A Means of Escape, by Joanna Price

http://meen-readingjournal.blogspot.com/2011/09/means-of-escape.html ****

On a cold November morning the body of a young woman is found on the Glastonbury Tor. The girl has been strangled and her body is surrounded by twelve small holes surrounded by candle wax.
Detective Sergeant Kate Linton is one of the police officers working the case, together with her superior Detective Inspector Rob Brown.
They soon discover that similar holes with wax were found surrounding two women murdered at Avebury’s stone circle and fear they may be dealing with a serial killer.
When, shortly afterwards another young woman goes missing and a star from a reality television show also disappears their fears become more urgent. The suspected killer may be holding two more women, while waiting for a chance to kill them too, and the police haven’t got any clear clues about his identity.
The case however is not the only thing occupying Kate Linton’s time and mind. She has quite a few issues in her own life concerning her relationship with her parents, her troubled brother and a messed up love life. And there are also the very mixed feelings she has about her superior, Brown.
With time running out for the missing girls, Kate and her colleagues appear to be fighting an uphill battle.

I enjoyed this mystery. It was well written, with plausible characters and an interesting story-line. I found myself compulsively turning the pages in order to find out what exactly was happening and how it would all be resolved.
However, there were one or two things I was less happy about.
It seems to me that Kate Linton may have one or two issues too many in her life. I understand that it is important to give a main character a good back story in order to make her come to life, and that this is even more important when the book in question is the first in a planned series. However, since there are more books involving this character to come, I felt that maybe the issues could have been spread out over future stories a bit more. Having said that, I also think it will be interesting to see how those story-lines develop in future books.
The way in which the story shifted perspective between quite a few characters in the book, including quite a few minor ones, did throw me off the reading rhythm at times. But, those sections were usually short and it wasn’t long before I would find myself back to the main story and captivated again.
Overall I would say this was a good first instalment in a planned series, and I will definitely pick up future books featuring Kate Linton.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12466984-a-means-of-escape ****

Joanna Price's debut novel introduces us to D.S. Kate Linton at the start of a murder investigation in the mystical Glastonbury area. Fears soon grow that the team are searching for a serial killer and are increased when a reality TV star disappears and another young woman is reported missing. Kate's personal life is also complicated, she is trying to cope with the recent breakdown of her own relationship and her love/loathe feelings towards her superior.

I really enjoyed this book and liked the character of Kate Linton. There were several suspects which kept the suspense up through the story and there were scenes which were humorous and made me laugh, a rarity in murder mystery. I would definitely make a point of reading any future books by Joanna Price and hope that this is the start of a D.S. Linton series.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8498096518892798196#editor/target=post;postID=5802163724793939153 ****

I was delighted to be given an early reading copy of A Means of Escape to review for bookdagger real readers.

On a cold November morning a woman’s body is discovered on Glastonbury Tor. Detective Inspector Rob Brown and his colleague Detective Sergeant Kate Linton head the murder investigation. When a second woman is abducted in Glastonbury, there are real fears that the killer may have struck again, the only problem is that the mystical community around Glastonbury creates more questions than answers.
This is an accomplished debut novel, with good character analysis, and a well driven and gutsy plot. There is enough information about the investigative process without it being too cumbersome, and some genuinely funny moments which help to lighten the mood. I especially warmed to both lead characters – the details of Linton and Brown’s separate personal lives adds a nice dimension to what could develop into a strong partnership. The added frisson of a “will they, won’t they” atmosphere to their relationship, makes the book all the more enjoyable to read.

It is refreshing to have another British female crime writer on the scene, and I am pleased to discover that this is the first book in a proposed series featuring Kate Linton. I am sure that the series will gain in strength and popularity, and I look forward to spending more time in the company of this gutsy and intelligent detective sergeant.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2TR8PUZZIDQEP/ref=cm_cr_dp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0956983006&nodeID=266239&tag=&linkCode= *****

This is the first in a new crime series by Joanna Price, featuring DS Kate Linton. I believe the author got her publishing deal after putting her work on the website, Authonomy.

