Review of The International detective

[Catherine Sweet]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The International detective" by Graham Oxley.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The International Detective by Graham Oxley is crime and mystery fiction. Oxley worked as a solicitor in Weston-Super-Mare and wrote his first novel after retiring.

Charlie Chivers used to be in the police force, working in the CID (Criminal Investigation Department). He left the CID ten years ago and became a private investigator. An old friend, Des O’Nighon, a detective chief inspector, asks Chivers to investigate recent occurrences of a man trying to abduct young girls. As the story unfolds, a young girl is abducted, and the investigation becomes a desperate search to find her. Throughout the book, Chivers and O’Nighon have meetings in their favourite public house and enjoy the beer and good food.

The characters and their relationships are well-developed. They seem like real people, and their feelings for others are believable. Chivers and O’Nighon are on the same wavelength and work well when they put their heads together. Two other characters, Lady Crossley and her maid Magda, are relatable and seem authentic. The backgrounds of Chivers, Lady Crossley and Magda gave depth to their characters.

The writing style flows and is enjoyable to read. I was immersed in the story and found the storyline and characters compelling. I enjoyed reading about Chivers’ investigations and his interactions with O’Nighon. There is an incident with Magda towards the end of the book where the reader doesn’t know what will happen. This scene was cleverly described and very tense.

Chivers has a calendar showing a topless girl who is about 15 years old, and this is mentioned a few times in the book. Although it is written about in a humorous way, not offensively, I think the book would be better without it.

This book would appeal to readers who enjoy crime and mystery fiction and enjoy reading about in-depth characters. I enjoyed reading this book for the reasons outlined in this review but I will take one star away for the calendar described above. I award this book 4 out of 5 stars.

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The International detective
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