Luther: The Calling Luther: The Calling Luther: The Calling by Neil Cross is the first of three tie-in novels based on the BBC crime drama "Luther". The novel introduces the character of Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) John Luther. The novel is a prequel to the television series and focuses on the traumatic case involving a child killer named Henry Madsen. The novel expands on and explains several elements of the TV series, such as the breakup of the Luthers' marriage, and the corruption of DCI Ian Reed. The final events in the book mirror those portrayed at the start of Series 1 of
Luther (TV series) indicating "universal acclaim". However, "The Guardian"s Stuart Heritage was initially critical of the show, and compared it to the American series "FlashForward", in that both series arrived with a large amount of hype but delivered an anticlimactic end product. However, by the fifth episode, Heritage had changed his views and called it Idris Elba's best work since "The Wire". The show's second series was met with equally positive reviews and holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 12 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Luther delves into darker territory in its second series, and Idris Elba's outstanding performance