The Maze

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Maze is the eighth and latest book in the Detective John Corey series. I hadn't read any of the other books, so I was happy that this one stood fine on its own without requiring any previous knowledge.

The writing and pacing kept me reading and the plot was enjoyable, though predictable.

My main issue with the book lies with its main character, John Corey. He was fun for a while but became more and more difficult to like as the book progressed. I can't say for certain since I haven't read the earlier books in the series, but I'm going to guess that the character, who would have been your average cool detective two decades ago, hasn't evolved since he was first introduced back then. This is perfectly fine if the author is targeting a specific older generation to be his primary audience, but maybe not if he's looking to gain readers under the age of 50.

Criticism aside, I didn't dislike the book, I just wouldn't be interested in reading any of the others in this series.

I haven't read any part of this series, and after reading this book I don't want to read any more of it.

This book was excruciating to get through. John Corey was absolutely horrid, and I could not stand any part of him. I also couldn't stand the repetition of his big plan and how full of himself he was. I get that he's a big bad cop and he's famous for the things he has done but I don't need to hear about it every other word. Nor do I need to read him constantly mentioning himself in the third person.

I have seen mixed reviews from readers who have actually read the previous books in this series and how they can't stomach this one either. That has to say something about where this series is going and I'm neither interested in going back no forward with it.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Unfortunately this is not one that I recommend.