Review: Another great Peter Brichter mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
I don't usually like books told from multiple views. They can be confusing if not handled correctly. But "Ashes to Ashes" turned out to be so well crafted I wasn't in the least bit irritated with the view point changes. In fact it opened up a new avenue for the novel's plot.The novel begins with an arson. Arson investigators discover a murder victim in the burned building and this is how Peter Brichter becomes involved. There is now an arson investigation and a murder investigation. As in a standard mystery, there are several murder suspects that have to be investigated and eliminated to find the real murderer. It also needs to be determined if the arson and murder are related."Ashes to Ashes" diverges from the standard mystery in that there are several sub-plots which revolve around various characters. These sub-plots don't detract from the novel and instead give us character-trait motivated characters. This makes the characters seem more "real" and adds to our involvement with them.The novel is told primarily from Peter Brichter's point of view, but with an occasional switch to (this isn't a spoiler as all the characters know) a "dirty" cop's point of view. The interaction between these two is one of the sub-plots. It gives us a look inside how the fictional police department works. There are other sub-plots that serve to give us insight into the workings of the characters' relationships with each other.I'd recommend this book for the reader who isn't just interested in car chase, bang-bang mystery novels, but instead wants to get to know and like (or dislike) the characters.