No, I have not fallen down the chimney. I have just been
deeply sidetracked by non-bookish things. End of quarter grading, holiday
shopping, egg nog…
I just finished In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward. It’s a debut
police procedural that has all the elements of the genre that I love – a
brooding-but-kind lead detective, a scrappy young new detective, and a glimmer
of flirtation between them. It was ALMOST a perfect escape.
The premise is that two girls were kidnapped in 1978, but
only one returned – with no memory of what happened to her or to her friend.
Now, decades later, two mysterious deaths bring the old case to the surface,
unearthing (ahem) family secrets.
What I love about this book is that it is a genuine crime
novel – not a story about a missing teapot or a lost dog. But it is not filled
with the intense violence that marks so many mystery/thrillers these days. I
was able to get the heart-pounding kick of a good mystery without having to go
to therapy afterward.
But I have to say that the ending of this book is terrible,
and there is really nothing more annoying than investing good reading time in a book that ultimately
lets me down. I’ll probably read this author’s next book, but I’ll be hoping
for a more plausible wrap-up.
My thoughts about my 2015 reading year will be coming soon!
2 comments:
I have this book checked out from the library right now and I'm excited to read it! I'm intrigued about the ending, though, since you hated it.
And also -- your Secret Santa box arrived yesterday! Thank you, thank you, thank you! -- Lindsay @ Lindsay's Library
Merry Christmas! I'm glad the box got there! It was so much fun to put together.
Please do read this book. Perhaps you'll have a different response to the ending. I'd be interested to hear what you think.
Post a Comment