Children of the Revolution – Mini Review

I bought this book years ago from The Works in the 3 for £5 deal; and never got around to reading it, I seemed to be put off by the cover and not blown away that it was a DCI Banks story. Nevertheless, it was time to break it open and dissect my thoughts on it.

A body is found under a bridge, it could have been a suicide but it’s more than likely not – DCI Banks and his team are brought in to inspect. The deceased is ex college lecturer; Gavin Miller, and he was carrying a substantial amount of money in his pocket, £5,000 to be exact.

It becomes clear early on that Gavin has not had much luck in his life; having been fired from his previous job, he has become a recluse. Alan and his team (mainly women – woo!) need to dive into Gavin’s past to understand how he came about the money and how he ended up dead.

Having finished the book, I can really see the appeal of the series – the team become familiar friends to the reader. You learn what their likes and hates are, from detective styles to even their favourite food. Having never read any of the other books (although I have watched episodes of the TV series), it was easy to pick up the team politics and the book hints at past relationships.

The writing style is very descriptive and detailed – there are some very long paragraphs and I felt at times that Alan’s (Banks) train of thought was a little tedious to read. I imagine fans of the series would argue differently as after 20 odd books, the reader probably craves to know even more about their fictional hero.

To wrap up – I thought this was an interesting read with a complex plot but I’m not sure I will be grabbing any more of the books anytime soon.

Until next time, Chloé x