DCI Luther to the Rescue?!? A Review of Neil Cross’ Luther: The Calling

As a fan of the BBC AND of Crime stories, Luther seemed like a perfect match for me to add to my digital ‘to do’ list. Streaming currently on Hulu Plus, I knew it was something I wanted to see—and boy, am I glad I did. Idris Elba, the man whom plays the titular character, plays a perfect tortured detective. He knows people, and he knows how they work. He has an almost preternatural sense when it comes to solving a crime. Luther: The Calling comes as a prequel to the riveting BBC series.

London is in uproar, someone has stolen a baby from the womb. Ace detective John Luther and his team of crack investigators try to follow the trail of a dangerous thief. But, when the baby turns up dead and the killer known as John Black pins it on the police, Luther takes it personally. And when ‘John Black’ escalates, killing a family and their au pair (but kidnapping their youngest daughter—leaving his son at the crime scene for dead), Luther has to use his own brand of justice to get the job done. He has two hours to track down the killer and find the buried girl before her air supply exhausts. Can Luther employ his creative techniques to do it, or will the death of another innocent be on his hands?

I was hooked on this story as soon as I found out it was available on Amazon (and other digital devices) for $1.99. I started reading it and savored it, reading it in three sessions. Neil Cross does an amazing job with this, stating that Luther was a screenplay before a book. And it ends with the very thing that Luther flashbacks to in the beginning of season one.

The story is riveting and a bit heart-pounding. There were times when I wanted to check and see if this actually happened in London. There is some violence to animals that I found to be excessive and terrible, but otherwise, I think fans of the BBC show, as well as fans of American crime tv, will find this exciting and worth the read.

I loved the way the character was developed throughout the story, and I love that this was a prequel to the series—I just hope there is some more.

Check out the book today. Do you have a show that has a novelization? Please share below.