{"id":168,"date":"2021-04-24T07:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-24T07:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/?p=168"},"modified":"2024-04-27T21:09:31","modified_gmt":"2024-04-27T19:09:31","slug":"perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Perfect<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Well, here we go again, another blonde chick with a psycho-thriller? Which, according to authoritative opinions (primarily my own), is the bottom of the barrel in crime literature. “-Why did you even bother, smarty pants?” Well, because I thought Perfect Remains was just a regular crime thriller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And indeed, half of Helen Fields’ book is exactly that: Inspector Callanach, exiled from Interpol to Scotland, has plenty of problems dealing with a serial killer and his own French accent.

The investigation starts promisingly, and based on the beginning, you’re sure the inspector will have his hands full with a wicked genius, but the chase for the culprit gradually loses its significance. Lacking ammunition, Fields tries to fill the void with side plots: a colleague’s case takes more space, then some romance pops up, and the inspector’s less-than-glamorous past comes to light.

The weakest parts of the book are the forced conflicts with colleagues, but aside from these few scenes, there’s not much wrong with Perfect Remains… until about halfway through the book, where the style starts to deteriorate, which is most evident during Superintendent Overbeck’s hysterical outbursts… later compounded by the addition of an irremovable amateur profiler, making the pursuit of Dr. King downright laughable and unprofessional. And Helen Fields’ book as well.

Parallel to the investigation, in chapters intended as psychological thrillers, you get a glimpse into Dr. King’s petty and pathetic mind. Evil genius, you say? Yeah, sure! He’s just a simple psychopath afflicted with inferiority complexes, getting himself deeper into trouble with his increasingly grandiose plans. The realistic description of the tortures committed by tricky Dr. King would be better suited for horror movies than crime novels. I wouldn’t be surprised if at the point when Dr. King demonstrates his autodidact knowledge of dentistry, some people would throw Fields’ psycho-thriller out the window in terror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end, the standard of Perfect Remains completely sinks: relatively intelligently written chapters alternate with logical somersaults (the cunning Dr. King bases his plan on an utterly unfounded assumption, which, darn it, works for him) and plot twists akin to shark jumps. When the old acquaintance appears at the “payroll” and also during the pathetic bargaining with the car dealer, it’s you who feels ashamed, deeply so, instead of Helen Fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.5\/10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect Remains (D.I. Callanach #1) by Helen Fields
416 pages, Paperback
Published in 2017 by AVON<\/a> (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, here we go again, another blonde chick with a psycho-thriller? Which, according to authoritative opinions (primarily my own), is the bottom of the barrel in crime literature. “-Why did you even bother, smarty pants?” Well, because I thought Perfect Remains was just a regular crime thriller. And indeed, half of Helen Fields’ book is … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[25,32],"class_list":["post-168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book","tag-crime","tag-psychological-thriller"],"yoast_head":"\nPerfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review - minimal-Critiques<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review - minimal-Critiques\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Well, here we go again, another blonde chick with a psycho-thriller? Which, according to authoritative opinions (primarily my own), is the bottom of the barrel in crime literature. “-Why did you even bother, smarty pants?” Well, because I thought Perfect Remains was just a regular crime thriller. And indeed, half of Helen Fields’ book is ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"minimal-Critiques\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-04-24T07:55:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-27T19:09:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dr. gunga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dr. gunga\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"dr. gunga\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7f4797b9a0ed9b656c3d969beb674b03\"},\"headline\":\"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-24T07:55:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-27T19:09:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/\"},\"wordCount\":402,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"crime\",\"psychological thriller\"],\"articleSection\":[\"book\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/\",\"name\":\"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review - minimal-Critiques\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-24T07:55:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-27T19:09:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7f4797b9a0ed9b656c3d969beb674b03\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg\",\"width\":324,\"height\":500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Kezd\u0151lap\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/\",\"name\":\"minimal-Critiques\",\"description\":\"A Book Review Blog\",\"alternateName\":\"minimal-Kri'ti:kZ\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7f4797b9a0ed9b656c3d969beb674b03\",\"name\":\"dr. gunga\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review - minimal-Critiques","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review - minimal-Critiques","og_description":"Well, here we go again, another blonde chick with a psycho-thriller? Which, according to authoritative opinions (primarily my own), is the bottom of the barrel in crime literature. “-Why did you even bother, smarty pants?” Well, because I thought Perfect Remains was just a regular crime thriller. And indeed, half of Helen Fields’ book is ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/","og_site_name":"minimal-Critiques","article_published_time":"2021-04-24T07:55:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-27T19:09:31+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"dr. gunga","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"dr. gunga","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/"},"author":{"name":"dr. gunga","@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7f4797b9a0ed9b656c3d969beb674b03"},"headline":"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review","datePublished":"2021-04-24T07:55:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-27T19:09:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/"},"wordCount":402,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg","keywords":["crime","psychological thriller"],"articleSection":["book"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/","url":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/","name":"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review - minimal-Critiques","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg","datePublished":"2021-04-24T07:55:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-27T19:09:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7f4797b9a0ed9b656c3d969beb674b03"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/helen-fields-perfect-remains-book-cover.jpg","width":324,"height":500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/perfect-remains-by-helen-fields-book-review\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Kezd\u0151lap","item":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Perfect Remains by Helen Fields \u2013 Book Review"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/","name":"minimal-Critiques","description":"A Book Review Blog","alternateName":"minimal-Kri'ti:kZ","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7f4797b9a0ed9b656c3d969beb674b03","name":"dr. gunga","sameAs":["http:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2173,"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions\/2173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}