Here I go again, reading the second book in a series before I read the first book. In my defense, I had the second book before I got the first, and I couldn't wait. The book was contained enough that reading the first book wasn't necessary to totally enjoy this one.
My reading group, Novel Conversations, is going to read Australian authors next month. I fully intend to present this book and it's companion Crimson Lake as my selection.
Ted is pretty much a stock character, the wrongly accused police detective. He is well drawn and believable. The interesting personage here is Amanda Pharrell. She most definitely marches to a different drummer. She sees things that others miss. She draws conclusions that other don't entertain. She does things just because. I think a lot of people would like to be her for a little while, as a vacation from our ordinary lives.
The murders at the heart of this story expand into an even more bizarre crime. The reason for them come out of left field. Without Amanda, they might have gone on to be a cold case. Nothing is as it first appears and yet everything is in plain sight. I did get part of the solution before it was presented but not all of it. That makes it a good book in my opinion.
My reading group, Novel Conversations, is going to read Australian authors next month. I fully intend to present this book and it's companion Crimson Lake as my selection.
Ted is pretty much a stock character, the wrongly accused police detective. He is well drawn and believable. The interesting personage here is Amanda Pharrell. She most definitely marches to a different drummer. She sees things that others miss. She draws conclusions that other don't entertain. She does things just because. I think a lot of people would like to be her for a little while, as a vacation from our ordinary lives.
The murders at the heart of this story expand into an even more bizarre crime. The reason for them come out of left field. Without Amanda, they might have gone on to be a cold case. Nothing is as it first appears and yet everything is in plain sight. I did get part of the solution before it was presented but not all of it. That makes it a good book in my opinion.