Review: Plenty of suspects
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 2, 2011
Nailedis a very good read.The plot manages to be original and gripping without being preposterous or overly gory. The main plot pits the police against a murderer who seems on the surface to have a racial message, crucifying a black man. The victim turns out to be a minister whose life is apparently above reproach, so perhaps the murderer is driven by some religious motive. Or perhaps it's a personal crime, most likely related to the victim's father, who has made more than his share of enemies on his way to becoming a corrupt televangelist. At the same time, a mountain lion is attacking people in the area, wherever he can find easy prey. While the police investigate the murder, the game warden pursues the renegade cat with help from others.The characters are varied and well developed. The police chief, a white man, and the deputy chief, a black man, are both ex LA policemen who have helped each other through tough spots in the past. They work well together, but not completely without occasional stresses. Since this case involves a murdered black man, some mild racial tension arises between them. The third protagonist is a game warden, a woman, adding a romantic interest which is handled in a fairly mild way. All three protagonists are likable, generally moral people.Goldstrike is a small, scenic mountain community with a mix of ordinary folks and a well-to-do upper crust. The town, like many in the US, has a minority of blacks and a majority of whites that have a range of (seldom-visible) racial attitudes that are forced into the open under the current circumstances. The dual threat to the community ignites a climate of fear and suspicion.The list of suspects grows as the investigation progresses, and each seems to have sufficient motive to have committed the crime. At one time or another, the reader will probably suspect every one of them, so the solution of the crime is masked quite well. At the same time, the outcome seems reasonable and satisfying.Racial themes are handled fairly realistically. The attitudes extend from sincerely color-blind (as far as we can tell) to deeply prejudiced, on both sides of the racial divide. I suspect the reader will spend a little time mulling where he stands in the spectrum of prejudice. The religious subtext is very minor, and there is no attempt to deal in depth with religious issues.The plot is developed with meticulous attention to detail, and I'd rate the book excellent in this respect. However, in terms of overall credibility, I think the large aspects of the plot are a little less believable. For example, the motives of the murderer don't seem adequate to motivate the crucifixion, which seems to me to require a more deranged mind than is seen in the killer's character.Overall, I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a very well written murder mystery.