Book info

• Title The Calling
• Author Neil Cross
• Year 2011
• Genre Mystery

Meet DCI John Luther in the prequel to the epic series Luther, starring Golden Globe winner Idris Elba. He's a murder detective. A near-genius. He's brilliant; he's intense; he's instinctive. He's obsessional. He's dangerous. DCI John Luther has an extraordinary clearance rate. He commands outstanding loyalty from friends and colleagues. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. And yet there are rumours that DCI Luther is bad – not corrupt, not on the take, but tormented. Luther seethes with a hidden fury that at times he can barely control. Sometimes it sends him to the brink of madness, making him do things he shouldn't; things way beyond the limits of the law. The Calling takes us into Luther's past and into his mind. It is the story of the case that tore his personal and professional relationships apart and propelled him over the precipice. Beyond fury, beyond vengeance. All the way to murder...

Thoughts

This is so good. If you’re a fan of Luther, you’ll love this prequel to the first TV series. Written by the same author, it shows the events leading up to Luther’s first appearance on screen, and thus goes some way to explain his actions in that first series.

It’s short, sharp, bristling with tension and anger, confusion, betrayal and generally a sense of foreboding and doom. It casts Luther as the bad guy - the one at the end of the horror film, calmly walking after victims knowing that he’ll get his way in the end. And yet, as we all know, flawed as Luther may be, he’s also brilliant.

Not much else to add without big spoilers, but it’s graphic and brutal so read with caution, but if you can bear it, definitely read.

Rating: 5 / 5