The Pain of Strangers: Killing Them Since 1987 (CSI Eddie Collins Book 1)

I read the synopsis for ‘The Pain Of Strangers’ and it certainly sounded rather intriguing. I couldn’t wait to dive in and so without further ado I settled down for what proved to be one hell of a read and then some. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Pain Of Strangers’ but more about that in a bit.‘The Pain Of Strangers’ is the first book in the series featuring Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) Eddie Collins. This isn’t the first time that I have met him though. I read and loved the last book of the series and so I decided to read the series from the start and in order. Eddie is certainly an intriguing character and then some. He isn’t perfect and he would be the first one to admit it. He has his problems and in this book his marriage is hanging by a thread. Eddie seems to love his work and often his personal life suffers due to his professional life taking over and that is part of the problem. Eddie does have a sense of right and wrong and he often goes the extra mile for the victims of crime and their families. Eddie can be a grumpy pain in the bottom at times but he can also be quite funny.It didn’t take me long to get into ‘The Pain Of Strangers’ which has a lot to do with the fact that the lead character is a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI). Crime Scene Investigation is certainly interesting and something that I am fascinated by. I made the fatal mistake of starting to read this book shortly before I went to bed which was a huge mistake. Let’s just say that bedtime was postponed and I had a ‘lack of sleep’ hangover the following morning but it was so worth it. I found reading this book became addictive and the story stayed in my mind whether I had the book in my hand or not. I had my own theories as to what was going to happen and so I had to keep reading to discover if I was anywhere near the truth or if I had the wrong end of the stick entirely. The more of the story that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘The Pain Of Strangers’ and I had to leave Eddie Collins behind. I found ‘The Pain Of Strangers’ to be a gripping gritty and at times brutal unputdownable page turner of a read, that kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.‘The Pain Of Strangers’ is superbly written and then some. The fact that the author is a CSI himself makes the story seem that bit more authentic and real. The author certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a read and then some. For me the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. Reading ‘The Pain Of Strangers’ felt like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns to it than you would find on a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ board. Just when you thought that you could take a moment to gather your thoughts, take a breather and reclaim your stomach then off the action would go again. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves and at the heart of the action.In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Pain Of Strangers’ and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Andrew’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

If you are new to this series (ignoring the fact that - where have you been?) this is the first book and it introduces one of the best series lead characters in Eddie Collins, CSI. If you are familiar with this series (you have great taste) then you might be a bit confuzled. Well, for reasons that I'm not going into here, this book replaces The Third Rule as the opener and introduction to Eddie. You need to know that before you read it, otherwise your mind might explode... OK, housework over...Eddie is a maverick. He sometimes blurs the line, other times he bulldozes his way right through it and beyond. It is the latter path he takes when he is called to forensicate the scene of a burglary. An old man has been robbed of what little he has. Eddie could of course let the wheels of justice turn but he thinks they'll turn too slow, veer off course, or just stall completely. And none of that gets the man fed or his bus pass back. So he takes things into his own hands...Back in the past we witness the assault of a young mother in front of her children. A cashpoint robbery gone wrong. Leaving two young children motherless...How do these connect? If indeed they do? Well... I'm not going to tell you. You'll need to read the book to find all that out. Needless to say that Eddie is at his cantankerous best. But, if you can focus and get things straight, what with this being a new opener, you'll see the things that shaped the man you already know and, well, kinda, sorta, have a soft spot for. We also have a plethora of familiar faces and I was especially excited to witness the first meeting of Eddie and Benson.But the main thing I love about this series is still very much front and centre. If you didn't already know, the author of this series is a serving CSI himself. So, you could say he knows his stuff. He also knows to keep it real but also manage to keep the story going rather than getting all bogged down in the details. It's informative and educational as well as being exciting and thrilling. It's a balance that this author excels at.This all means that the storyline gets on with itself very well indeed, with no superfluous waffle or padding to slow things down. Every word used really is needed and, on occasion, abused in the name of comedy. Did I mention that there are some really great funny moments herein. Some lighthearted but occasionally it veers into the dark zone with some excellent black humour. The story itself is extremely well plotted and executed and had me running round in circles chasing my tail as I tried to work it all out.Characterisation completes the trifecta of needs in my reading matter, and here again, the author excels himself. Every character irregardless of how big, or small, their part in the proceedings is well crafted and all come across as completely real.This is the first time I have come across an author replacing the first book in the series (you can read the full story on his website if you are interested) but I can see why he did it. And I have to agree with his motivations. It was a little strange for me to re-learn everything about such a cherished character of mine but it hasn't changed my opinion of both Eddie or the series. If you are new to it, and are still reading this review, do yourself a favour. Just get the book and give Eddie a whirl... he's an acquired taste but he's definitely worth a punt...

It's not for the faint hearted or those of a sensitive nature, but this book is up there with the best. It moves along at a rapid pace, with the bulk of the story taking place on the eventful evening. The cutting wit and comments of the lead character Eddie I found a joy to read. In parts of is gory. An extremely well written book.

Gripping intense and sometimes funny view in to the life of Eddie Collins, a CSI for Yorkshire. I bought this on a whim and recommendation from a reading group, and can't praise it enough. Thoroughly enjoyed it, so much so that I've just bought the next 5 books.