Review: Terrific, Intelligent Mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 9, 2010
Plot/Storyline: 4 3/4 StarsThis was not a "figure it out" mystery with clues dropped for the reader to ascertain what is going on. It was one-half police procedural and one-half thriller with a regular guy trying to figure out the clues.The book has an outstanding opening sentence that automatically made me want to read further. However, the first scene suffered to provide it, as the author(s) had to backtrack to "fill-in". This backtracking was not very well done and caused a little confusion.The story progressed at a pretty fast clip, taking me along for the ride at a fast trot. New twists kept the story interesting with no filler added. The book also managed to give an interesting view of capital punishment without ever becoming `preachy'.I found the mystery to be well-planned and well-executed in the writing. However, my first thought when the nefarious person (or persons) were uncovered was, "Why go to all that trouble?" I didn't feel the author addressed that question in enough depth.I'm still trying to decide if I liked the dual scenes at the end of the book. It certainly kept me enthralled, but I think that it could have been better told linearly. I kept trying to picture it as a movie with cut-scenes/flashbacks, and that almost worked.Character Development: 5 StarsWill was a very nicely developed character that any reader could empathize with somewhat. I do admit to wondering at times, "Do all young, black (or African American, if you prefer, but I'm old...LOL) degreed professionals really think in terms of so much slang?" However, I can't take off for that because I, of course, have no idea what goes on in the minds of others. Also, it was relatively believable and gave Will's character more depth.Sam, the lead detective on the case, was also a very good character. She was pretty and smart, without being a model or a genius. In other words, she was `real'.My favorite character is actually the little old German lady. I was amazed at how well the author(s) portrayed the "German attitude." I lived in Germany for three years and found many Germans to be of similar personality as this woman.Writing Style: 5 StarsThe sentence structuring is excellent thoughout the book. One thing I did not find here was a disparity between chapters that belied the fact that there were two authors. I could not tell who wrote what, which made me wonder if only one wrote while the other had ideas? Either way, the writing flowed smoothly from beginning to end.The dialogue was filled with rich voices, giving each person their own distinct one. The descriptions were vivid, almost too much so when describing certain scenes.Editing: 4 3/4 StarsAlthough the grammatical editing was of professional caliber, I have to mark this section down a bit because of the dead man talking at the end. Yes, there is a scene with a man named Finch, but "Lynch" seems to change facial expressions and talk several times. Unfortunately, "Lynch" is the dead man that Will framed himself for killing in the beginning of the book, so I was pretty certain that he wasn't chatting it up with the cops at the end of the book. It was pretty funny.Rating: R for Graphic Violence, Blood, Gore, Adult Situations****This review was originally posted on my blog. The author has stated that he has corrected the "name problem" I discussed in the "Editing" Section."****