By Douglas Skelton

Tag- You’re Dead by Douglas Skelton is a book that surrounds the character of Dominic Queste who is a private investigator of sorts. As he is looking for a butcher by the name of Sam Price he realises that everything is much more dangerous that first thought and he is brought into a killers game. A simple favour has turned into his nightmare very quickly and he must play by the killers rules or be killed himself.

When I first started reading this book I was unsure if I was going to like it as the initial blurb didn’t necessarily catch my attention but upon reading it I have found that I in fact liked it a lot. The book is well  structures which always helps as it is laid out in short chapters. I prefer this structure when it comes to books as it shows constant progress and allows me to set goals whilst reading. The story itself is well thought out and portrayed well. The storyline has a lot of factors which you would assume to be quite a confusing read however I didn’t see this as the case. I do however feel as though the story was rushed. I didn’t get the time to fully understand the characters and be aware of their part in the book and in each others life before the action began. I would have preferred a longer book and further exploration of the characters and why the are the way they are. Even though I have said this it is the second in a series and I have read them in the wrong order due to it being a gift but I think that the character should still be explores slightly more so those who come across this book first understand more.

Although the characters were not explored in as much depth as I would have preferred  I liked the main character. Dominic Queste is someone who goes through life using jokes and smart comments to get him by. This allows humour to be present in the book which I feel is one of the reasons the book is likeable. Even although this is the case he can be serious when necessary (even if that’s very little). This comedic personality allows for his interactions with the other characters, especially with those against him and the police, to be interesting and take a serious problem within the book and a light hearted aspect. The character has been written well and this allows him to be likable.

Overall, I would recommend this book to people who enjoy crime novels and to those who would like to start reading this genre as although there are serious events and deaths there is a comedic aspect within the characters which allows for a good balance. I enjoyed this book and would love to read another book by this author as I feel it is well written and well structured.

Many thanks, Caitlin x

(PS please feel free to comment if you have read this book or one similar)