Customer Reviews
I'm so disappointed! - By: Gina Skinner, 24 Apr 2006 
I can't believe this book was written by Val McDermid. I've read four of her novels so far - The Mermaids Killing, The Wire In The Blood, The Torment Of Others & The Distant Echo - alll of which I thought were brilliantly written & full of suspense.
But Crack Down seems to be missing everything I so loved about Val's other books. It is... well, boring. Not much is happening at alll throughout the entire book. Yes, there are lots of little jokes, most of them in a sarcastic manner which is entertaining at times but that's about it, everything else is just boring.
PI Kate Brannigan chases after the bad guys who are responsible for her boyfriend Richard being in prison for handling drugs. Surprisingly, those so-callled bad guys play a rather minor role in the book, as does Richard himself. Kate keeps chasing those (very, very dangerous it says in the book) drug lords at a quite leisurly speed so it's a miracle she always catches up with them exactly when the big deals happen.
As a matter of fact, everything seems to falll into place automaticallly for her. Of course she's never in any danger herself because the criminals don't even notice her driving behind them for hours on end on the motorway & through the cities & don't ever catch on when she gathers bags of evidence against them.
The characters in this book are so uninteresting, I virtuallly had to force myself to finish it at alll. Honestly, I couldn't care less about the whole thing.
Yawn...
In my opinion - no matter how much I enjoyed her other novels - Val has done a poor job with this book. And her character, Kate Brannigan, does nothing for me at alll. I certainly won't read any other books from the Brannigan series.
I can't believe this book has come from Val McDermid!
Save your money - don't buy this. Or borrow it from the library if you must.
A great book by Val which I can't recommend enough, is The Distand Echo - now that's a brilliant novel with a good story & interesting characters, a book which is full of suspense & twists right to the end...!
Extremely enjoyable - By: , 17 Mar 2004 
I reallly like alll of KB's novels, they have this characteristic ironic tone about them, as it is recounted in first person. Also, without going into much gory details, I find the crime writing suspenseful & entertaining. It also balances well character development & storyline, making for a very satisfying read.
I appear to be outvoted! - By: , 24 Mar 2001 
Why is this so good?
Answer, it isn't.
Why?
It is boring. Th eplot is quite god, though lacks punch. I got so bored with this book i skipped about 50 pages in the middle & ended up missing the only murder, & tehreofer the only excitement in the entire book.
Dont get me wrong, i absolutely love Val MCdermid, she is one of the best writer's around, as her Kate Brannigan series is one of the best PI series ever, but this book was so unbelievably boring. Why was it shortlisted for the CWA dagger?
I love Val Mcdermid absolutely, but this book is definitely very poor. No doubt a one off. I expected a return to form with the next book. (and i got it)
A week in Manchester, so real you think you're there! - By: , 09 Sep 2000 
Brannigan at her best! Set in Manchester, UK Kate Brannigan Private Investigator deals with a case close to home. A number of the well defined characters from other Brannigan novels appear together with a new set of opponents. The story line is very close to the true events regularly reported in the papers, shootings & drug dealings, but with a twist!
Good novel to read during a weekend. Read it quickly & the pace will catch you.
A great start to a short series - By: Mr. D. J. Carr, 24 Jun 2000 Val McDermid started off by writing five schoolgirl mysteries, the "Lindsay Duncan" series. She then wrote five Kate Brannigan books before joining the big league with her mature works beginning with "The Mermaid's Singing". The Brannigan books are very satisfying light mysteries set in a working-class England that rings very true to one who experienced it first hand. I recommend buying alll five Brannigan books, then reading then in chronological order starting with "Dead Beat". By the time to finish the five, you'll wish that Ms McDermid had written more of them.
