adults shouldn't play with dolls.

Author : David Hewson
Title : The House of Dolls
Published : 25/09/14
Pages : 448
Format : Paperback
Publisher : Pan

     Anneliese Vos, sixteen-year-old daughter of Amsterdam detective, Pieter Vos, disappeared three years ago in mysterious circumstances. Her distraught father's desperate search reveals nothing and results in his departure from the police force. Pieter now lives in a broken down houseboat in the colourful Amsterdam neighbourhood of the Jordaan. Laura Bakker, a misfit trainee detective from the provinces, visits him. She’s come to tell him that Katja Prins, daughter of an important local politician, has gone missing in circumstances similar to Anneliese.

     David Hewson's the House of dolls Sounds like an interesting prospect. A detective brought out of his own retirement in a case the shadows the disappearance of his own daughter. The beat up and tired detective is one I've read many times before. It work for the most part. Teamed up with the new recruit how doesn't seem to fit in. The story being set in Amsterdam seems like an add bonus as its not a setting I've read before.

     The author seems to have taken care in creating these charters and the world he has put them in. the matching of characters to play of one another in this high stakes game.   Vos and Bakker work well as the odd couple. Vos has the need to finally solve the disappearance of his daughter. For which he blames him self. And Bakker trying to find her place in the police force. The story takes place scattered across this city tying in the charters to actual locations. The supporting cast Are what you would come to except from this style of book even down to the boss shouting at vos to get his act together.

     Hewson writing flows well for the most part and he does a good job with the way the charters inhabit the story. From his use of the corruption local politics to the trafficking of underage girls. These are the darker elements of stories that usually intrigue me. There are some genuine elements that you will find disturbing. Its almost like he went throught a check list to make sure all the elements where there at the right moments.

     There seems to be a problem for me with this book. Whilst it is technically a good book I just couldn't get in to it try as I might there just seemed to be something wrong for me. The story I suppose is nothing new I've seen these theme come up in a hand full of book. I realise this is the first in the series an maybe they get better as the books move on but for me this was a bit of a dud.