∎ [PDF] The Calling Hazel Micallef Inger Ash Wolfe 9780151013470 Books

The Calling Hazel Micallef Inger Ash Wolfe 9780151013470 Books

Download As PDF : The Calling Hazel Micallef Inger Ash Wolfe 9780151013470 Books

The Calling Hazel Micallef Inger Ash Wolfe 9780151013470 Books

This police procedural takes place in a small town in Ontario, Canada, and combines good to excellent writing, well developed, believable and interesting characters, a very nicely convoluted plot, and some excellently nail biting suspense. It has an almost low key element that simply highlights both the elemental horror of the crimes, and the excellent work of those who are trying to discover why a serial is making a murderous progress across Canada, preay8ng on people who live in small towns with even smaller police forces, and have one other very important thing in common. I found it an extremely satisfying read, and after a certain point, found myself unable to put the book down, even to be go to bed at a sensible hour.


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The Calling Hazel Micallef Inger Ash Wolfe 9780151013470 Books Reviews

This has got to be one of the creepiest serial killer novels I have read, easily ranking up there with Boris Starling's "Messiah", Val McDermid's "Mermaids Singing" and Mo Hayder's "The Treatment". Also just as gruesome in its descriptiveness, thanks to the potent writing of Inger Ash Wolfe (a pseudonym) which easily elevates this entry from the hundreds of serial killers novels proliferating out there in the library crime book shelves. If you do not like your novels graphic, please stay away from this!

The writing also paints a number of memorable characters, in particular the central figure Det. Insp. Hazel Micallef, a woman in her sixties with real life issues in her personal and professional lives. In other such novels the female lead character would be provided with a strong male counterpart to soften her up and provide some unnecessary romance. Also destined to stay in one's memory is the killer, Simon, a man with a particular calling. It is quite a feat to make such a grotesque character believable without crossing the line to the far fetched and the ridiculous. It will be interesting to see if the author can duplicate this superior effort for her next book.

In short this is a literary novel (in the best sense) that keeps one turning the pages until the story reaches to its inevitable ending. Highly recommended!
Summary, no spoilers

At the beginning of this book, we are introduced to Hazel Micallef, the chief of police in a small town in Ontario, Canada. She is 61, divorced, and she lives with her feisty and funny 87 year old mother, Emily, the former mayor of this town.

Hazel's police duties usually involve her dealing with small town antics, but she now finds herself investigating the gruesome death of a local elderly woman - a woman who suffered from cancer, and who also happened to be the woman that Hazel's father had an affair with, years earlier.

Hazel and her small group of officers end up investigating this crime, and find out that it is the work of a serial killer.

In alternating chapters, we get the story told to us, from the point of view of Hazel, the killer, and from the detectives and victims. We also get to read about the competitiveness and jealousy between the different police departments and agencies, and the problems Hazel faces with her own detectives, and the local newspaper editor, as well.

The ending is satisfying, and interesting, albeit with one reservation, which I'll explain, below.

Hazel Micallef is just a terrifc charcter, She is no cardboard cut-out she's tough, smart, vulnerable, and yet we see her suffer the indigntiies of aging, as well. (She has a bad back, among other things.) Like I said in the heading, I can just see Helen Mirren play her part in any movie version, of this novel.

The only reason this book did not get 5 stars (and I almost gave it 5 stars for Hazel's part alone), was because I had problems with a part of plot - the killer's actions did not seem consistant with his motives, but rather to add to the gore factor.

I can't say more than that without writing a spoiler. But I do want to say that I did enjoy this book, and I do thouroughly recommend it. I look forward to reading another book by this author, and I have my fingers crossed it will be featuring a certain 61 year old chief of police...
I found Hazel Micallef to be a compelling and complex lead character. Her efforts to discover the identity of a serial killer, unravel his pattern, and stop his killing spree were thwarted equally by the killer and her off-site commander who is determined to see her fail.
Supreme suspense. The intrigue compelled me to keep "turning" the electronic pages. If the book was more intense, I would have been exhausted when I finished it. The characters are believable, the villain(s) hateful, but deviously intelligent. I think that the book has received some one or two star ratings because of the gory descriptions of victims, though Wolfe does not overdo it in my opinion. Can't think of any other reason. This is my first sampling of Wolfe's writings, and it will not be my last. Too often, I can "figure out" the plot. Not on this one!
I really liked having Hazel a 61 year-old mature woman as the protagonist instead of the typical 28-35 year old "beautiful" policewoman with whom mystery writers are so enamored. Hazel and her mother are a good team, and can be quite funny. I gave my review four stars because I couldn't give it three and a half. I never did really understand WHY the killer was going to all the trouble to rearrange the victim's mouths, despite the interesting religious references and what was with the internet shopping the killer wanted his victims to do? The way one detective character, a supposed good guy, assaults the poor woman picking up the mail was bad enough, but then he tampers with evidence, and actually kidnaps her.
This police procedural takes place in a small town in Ontario, Canada, and combines good to excellent writing, well developed, believable and interesting characters, a very nicely convoluted plot, and some excellently nail biting suspense. It has an almost low key element that simply highlights both the elemental horror of the crimes, and the excellent work of those who are trying to discover why a serial is making a murderous progress across Canada, preay8ng on people who live in small towns with even smaller police forces, and have one other very important thing in common. I found it an extremely satisfying read, and after a certain point, found myself unable to put the book down, even to be go to bed at a sensible hour.