First in a series starring Lieutenant Allan Stanton of the Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) Major Crimes Department. Not only does author Alex Maclean deliver a convoluted and puzzling mystery thread, one which is unravelled only gradually; he also sets into place a protagonist who is fully-dimensional, of strong character yet endearing. Allan Stanton is several months into separation from his wife and young son, an absence initiated by his wife Melissa, and attributed to his career, which of course is highly time-consuming and brutally appalling. Not only is Stanton fully delineated, so are members of the criminal cast. All in all, GRAVE SITUATION is a delight for mystery lovers and police-procedural fans (I'm thinking specifically of aficionados of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series.)
No comments:
Post a Comment