Synopsis/blurb…..
Jan Kepler and
Swatara Creek Police Office Flora Vastine were neighbors and schoolmates, but
never close.
When Jan, a school
teacher, avid birder and niece of a fellow officer, goes missing and is found
dead in a nearby tract of woods, Flora finds herself thrust into the middle of
an examination of the other woman's life, as she searches for clues.
As usual, the police
have more than one crime to deal with. There's illegal timbering and a series
of vehicle thefts taking up their time. And there are other issues to deal
with. Flora is concerned there's some shakiness in her relationship with Cpl.
Harry Minnich, who seems to be making a lot of secretive phone calls.
Still, Flora
maintains focus on the murder, and despite evidence implicating other suspects,
the odd behavior of another former classmate rouses Flora's suspicion. Flora's
probing opens personal wounds, as she observes the cost of obsessive love and
tracks down the killer.
A bit of a change of pace for me with a slightly less frenetic
mystery from J. R. Lindermuth – my first time reading this author.
Shares the Darkness is the seventh entry in Lindermuth’s Sticks
Hetrick series, though Sticks seems to take a back seat role in this one with
our main focus on one of his officers Flora Vastine.
We start with the disappearance of a local woman which soon
turns to a murder investigation when her body is discovered after a search. No
sexual assault and no apparent enemies, why was she killed? Our small team of
police start the investigation with limited progress initially. Our main eyes
and ears are Officer Flora Vastine. Lindermuth expertly blends investigation
and the personal into this mystery. Vastine is in a relationship with a fellow
officer and there’s time enough to explore her insecurities over her
relationship while conducting her duties as an officer of the law.
Other crimes are committed in the town, which are also
investigated and these add to the convincing portrayal of a small town police
department in action. The illegal tree logging strand offers a possible motive
and suspect for our murder. In addition, the recent arrival in town of a former schoolmate, one with a bit of history with our victim, also offers possibilities and develops the plot.
I enjoyed the book and the slow development of the
investigation. I kind of guessed the murderer early on, but wasn’t totally sure as
the author had several candidates which were at various stages of the book persons
of interest.
Decent setting, interesting characters, no explicit violence – our
murder happens off page, enough of a glimpse of the personal lives of a few of
the police officers to add as opposed to detract from matters at hand. All in
all, a satisfying read.
4 from 5
J. R. Lindermuth has his website here. In addition to his Sticks
Hetrick series, he has another series featuring Sheriff Sylvester Tilghman and a fair few standalones.
Catch him on Twitter - @jrlindermuth
Very glad you liked this one, Col. I like Lindermuth's work, too, and he has an interesting background in history.
ReplyDeleteMargot thanks. I'll admit, I don't know too much about Lindermuth. I did enjoy this one though.
ReplyDeleteCol, it's funny you should review a J.R. Lindermuth novel. I was reading up on the author and came across a few of his short stories that caught my attention.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed the shorts. I believe some of J.R.'s books are Westerns, so right up your street!
DeleteSounds good. You know I always like a mystery with police officers, and the small town setting adds interest.
ReplyDeleteThis might be your kind of book (and series)!
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