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Book Review – My Sister’s Grave, by Robert Dugoni

My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My Sister’s Grave is the first entry in a series featuring Tracy Crosswhite, a Seattle homicide detective. Tracy is haunted by the death of her sister Sarah twenty years ago, for which Edmund House, a known rapist, was tried and convicted. Problem is, Tracy doesn’t think that House did it – there were enough irregularities at his trial so she suspects he was framed because the cops in Cedar Grove, her hometown, couldn’t find the real killer. So Tracy teams up with an old flame to try to get House a new trial, which she hopes will reopen the investigation into Sarah’s murder.
For the most part, this is a good read. The characters are well-developed and interesting, which makes up for a dearth of action in the first half of the book. More suspense builds up in the second half, but the suspect pool for Sarah’s murder is thin, which makes it easy to finger the perp. Once the murderer is exposed, the book drones on, tying up loose ends, for much longer than it should. All this accounts for the loss of a star.



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Book Review – A Gentleman’s Murder, by Christopher Huang

A Gentleman’s Murder by Christopher Huang

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A Gentleman’s Murder is a tour de force in the English mystery genre. Set primarily in London in 1924, it’s the story of Eric Peterkin, a Chinese-English veteran of WWI whose men have traditionally been soldiers and members of the Brittania club in St. James. When a newly elected club member is murdered, Peterkin takes it upon himself to find the killer. To do this, he must delve into a decade-old murder and risk expulsion from the club of which was founded by one of his forebearers.
But A Gentleman’s Murder is so much more than an excellent mystery. It’s also a factual chronicle of daily life in post-war England. The setting positively scintillates, reflecting Huang’s extensive research. The story also provides incisive commentary on contemporary issues-the treatment of returning veterans, the overt and subtle racism of the era and attitudes toward the addicted and mentally ill. All of the characters are well developed and their actions are consistent with their personalities. It’s one of those books that you are sorry to see end.



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Book Review – The Museum of Desire, by Jonathan Kellerman

The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Museum of Desire is Jonathan Kellerman’s latest entry in his long-running Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis series. Like most of the books in the series, it involves the investigation of a bizarre murder with deep psychological underpinnings. Kellerman is a master of setting as character, and this book does not disappoint with its insightful descriptions of Los Angeles. The characterization is also excellent–we meet a number of diverse and well rounded characters throughout the book. A minor point–Alex’s s.o., Robin, has become little more than window dressing in the later books, and this one is no exception. However, the portrayal of the investigation falls somewhat flat–many passages read like Alex and Milo are just going through the motions. Perhaps Kellerman is getting tired of the series at last. The ending is meh–it’s suitably twisted, but the motivations of the killer were unclear, other than evil for it’s own sake, which always falls flat for me.



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Book Review – The Girl in the Snow, by Alexandria Clarke

The Girl in the Snow: A Riveting Kidnapping Mystery by Alexandria Clarke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Girl in the Snow was a book that did not reach its potential. It’s premise was sound. Carolina Caccia, a divorced mom, takes he kids to a ski resort so the can have time with their father, her ex. This is complicated because he’s there with his new fam. As one would imagine, fireworks ensue, and one of Carolina’s kids goes missing. Since Carolina is an ex-FBI agent who specializes in missing kids (the first in a series of convenient coincidences), naturally, she becomes involved in the investigation.
What did work for me was the characters. They were deep and believable, far from cardboard. The setting was well-done, obviously based on an actual place that the author was familiar with. But ultimately, this story did not work well for me because it felt too contrived. Carolina did some things that were totally off the hook, which should have gotten her into serious trouble, but was given a bye as an ex-FBI agent. There were also too many coincidences, and the ending was somewhat predictable. And a minor point — who the heck was the girl in the snow? IMO, she never did show up.



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