About Me

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Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada
I am a lawyer in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada who enjoys reading, especially mysteries. Since 2000 I have been writing personal book reviews. This blog includes my reviews, information on and interviews with authors and descriptions of mystery bookstores I have visited. I strive to review all Saskatchewan mysteries. Other Canadian mysteries are listed under the Rest of Canada. As a lawyer I am always interested in legal mysteries. I have a separate page for legal mysteries. Occasionally my reviews of legal mysteries comment on the legal reality of the mystery. You can follow the progression of my favourite authors with up to 15 reviews. Each year I select my favourites in "Bill's Best of ----". As well as current reviews I am posting reviews from 2000 to 2011. Below my most recent couple of posts are the posts of Saskatchewan mysteries I have reviewed alphabetically by author. If you only want a sentence or two description of the book and my recommendation when deciding whether to read the book look at the bold portion of the review. If you would like to email me the link to my email is on the profile page.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

The Graving Dock by Gabriel Cohen

32. – 442.) The Graving Dock by Gabriel Cohen – Cohen returns with a new Jack Leightner mystery 6 years after the very good Red Hook. The body of a young boy in a coffin washes up in Brooklyn. Jack is frustrated as the numerous detectives assigned to the case cannot even determine the child’s identity. Pursuing slender leads Jack finds an unconnected murder on the abandoned Governor’s Island to have a connection to the boy in the box. (It is amazing that the same island was part of the plot in Killer Heat which I read in June.) At the same time Jack has been struggling to find the right moment to propose to his girlfriend, Michelle Wilber. Set in late 2001 the spectre of 9/11 overlies all activities in New York. The plot gracefully weaves a determined investigation with a real relationship. Cohen skillfully uses the locale of the Red Hook area in Brooklyn to enhance the story. It is a rich complex novel that happens to be a mystery. I hope we do not have to wait another 6 years for the next in the series. Hardcover. (Aug. 5/08)
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There have been two further Jack Leightner books since I read The Graving Dock but alas I have not read them.

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8 comments:

  1. Prashant C. TrikannadAugust 6, 2014 at 4:03 AM

    Bill, this sounds like a very interesting mystery although I'm trying to fit the story to the rather intriguing title.

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    1. Bill SelnesAugust 6, 2014 at 11:08 PM

      Prashant: Thanks for the comment. I think you will have to read the book to put it together.

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  2. AnonymousAugust 6, 2014 at 6:18 AM

    Bill - I'm very glad you enjoyed this one. The setting sounds just right for the story, and what a solid premise! Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. Bill SelnesAugust 6, 2014 at 11:08 PM

      Margot: Thanks for the comment. In posting the review I realized I need to go read more in the series.

      Delete
  3. Clothes In BooksAugust 6, 2014 at 3:09 PM

    That sounds interesting - I recently read Visitation St by Ivy Pochoda, which was also set in Brooklyn, and that piqued my interest in the area.

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    1. Bill SelnesAugust 6, 2014 at 11:09 PM

      Moira: Thanks for the comment. I have read few books set in Brooklyn. It seems most mysteries are in Manhattan.

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  4. AnonymousAugust 9, 2014 at 6:33 PM

    I haven't read this author's books, although I've heard of him for years.

    Visitation Street is fantastic, lots of character development and interesting characters at that. Much of the book is about how people relate to each other in a community, protect each other. This book shows some of the real poverty in areas of Brooklyn.

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  5. Bill SelnesAugust 10, 2014 at 12:15 AM

    Kathy D.: Thanks for the comment and your endorsement with Moira of Visitation Street.

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