Review: A Gripping and Entertaining Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 14, 2011
I finished this book the other night - well, rather in the early morning hours because I couldn't possibly put it down before having finished it.That alone should give you a vague idea as to what I think about this book.First and foremost I want to admit that I've pretty much enjoyed every book by Josh Lanyon that I've read, so far. He writes great mysteries.This one is no exception - although I'm usually not really a fan of historical fiction.I really enjoyed the mystery aspect in "Snowball in Hell" and I couldn't figure out for sure who was to blame for the murder.It was quite a suspenseful and engrossing read.There is a romantic involvement between the investigating police officer and a reporter, who also happens to be the main suspect. But this book isn't a romance per se. It's a romantic mystery. So, the romance isn't the centre of the plot, and it, admittedly, felt somewhat short or rushed at times.I guess, I would have preferred to get to know both MCs a bit better, to read a bit more about the internal struggle - which both MC obviously had plenty of, given the time the plot takes place in.After all, it's 1943 and Matt, as a man of the law is violating the same simply by loving another man (and acting on those feelings). Of course, he isn't exactly delighted with those feelings. But other than that, we don't really learn much about him in this regard.We get a more detailed insight into Nathan's, the reporter, issues - but again, not enough, at least in my opinion..The book wasn't that long, so I think it wouldn't have hurt to go into more details in these premises.On the other hand, "Snowball in Hell" seems to be (or at least was supposed to be) the 1st book of the series "Doyle and Spain". A sequel could possibly concentrate more on these things. But since this book has been published in 2007 chances are that there won't be a sequel, sadly.Or does anyone know otherwise?Overall, this was a gripping mystery with a nice romantic subplot. I recommend it.