In this book, Linton and her colleague, DI Rob Brown, are investigating a series of murders (Linton's first serial killer), the latest of which takes place on Glastonbury Tor.

I thought this was a brilliant read. It mixes crime and humour (real laugh out loud stuff for me at times) and I thought it worked very well. Joanna Price is an accomplished writer and her charactiserations are great. In particular, the rapport between Linton and Brown is very well drawn.

It's a well plotted book and it all came together and tied up nicely at the end, but there were bits throughout the story that threw me off the scent - the sign of a good crime novel.

I can't wait to get my hands on the next in the series and to find out if the rapport between Linton and Brown develops further. This is a triumphant first novel.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Means-Escape-Kate-Linton/dp/0956983006/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1320143625&sr=8-1 ****

As a Means of Introduction, this first novel will definitely hook the readers interest! I always enjoy 'discovering' a new author or a new series of books. Occasionally, I'm lucky enough to tick both boxes. Joanna Price's first in a series of thrillers featuring DS Kate Linton does just that.

Set in Glastonbury, Price has managed to steer clear of the tried and tested mystical-murder-and-conspiracy-in-the-New-Age-capital-of-England scenario. She has also managed to make Kate Linton remarkably human. In my opinion, it's very rare for a first time author to be able to craft such a 3-dimensional character. I found myself empathising and identifying with her as well as cheering on her triumphs and cringing at some of her mistakes.

The plot itself centres around a number of bizarre murders, the victims being left on various 'significant' sites, surrounded by a ring of holes. These holes are later found to contain melted candle wax. I refuse to give any spoilers in reviews; l can only say that I couldn't figure out the murderer's motives before DS Linton. A welcome change when you read as many crime thrillers as I do!

The plot is also interwoven with a publicity-hungry reality star trying to boost her profile and Kate Linton's own personal problems. Like roots seeking water, the tendrils of the story all come together to a very satisfying conclusion.

I am eagerly awaiting the next Kate Linton book; after reading A Means of Escape, I'm sure most readers will be too.

http://www.bookgeeks.co.uk/2011/10/31/a-means-of-escape-by-joanna-price/ *****

I loved the ease of reading this, it was no effort to carry on to another chapter or even continue through a chapter.
I felt the characters were easy to relate to and the story made you feel like you wanted to keep reading to see what happened.
Saying that, I was a little disappointed in the ending and would have liked a more fulfilling ending but I did enjoy the book and would have been happy to have received it as a gift from someone and would recommend the author but would like to try more of her books.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/0956983014/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_next_2?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&pageNumber=2&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending ****

This is the debut novel by Glastonbury’s Joanna Price.

I loved this book read it whilst on a train, I laughed, was intrigued Linton and Brown will they wont they. All set in the leylines of mystical new age Glastonbury with its druids and crystals.
The characters DS Kate Linton, and her boss, DI Rob Brown lunge into a murder at Glastonbury Tor on page one, wasting no time and setting the scene for some grizzly goings on.
There are traits of Cornwall’s Scarpetta within Kate Linton.
This will undoubtly become a best selling series with a new detective heroine both plucky and good at her job.

There is Ben whom Kate still holds a candle for but he is too much a womeniser to realise and of course her boss Brown oversexed and proud of it, yet Kate is attracted to him. We shall have to se what comes next in the forthcoming series, which I do not doubt there will be.

This book leaves me with wanting more.

http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox.blogspot.com/ **

I really struggled with this story.
No doubt a lot of my problem was down to the fact that my copy was an uncorrected proof copy, and I know that the author went on to make some alterations to the finished book. However, despite making allowances for that, I was still disappointed by it overall.
I felt that there was far too much detail about the main character's personal and private life, and not enough about the actual plot of the story.
There was very little about the characters that I cared about and I found the whole reading experience very lacklustre.