Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Running Girl- Simon Mason- Thrilling and Tense with Terribly Tricky Characters

Reading Running Girl was like watching an episode of CSI! One must read to keep up with the investigation and not watch. Now, I am aware that some of you might be thinking, 'Um no thanks. Hate crime.' but I can assure you that this book will come to most of your liking with its extremely quirky and peculiar characters, and wild goose chase of an investigation. When buying the book, I knew that it would be very different to the desired summer reads I wanted to occupy myself with throughout the summer, and that's exactly what it was, different. Last week, before I had started the book, I had found myself wanting a break from all the lovey dovey, perfect scenario, #relationshipgoals type books that I had read all summer, so I savoured Running Girl and finished it within 3 days. 

Simon Mason has really created a masterpiece of a character with the protagonist, Garvie Smith. I've never read a book with a main character as eccentric and interesting as Garvie. Normally, I enjoy reading books with characters I find I can easily relate to, but that wasn't the case this time. Garvie's immensely curious and capricious character made the book funny and there were moments when I had to close the book in bewilderment at his actions. However, Garvie wasn't the only out of the ordinary character in the book, almost all the characters had unique and unusual aspects to them. In my opinion, it was the characters' strong influence on the book that made me enjoy it.


Garvie couldn't care less about school and his grades. His nights are spent out in the park with his dodgy friends, some of whom are robbers committing petty theft, and druggies. He really should be doing his homework and studying for his GCSEs. Garvie is unlike many teenage boys; instead of caring about the usual, sports and girls, everything to Garvie is a mathematical problem waiting for a solution. But life sucks at the moment, and Garvie is yearning for some excitement. Fortunately, he gets what he wants, possibly a bit too much...

Chloe Dow's, his ex girlfriend's, body is pulled out of the lake and DI Singh is immediately on the case. Chloe, blonde, beautiful but very mischievous, is a draw for male predators, both within school and out. Garvie, being Garvie, can't help but be excited and soon begins woking on the case himself. Treating Chloe's death like a game, he goes to great extents to solve the case and find her killer. 


Always one step ahead of DI Singh, Garvie and his somewhat rebellious ways cause him to always end up in hot water. His curiosity and knowledge are often confused for arrogance, making his relationship with Singh a little rocky, which is not good if you are willing to fall foul with the law. By using his photographic memory, conducting his own interviews and making use of his 'famous mental ability', Garvie is soon exposing the truth behind the secrets in his town. 

Just when you think the case is solved, a new suspect or scenario comes into the picture. The book is filled with twist and turns and constantly kept me on my toes. Running Girl was definitely a good book, but the many suspects and the constant change in events often left me a little confused. I would definitely recommend this book to others but it wouldn't come to mind first. Yet, it was certainly worth the read! 


Xo,
Kiki