Title: Bad Wolf (Bodenstein & Kirchhoff #6)
Author: Nele Neuhaus
Translator: Steven T. Murray
Read by: Robert Faas
Category: Mystery
Audio published: January 21, 2014 by Blackstone Audio
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Add: Goodreads
Purchase: Audible | Amazon | Book Depository
I’m having trouble deciding what to say about Bad Wolf. I looked back at my comments on “Little Red Riding Hood” and Perrault’s moral struck me. “I say ‘wolf,’ but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all.” The wolves in Bad Wolf are that kind, preying on children while maintaining a respectable façade. These wolves have power and money and are well-connected, and very definitely dangerous.
I didn’t find this one as gripping as the first I listened to, Snow White Must Die. Part of the problem, I think, is that they’re being translated out of order. We have two so far, but in the actual series, they are #4 and #6, so we miss a lot of the character building. Granted, each book is has a self-contained mystery, but Pia and Bodenstine’s personal lives are touched on, and Pia’s home life plays a major part toward the end of Bad Wolf. I never felt connected to them though. Also, the I found the major plot points on the predictable side. There were no real surprises – alright maybe one, but it was more of an “I can’t believe people can be that awful.”
It’s a decent police procedural, but not outstanding. The subject matter, abuse of children, may be too tough for some people although those particular crimes are not described in any kind of detail. The violence against adult women, however, is rather graphic and horrifying.
Robert Faas read the previous one in the series I listened to also. I like listening to foreign mysteries; I like the way places and names sound. Faas as a reader does a good job. He adds to the story and doesn’t get in the way. The characters were easy to differentiate for the most part, even though there are a lot of them. There are several different story lines at the beginning, each with its own set of characters, and it takes a while for them to all pull together.
I guess the question is, should you go out and pick it up? Maybe. It didn’t live up to my expectations, but I wasn’t horribly disappointed either.
Bodenstein & Kirchhoff series
- Eine unbeliebte Frau [An Unpopular Woman]
- Mordsfreunde [Murder Friends]
- Tiefe Wunden [Deep Wounds]
- Snow White Must Die
- Wer Wind sät [Those Who Sow the Wind]
- Bad Wolf
Several mystery/fantasy books out on the Snow White and fairy tale theme. Have read Cinder or Scarlet or Cress as yet?
Harvee
Book Dilettante
No, I haven’t. I do have Cinder waiting on my shelf though.
I’ve discovered I like books like that better in print than on audio. Maybe I’ll give them a try that way.
I am waiting for the series to at least have a book 1 before trying. I have a lot of other stuff happening anyway.
I don’t understand when they translate series books out of order, like the Nebo books. Makes me want to wait until I can get them ALL in order.
Yeah, I don’t know why they do that. On the other hand, maybe they start with the best, the major hit to get people hooked. I know there have been some series I’ve read where the first was only mediocre and didn’t compel me to read the rest.