- ASIN: B09SBQHSFR
- Language: English
- Print length: 332 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN: B09S6WBCLT
- Genre: International Mystery & Crime Fiction
The BookViral Review:
Best-selling crime authors regularly dissect religion in ways that are palatable to readers looking for escapism, and that’s exactly what Bradley does in his latest release Darkness in Cordoba. The fifth novel in his wonderfully entertaining Andalusian Mystery Series.
A contemporary whodunit that respects the subgenre Bradley never forgets that the best crime novels require both head and heart and in Detective Inspector Leon Prado he gives us both, in an appealingly polished lead, along with something profound to say about the darker elements of religion that have rippled across the centuries.
Recalling a time when readers could still be surprised by such mysteries, before the genre devolved into a corny facsimile of itself, Bradley keeps us guessing, which is good, but the thing that makes this a better crime novel than most isn’t the complexity or big ideas but the fact he’s managed to rig his narrative to ensure it doesn’t distract from the mystery or ensemble.
Indeed, one of the challenges for authors in the genre is ensuring the mystery doesn’t take second place to its characters to the point it is teetering dangerously on the edge of caricature. And to this end, Bradley lays the task squarely on Prado’s shoulders — having him fill in all the broad strokes with his astute powers of observation – but Prado wouldn’t be the success he is without the continuing contributions of ex-British soldier Phillip Armitage, and American videographer Amanda Salisbury and it’s the combination of all three that packs the real emotional punch. Particularly in the wake of Amanda’s kidnapping and her uncertain future at the hands of the sinister Hermandad de Corpus Puro.
Another superb release in Bradley’s Andalusian Mystery Series Darkness in Cordoba is sure to be enthusiastically received and is highly recommended!