A blog reviewing mystery books, with a listing of Saskatchewan mysteries, and a sprinkling of non-fiction books, especially history and biographies
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Sunday, July 14, 2013
"O" is for Over Tumbled Graves by Jess Walter
"O" is for Over Tumbled Graves by Jess Walter will be my entry this week for the Alphabet in Crime Fiction meme hosted by Kerrie Smith at her blog Mysteries in Paradise. It is a book I greatly enjoyed 7 years ago. It hardly seems possible we are into the second half of the alphabet.
****
45. - 360.) Over Tumbled Graves
by Jess Walter – An outstanding debut. Spokane
detective, Caroline Mabry, is 36 and very conscious of her age (she is living
with a 24 year old man). An attempted drug arrest in a park turns in a comedy
of errors and then a debacle when a young drug dealer is shoved into a concrete
river. Mabry tries desperately to save him. When he is swept away the resulting
search turns up the ritualized corpses of prostitutes. A task force led by
senior detective, Alan Dupree, and including Mabry seek out the connections
between the
murders. Eventually a pair of competing profilers are drawn into
the chase. The profilers struggle to make the clues fit their approaches to
serial murderers. Mabry and Dupree struggle with their existing relationships
and each other. The solution is innovative and a challenge to the “science” of
profiling. The characters are alive. Excellent. Hardcover or paperback. (Nov.
12/06)
****
My connection with the book is travel related. A few years ago my family and I stopped in Spokane while traveling from Seattle to Saskatchewan. I hope to return to Spokane. It is a lovely city.
Bill - Oh, I'd heard this was a good read. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And what an interesting choice to examine how profiling works. Thanks for reminding me of this one.
Bill, nice post. I've only tried the one Walter book so far, though it was fairly awesome from memory - Citizen Vince. I have this on the pile and only last week picked up a copy of his latest - Beautiful Ruins, though it's been out a year or two now. Another author, I'm long overdue enjoying.
"O" is for Over Tumbled Graves by Jess Walter will be my entry this week for the Alphabet in Crime Fiction meme hosted by Kerrie Smith at her blog Mysteries in Paradise. It is a book I greatly enjoyed 7 years ago. It hardly seems possible we are into the second half of the alphabet.
Interesting. I have read some series that featured male and female partners.
ReplyDeleteBill - Oh, I'd heard this was a good read. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And what an interesting choice to examine how profiling works. Thanks for reminding me of this one.
ReplyDeleteBill, my husband saw this post first and sent it to me thinking it would be an interesting book. I agree. Glad that you pointed this out to us.
ReplyDeleteBill, nice post. I've only tried the one Walter book so far, though it was fairly awesome from memory - Citizen Vince. I have this on the pile and only last week picked up a copy of his latest - Beautiful Ruins, though it's been out a year or two now. Another author, I'm long overdue enjoying.
ReplyDeletecol: Thanks for the comment. I read Citizen Vance and enjoyed the book.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. It will lead you to consider profiling in a critical way.
ReplyDeleteTracyK: Thanks for the comment. I hope you and/or your husband read the book. I think you will be absorbed.
ReplyDelete