Review: A Great Introduction to a Unique Detective Duo
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 10, 2014
For fans of "The Zen Man", this novella provides a more comprehensive background story for Rick and Laura, the characters who have already captured your imagination. For newcomers to Colleen Collins’ mysteries, this is a perfect introduction to the full-length novel.In this short but suspenseful tale, Rick and Laura have planned their first romantic weekend together at a coroner’s conference. As if this weren’t bizarre enough, it also turns into their first murder case working together as a team. This story provides the genesis of the couple’s partnership both personally and professionally.Rick is a flawed, atypical hero and Laura often seems to be the glue of stability that prevents him from flying to pieces again. Rather than the standard "tall, dark, and handsome" hero, Rick is described as:“…short, graying, and presentable.”The skeletons from Rick’s past often come back to haunt him but, instead of attempting to hide the albatross that he wears around his neck, he doesn’t shy away from acknowledging its presence to his would-be detractors and he often manages to deflect an attack or even turn it in his favor. Rick is a complex character who is, all at once, damaged, smart, funny, hard-boiled, loving, and unpredictable.Indeed, the strong character developments in these books are just as intriguing as the great mystery plots. As an example, Collins describes the speech pattern of another character, Natalie, in this manner:“She’d always exaggerated her a’s…so whenever she said her name it sounded like a traffic jam of vowels butting up against consonants.”With this description, I could almost feel the Atlantic breeze kissing my face as I stood on a Connecticut shoreline listening to the chirpy nasality of a Yankee introduction. I love the way that Collins puts the reader into the story rather than just telling the story.Without giving away the ending, suffice it to say that it was a surprise to me…just as a good mystery should be! I eagerly await the next installment in what I hope will be an ongoing series.