Review: Brilliant Crime Novel, Definite Page-Turner
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 20, 2013
Van Holt's novel begins immediately, and continues to be action-packed for the rest of the story.  Set right after the American Civil War, this is a murder mystery with many plot twists and complex character interactions.  The protagonist, Jeff Braden, is a southerner who fought for the Union during the war, and now must face the repercussions of this decision.  Driven by the mystery of who killed his family, Braden must interact with old enemies and new acquaintances to uncover the killer's identity.With a running theme of "if you trust anyone, you may live to regret it," Van Holt writes a complicated, multi-dimensional novel about murder, kidnapping, and the obstacles that stem from following one's moral code. With each chapter, you learn more about the characters' backstories, and learn emotional sides of even the most sinister people.  Be warned, there are a lot of characters and names in the book, which may be confusing at times, but as long as you closely follow Van Holt's writing, you will be fine.The main draw-back to this book is how Van Holt often jumps ahead in time without going into much detail about what happened during that gap.  It makes for awkward transitions, but if you can get past that, then the rest of the book is a page-turner that has a multi-faceted approach to the common murder mystery.  I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more of Van Holt's writing.