nick. He's smart, and strategic, and tough without being a reckless idiot. This is the best book in this genre that I have read in a long, long time, and I go through at least two a week. I can't figure out why the reviews seem all over the place because there is nothing lacking in this story. Perhaps it's because this is very different from other police procedurals, but that's a plus to me. I'd like to give it 10 stars, but I'm stuck with five. If the author reads reviews, "Bravo, Mr. Harris". I will definitely be reading more from him. If you like stories that are clever and hold together and leave you guessing, this one's for you. The ending is highly satisfying too.
I really struggled to get through the first half of the book. I kept slogging and about 2/3 of the way through, I got a second wind, and ran through the rest pretty quickly. I kept at it only because I promised myself that any book I purchased this year I would see to the end – having many unread books stashed in my home, this was less a resolution than a necessity to prevent having to find room for more bookcases. But I digress.

As a police procedural, this was an OK read. Plenty of details about inquiries and how information can be pieced together to get a result.
The writing was good, which is not always true for first novels. The descriptions of locations were just detailed enough, and the dialogue believable.

That having been said, it was such a slog for me because I simply could not engage with any of the characters, particularly not with the protagonist, Nick Belsey. His life is a disaster – a penniless, homeless, alcoholic DC who has stolen and crashed a police cruiser while drunk. He’s under investigation and about to lose his job. All of that in the first few chapters. He continues in this vein of full-blown self-destruction for the remainder of the story, with increasing intensity as the new life he is trying to build for himself moves further and further away from his grasp. I am sure there are many people in the real world who find themselves in similarly desperate straits but I’m hard pressed to believe they would so corrupt themselves to escape their lives. Sadly, it put me off him completely.

Then there were some aspects that just felt inauthentic – like when he uses the stolen credit card but doesn’t have the pin and the clerk rings him up anyhow. And since this is the beginning of a series, it was inevitable that he would get to keep his job at the end of the book, but there is no redeeming action that should make his superior officers agree to keep him in the face of all the crimes and obstruction of justice he’s wrought.

I won’t be checking out the other books in the series.