Review: Ann Mullen did better in her previous book Middle River Murders
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2013
I enjoyed it. Once you get to know the Blackhawk family, you are hooked, but there were things that bothered me in Greene County Killer. Her portrayal of Jesse was not nearly as colorful. In this book, she is not so different from the protagonist in any female detective novel. In her previous book, we meet someone quirky, perhaps someone we could be. The story itself was great, pacing right on, but there was a lot of dialogue that didn't ring as true. Reaction to the death of a family member lacked dimension, and who would giggle when they were faced with the probability of a hostage situation in their home where their two children were? That scene would have been tense...it was awkward. Finally, I love that the author writes about her Native American family without hampering herself with a lot of cumbersome political correctness but if you are going to choose to write about a specific tribe, accuracy in history and tradition has a place. For instance, Cherokee Indians never lived in tee-pees. That was a shelter employed by the nomadic Plains Indians. A sense of National pride would keep that stuff authentic even while the other teasing and banter rings true. All in all, an exciting story. I just hope Mullen slows down and gives us more of her very best work.