Reviewed by: Keith Nixon
Genre: Short Story Collection/Crime
Fiction
Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words
Availability
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Author:
BV Lawson
is a full-time freelance writer having held a number of roles including a TV
features writer for the Discovery Channel. The author is currently working on a
series of crime fiction novels.
Description:
Eight short
stories about Scott Drayco, classical pianist turned freelance crime
consultant.
Appraisal:
Each of the
short stories has (if you excuse the pun) a musical undertone. Drayco had been
a professional pianist of note, until he was attacked, wounded and could no
longer play to such a high standard. Instead he turned to a career in the FBI
before striking out on his own.
In the first
story Drayco is called in to investigate a threat to steal a valuable
Stradivarius from a museum. It opens with interest, Drayco and his companions
suffering the immediate after effects of a smoke bomb. In the chaos the violin
disappears, Drayco ultimately unmasks the thief.
In Blood Antiphon, the next short, Drayco
receives a call to meet with a serial killer, Andrew Wyse, in prison. During
the tale it’s revealed that it was Wyse’s son who’d injured Drayco, ending his
musical career. Wyse blames Drayco for his son’s eventual death in prison. It’s
an interesting approach, but ultimately the outcome is left hanging a little,
maybe back story for a future novel?
In The Clue Room, Drayco is called to meet
with the wife of a long deceased conductor who died in front of an audience of
a thousand people. The wife reveals her husband was murdered and gives him an
hour to determine who the killer was using only the clues in the room around
him.
Overall the
writing style is itself well structured and interesting, here’s an example:
The man’s overall appearance might
be unexceptional, but his eyes were not. Looking into them was like shining a
light into dark water and watching ordinary objects twisted into distorted,
colorless shapes.
However, as
I progressed I found myself not entirely engaged with the stories. A couple of
them have similar premises (jealous spouses) and the perpetrator wasn’t always
a challenge to determine – but I recognize these are short stories and do not
necessarily provide the word count to spin a very tangled web. All in all a
decent read.
FYI:
Nothing of
note.
Format/Typo Issues:
None.
Rating: *** Three Stars
1 comment:
As a musician, I am intrigued by your review and looking forward to adding it to my collection.
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