Intriguing but often confusing

I just finished this and I'm still unsure exactly how I feel. The title of Post Mortem appears to be in relation to the post mortem of the situation that Lizzie finds herself in rather than the actual post mortems that are conducted, it's basically mayhem in here. Confusion city.

The story jumps erratically from current time to past time, from Sarah's perspective to Lizzie's perspective and I often found myself adrift but I went with the flow as I usually enjoy this style of narrative but on this occasion I was not entirely happy until the end, when things finally resolve into something resembling sense BUT I am still a little annoyed that I have no idea why Lizzie really disappeared, this was explained but not to my satisfaction.

A narrative of this style would have benefited from a different narrator, as Antonia's characters all sound rather similar so this adds to the confusion in this melee of perspectives.

Overall, I'd not recommend this to my best friend but I'd not dissuade anyone from giving it a listen either, three stars from me all round I think.

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1 person found this helpful

Thought-Provoking Police Procedural

This book is that rare thing - a gripping police procedural which actually makes you think. The characters are well drawn and believable and the story unfolds at a satisfying pace that kept my attention throughout.

More than the story, however, for me it was the issues behind the events that mattered. If you like black and white crime fiction avoid this book because it is relentless in portraying all sides from a balanced, if at times jaded, viewpoint. What really matters is not the events that led up to the tragic death of two people but the tensions that lie between idealism and pragmatism, old-fashioned police work and modern sensibilities (both of which may be flawed), and the whole question of how justice can be imposed in situations involving human relationships. In the end the only truly innocent character is the small boy and there is something symbolic about the fact that the denouement is the need to save him.

If you want an antidote to tabloid simplicity concerning law and justice in a multi-cultural society then I recommend this book.

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Slow, repetitive, but somehow compelling

I found this book progressed very slowly and I eventually felt quite annoyed by the number of times the same scenarios were returned to. I did not really see the purpose of the repeated description of what the character was doing when she ran off to hide - I thought that this could have given far more insight and hooked the listener more into this character’s story. I also did not see the purpose of the lengthy description of a funeral. But, having said all that, something about this book was very compelling and I do intend to read the next book in the series! Cant quite put my finger on what kept me listening, though. On the performance side, I found the narration unusually slow, so ended up listening at 1.5 speed.

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Just boring to be honest

I’ve tried to get into this for hours now but realised life’s too short and it’s not worth it. It’s confusing going back and forth and I haven’t liked any of the characters

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