Review: Intelligent, Interesting British Procedural - 4.5 stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 1, 2013
Private Investigator Dylan Scott's strong-willed mother asks him to take on the case of Aleksander Kaminski, the son of one of her friends. Kaminski has been found guilty of murdering his ex-wife Carly and is now in jail, resigned to his fate. It seems to have been an open and shut case and only Kaminski's parents and his current wife, Sue, are convinced of his innocence. Dylan does a little digging and there are things about the case against Kaminski that don't add up. Dylan finds it hard to refuse his mother and he can also use the money since he has a newborn baby to support. Although Dylan decides to investigate, he isn't sure himself if he is doing it to prove his client's innocence or to prove the incompetence of the policemen who originally made the case against Kaminski.I enjoy British mysteries and even though this is the first I have read by author Shirley Wells, it won't be the last! I really enjoyed this complex, engrossing mystery. Dylan Scott is no longer a police detective and is faced with adjusting to a new career as a private investigator at the same time he is dealing with a newborn baby and a wife who may be experiencing post-partum depression. Avid readers will appreciate the scene when Dylan finally accepts something is wrong with his wife Bev when she said she couldn't find anything in her large collection of books that she felt like reading.In addition to the interesting characters, the mystery itself as to who killed the beautiful and passionate Carly kept my interest. There is a good balance in the book between the investigation and Dylan's personal life, and I enjoyed the blend of the two. The solution to the murder was hinted at, but came as a surprise to me and I liked that the ending wasn't predictable. The excellent book could have been even better if some of the most dramatic events in the book, such as the disappearance of a character and Bev's apparent depression, hadn't been solved so abruptly. I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just say after a slow build to some of the events throughout the book, I would have liked to experience more of the occurrences at the end of the story in more detail instead of the way everything was quickly wrapped up.Even though the ending seemed a bit rushed, I am glad all loose ends in the story were tied up. After getting to know the characters in this book, Silent Witness, it left me eager to read more by this author. Fans of British procedurals with complex, likable characters, like those of Deborah Crombie or Cynthia Harrod-Eagles will enjoy this exceptional book.This review was originally written for The Season EZine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.