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Reviews from JENIFER NIGHTINGALE
from Canada
Jenifer is on maternity leave. We
hope she'll be back with us soon.
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER REVIEWS
 Okay,
we all knew Ms. McCullough could write – THORN
BIRDS, anyone? But a mystery, now
that's a whole different animal. Can she write a mystery, do you think;
one as engrossing and gripping as her epic Australian saga?
In a word, yes. Boy howdy, can she ever.
Set in the privately funded neurological research center attached to a
prestigious
Connecticut
university in the year 1965, the book begins with the torso of a young woman
discovered wrapped and stored with specimens slated for incineration.
Access is limited, along with the suspect list - who amongst the scientists and
staff could be capable of such a chilling murder? And is it the first, or
only the first uncovered?
Lieutenant Carmine Delmonico believes that this is the most recent in a string
of murders, all covered up the same way, with the killer using the center's
incinerator to burn away the evidence of his crimes. In an era when DNA
sampling and serial killer profiling haven't even begun, Delmonico must use
limited forensic techniques and good old-fashioned brains to solve the case.
The closed suspect list gives a traditional feel to what would have been a
cutting edge scientific community in the 60s, creating an interesting dichotomy
for the reader. Some things never change, though - the academic and
medical types are completely recognizable. The infighting within the
hierarchy, the frustration, the envy over status and money are all made more
absurd set against the complex backdrop of anger and political change in 1960s
America
.
As the investigation unfolds, with secrets uncovered and motives unveiled, each
character becomes more complex. No one is, at heart, what their colleagues
would expect. This deception and separation of self from public persona is
a theme that weaves itself throughout the book. The slow, layer-upon-layer
buildup of character is classic McCullough, but took the focus away from the
pace of the story. I would have
preferred a little less time spent with the cops flailing away at shadows, a
little more effort expended on forward momentum.
Yet it's this very ability to create unforgettable characters that makes
McCullough great. Each aspect of the book contributes to this, from the
slightly formal language one would expect to hear forty-five years ago to the
expectations and opportunities available to women, everything setting the stage
for the characters to walk right off the pages and into your imagination.
It's what we expect from this author, and we'd be disappointed if she didn't
deliver.
I guess, what it comes down to is that, as a reader, I want to have my cake and
eat it too. Will I read another mystery by Colleen McCullough?
In a New York minute. Would I hope for a bit more balance?
Too right I would. This is an author who's shown she can almost do it all,
and I can't wait to see what she does next.
- Jenifer Nightingale
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