Review: Original mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 23, 2012
A short mystery novel, this story is a little different from most standard mysteries, but in a good way.  Set in and around the Ligurian coastline of north western Italy, Laurent is hired to investigate the mysterious death of an environmental scientist working on pollution of the seas around the town of Imperia. Assisted by his girlfriend, Coren, and the scientist's friend, Maddalena, he has to avoid the attentions of assassin, Kuss, who is determined to cover his murderous past by killing Laurent.Characters are well-drawn, not stereotypical in any way and engaging.  Mr Ives writes with a light touch and details of Laurent and Coren's journeys from Chamonix to Liguria are well-described.  While the plot in itself is compelling, Mr Ives' style of writing lulls the reader into a false sense of security before exploding into action towards the end of the story.  Coren, Laurent's girlfriend, is resourceful, loyal and positive, while Laurent fights his own, personal demons throughout the narrative.This is the first in a series of stories and I look forward to reading more.