He is a genius detective with a mind that thinks outside the box compared to other detectives. He has mental issues caused by the stresses of his job and the evil he has seen. He is willing to bend the rules to stop the evil in his city. The other half is the acting of Idris Elba as Luther. Neil Cross’ writing is half of the successful formula for Luther.

So to make something totally original Cross made Luther a stew of some of the best detectives in literature, film and television. Cross made Luther a cross of the best of these two types of crime fiction and told the stories of Luther in the fashion of Columbo. The second type is the gritty, strong characters best exemplified by Phillip Marlowe(the side of the crime drama we love here at Everything Noir). There is the who done it detective that is out to show how smart they are by solving the puzzle, best exemplified by Sherlock Homes.

He says most crime/mystery characters fall into one of two types of characters. Cross wanted to write an original character that was different from what we normally see. This series is written by novelist Neil Cross. John Luther is a compelling character.Luther is a television series from BBC about a brilliant, but very troubled police detective. series, I’m sure you will love this fast paced crime novel about a “slightly” rogue policeman. I suppose I wanted the same characters, but a different plot! However, if you haven’t watched the T.V.

version, but the novel was so familiar that I felt vaguely disappointed. Portraying the characters on paper after they had been brought to life by a talented group of actors is an interesting idea. Neil Cross wrote “The Calling” after he had written the screen play for the televised version and it certainly works as a novel. It is the story of the case that tore his personal and professional relationships apart and propelled him over the precipice. The Calling, the first in a new series of novels featuring DCI John Luther, takes us into Luther’s past and into his mind. Sometimes it sends him to the brink of madness, making him do things he shouldn’t things way beyond the limits of the law. But Luther seethes with a hidden fury that at times he can barely control. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. He commands outstanding loyalty from friends and colleagues. He’s dangerous.ĭCI John Luther has an extraordinary clearance rate.

The Calling by Neil Cross