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Detective
Alice Madison # 4
BY Valentina Giambanco
Quercus
August 7, 2017/ ISBN 9781635060614
Mystery/Thriller
Reviewed
by Elise Cooper
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Sweet
After Death
by Valentina Giambanco is a riveting police procedural with
a fascinating look at small town life. The bone-chilling opening
scene has a brutal murder that sets the stage for the rest of
the novel.
Seattle detectives Alice Madison and Kevin Brown along with
crime scene investigator Amy Sorensen are sent to the town of
Ludlow to help the very small police force investigate the killing
of a well-respected doctor. The brutality of the cold winter
weather matches the horrific way the doctor died. Ludlow is
a few hours from Seattle within the mountainous backdrop. As
the inquiry takes hold, events seem to spiral out of the Seattle
investigator’s control. During the Memorial Service, the
killer strikes again, murdering another town’s member
and having the three Seattle police officers under siege. As
they become targets, Madison and her team realize they must
find the murderer before he or she strikes again.
The trick for the author was having the Seattle detectives travel
to this small town and assist in the investigation. “I
had them called in by the Police Chief for support. It was the
county’s first murder, and they needed their expertise.
I made sure the conflict between the city and town law enforcement
was superficial. I wanted them to get along and help each other.
Seattle and the surrounding areas have a perfect landscape for
crime writing. Washington State has cities, a wilderness, that
are near. I had a huge range of options of what my characters
can do. I always think of the environment when writing a story.
For this book, I knew I wanted to have a remote, isolated small
town surrounded by the mountains. The actual town is a combination
of Friday Harbor in Washington State and Banff, a Canadian national
park town.”
The investigation leads to a survivalist, Jeb Tanner, living
in the woods with his twelve children. He has his children taking
turns between the hunter and the prey with the loser locked
in a hut. They are terrified of him, fearful of his wrath. One
of the youngsters, Samuel, has a compelling story that seems
very similar to what Madison went through as a child. He wonders
what happened to his mother and older brother and puts his faith
in Madison, hoping she will help out. The comparisons and insights
with her past are some of the most interesting aspects of the
plot.
The author noted, “I am fascinated by people who lead
this kind of life. They barricade themselves on their land and
bring up their children in an isolated environment. They are
inaccessible to others of their age, the Internet, and television.
I always wondered what their hopes, dreams, and fears are. I
think the child Sam and Madison are related because of her own
experiences. Living in the wilderness makes it very important.
Alice, as a girl, was kidnapped by a hunter. He blurred hunting
for animals and people, something Sam’s father does as
well. The hunter Alice had to deal with roamed the mountains
and national parks to find groups of people to pursue.”
This story involving lies and deceptions fosters an intriguing
mystery. The author uses the environment to create a creepy
atmosphere that includes the mountains and forests surrounding
the town.
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