First
Sentence: As he was fitting a new fly to his hook, Oswald
Gibson looked up and saw two figures on the ridge above, both
of them carrying what looked like fishing gear over their
shoulders, long, cylindrical cases of the kind that you could
fit two sections of a rod in.
A bank manager is shot execution-style while fishing. A family
doctor is murdered in the same with the same gun. DI Billy
Styles, former protégé of his now-retired boss
John Madden, receives a letter from the second victim in the
name of Madden, is mentioned. After a third man is killed,
the pieces begin to fall into place and they realize they
must find the killer before more are murdered.
It’s great to have an opening that hooks you into the
story from the very beginning. The descriptions provide a
lovely, pastoral sense of place and then…you’re
quickly turning to the next page.
The author presents a very good segue justifying bringing
the now-retired John Madden into an active police investigation.
Madden is a protagonist who is angst-free, and happily married
to his physician-wife, Helen.
It’s nice to have a group of policeman who respect one
another and work well together. Yes, there’s the antagonistic
senior officer, but that’s to be expected. What is also
nice, particularly considering the time period, is to introduce
D.C. Lilly Poole; a smart, capable, female officer actively
involved in the investigation. Although there are a lot of
characters in the story, each is very distinct and memorable;
each plays a significant role. The author has a good voice,
with natural dialogue and occasional wry humor.
The Reckoning has such a good plot. The author takes
us down several trails, all of which add to the suspense and
an excellent climax.
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