Review: Has Promise
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 20, 2014
Some decisions are easier to make than others. The trick is to figure out ahead of time exactly how far you’re willing to go to reach your goals.This was my first introduction to this author’s work and it has whet my appetite for more. Mr. Power did quite well at introducing this reader to his characters through a series of subtle hints about their personalities that are sprinkled throughout fast-paced plots.“The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife” has a strong, intriguing premise, but I had trouble piecing together some of the clues the narrator provides about what is happening. A few of them seem to be mutually contradictory, and I would have preferred to see more time explaining how all of them fit together. I don’t know if the author intends to write a sequel to this tale, but I would be quite interested in reading one if it is ever published. There is still so much these characters haven’t revealed about themselves yet.It took a few paragraphs for me to adjust to the Cockney dialect and nearly-constant swearing in “The Debt,” but Del’s predicament snagged my attention right away. At times it was a little difficult to believe he had grown up in such a rough neighbourhood due to how he reacts to certain things that are common in that sort of environment. Having an explanation for how this occurred would have resulted in a higher rating for this book. The pacing is strong, though, and Del’s journey is so compelling that I didn’t want to stop reading.The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife is a promising collection. I look forward to seeing what Mr. Power writes next, and I’d recommend these stories to anyone who is new to the mystery genre. Either tale is a good place to start.Originally posted at Long and Short Reviews