“Gradually, as he sat thinking, it
occurred to George that to give himself up was pointless. Even stupid. When they
caught up with him, fine. He’d go to trial and prison without complaining, with
dignity, even, if he could manage it. But to spend any more time locked up than
was absolutely necessary – it made no sense.”
The author had captured me and I had
to know what happened to George.
The investigation is led by Staff
Sergeant Karl Alberg of the Sechelt Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). He
has been recently transferred to the quiet seaside town on British Columbia’s
Sunshine Coast, a lovely area a ferry ride from North Vancouver.
Alberg is a thorough dedicated
lonely police officer. His marriage has just collapsed. His daughters are both
in university in Calgary 1,500 km away. Evenings in his small house are long.
Local librarian, Cassandra Mitchell,
is 41 and single in a town with few male options in which she is interested.
Taking action she takes out personal ads in a major daily, the Vancouver Sun,
inviting suitable men to contact her. She travels into Vancouver to the paper’s
office to pick up the envelopes in reply. The results of the first ad produced
some dates but no relationships. The responses to the second ad include a
letter from Alberg.
Mitchell and Alberg commence a
halting relationship amidst the murder investigation.
As Alberg and his officers patiently
assemble information the reader learns more about George and Carlyle. They
become real persons. Both had come to British Columbia from Saskatchewan.
The tension is subtle but
incredible. Will the RCMP be able to determine that George is the killer?
George maintains his life going to
the library and working in his lush and beautiful garden. He responds to police
inquiries. He thinks constantly about what he has done.
Wright has challenged the reader. Do
I want Alberg to solve the case? I found myself in conflict. George committed
murder but he is a good man. It has been a long time since an author created a
killer I found as interesting as the deceased and the sleuth.
I found myself thinking about the
characters of killer, deceased and police officer differently from most crime
fiction. Wright’s approach is completely different from Michael Connelly with
whom readers usually know little, if anything, of the killer until late in the
book. Having the killer known from the first page brings readers into the heart
and mind of George.
The book was comparable to the
experience I have reading disclosure in a real life criminal case. I know what
the accused has told me before I read what the police have done. In the
disclosure I follow how the police investigation has unfolded and how they put
the case together that has produced the charge against my client.
While I have never been to the
Sunshine Coast the sense of the place is beautifully evoked by Wright. Barely touched
by Canadian winters the area is a warm inviting part of our country.
It was no surprise at the end of the
book to learn it had won an Edgar in 1986 for Best Novel. I will return to the
Sunshine Coast to read more of Karl Alberg. (Mar. 31/12) (Possible Best of 2012)
Bill - Thanks for this well-written and thoughtful review. This one's been on my list for a time now, and it's just been bumped up. I, too, find it both novel and refreshing when an author can actually make me feel conflicted about whether I want "the bad guy" - well, the murderer, anyway - caught.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for your encouraging words. I really want to read the second in the series to see what characters Wright came up with for killer and victim.
ReplyDeleteSounds fascinating, Bill. I've recently finished Hakan Nesser's Cry of the Wolf, which deals with a similar topic - a man commits an accidental crime, and the book is about his reactions and subsequent actions, as well as the police investigation. It, too, is pretty tense (and funny, in parts).
ReplyDeleteWhat an intriguing mystery. Usually I don´t much approve of stories seen from the point of view of the murderer, but this one sounds very different.
ReplyDeleteMaxine: Thanks for the comment. The Cry of the Wolf sounds like a good book. There is a real life tension when all the parties - killer, victim and police - are part of the book.
ReplyDeleteDorte: Thanks for commenting. George is an average man. I found myself thinking how many people could find themselves in this situation.
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