Maeve Kerrigan Series
I was initially not thrilled with the first entry, The Burning. I read the first couple chapters, and realized that it seemed vaguely familiar because I had already read it maybe a year previous. But I remembered nothing about the story or characters, just a vague sense of familiarity.
I pushed ahead and finished it. I still can’t figure out if I had read it completely the first time or not. However, I liked it enough to dive into The Reckoning. There are a few new characters introduced, which bodes well. Since we mostly experience everything through Maeve, she needs a variety of people to interact with to deepen our understanding of her and her world.
Maeve, a young detective constable, is our main narrator. There is an occasional shift in perspective to her colleague, Rob. His turns at narration are much weaker than Maeve’s in The Reckoning, and I had to wonder why Casey felt the need to introduce this device.
Maeve is ambitious but not ruthless. Her struggles with the overt sexism rampant in the force show her to be smart, not easily cowed, and in control of her temper-most of the time.
I really like how Casey avoids major tropes of police officers. Maeve isn’t great with relationships, but it’s mainly because of her temperament–not because she is a cop. She isn’t bumbling. She doesn’t have a chip on her shoulder. Her life isn’t a disaster. She doesn’t seem to have some deep, dark secret hidden driving her to drink. In fact, perhaps my main complaint about Maeve so far is that she is defined best by what she isn’t. We don’t really have a sense of what makes her tick, and why. Yes, she does have a weary, overworked boss. Her new partner in The Reckoning is a sexist ass. But stereotypes exist because–well, because they DO exist.
There is not a strong sense of place. I constantly forgot where it was located–it really could have been London or any other major city in any other country
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The series is a solid police procedural with just enough about the officers’ personal lives to give a little depth to the main characters. But the focus remains on the crimes.
The series is well written. Maeve is likeable and relatable, as are most of the other characters. But don’t expect a high paced thriller or a deeply introspective narrative. I like it enough to have put The Last Girl (#3 in series) on hold at the library. This is a solid entry in detective fiction, easy to read, with room to grow.
Update November 2020: just finished The Last Girl. Yup–this is a series to follow! Really enjoyed this entry. We get a little more about Maeve and a little bit more about her relationship–but the story is first and foremost about the murders/crime and the police investigation. I’ve just downloaded the next one in the series. I’m a bit unhappy with the description; I hate it when primary characters are suspects and it looks like Maeve’s partner on the force is the primary suspect in this coming story. But I’m hooked so I’ll give it a try.
Update June 2021: yup. I’m completely addicted to this series. I’m now up to date and wish I’d slowed down so I could have spend more time enjoying these! Hope Casey puts a new one out soon!