Genre:
Mystery
Description:
In the
third book featuring investigator Scott Drayco, music majors are
murdered at a prestigious private college. The killer leaves taunting
clues in the form of complex music puzzles.
Author:
“Author,
poet, and journalist BV Lawson's award-winning stories, poems and
articles have appeared in dozens of national and regional
publications and anthologies. A four-time Derringer Award finalist
and 2012 winner for her short fiction, BV was also honored by the
American Independent Writers and Maryland Writers Association for her
Scott Drayco series.”
For
more, visit her website.
Appraisal:
BV
Lawson has created a memorable character in Drayco, a concert pianist
turned FBI agent, turned crime consultant. He also has the
fascinating condition of synesthesia, which not only adds a
mysterious depth to his character it is integral to the plot.
(Synesthesia: a sensation
produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another
modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the
visualization of a certain color. -- Dictionary.com)
The
investigation moves through a fairly complex story line and an
extensive group of characters, which requires alertness on the part
of the reader. Lawson, however, makes the effort enjoyable as she
gives each character his or her own voice and plenty of
idiosyncrasies. She also weaves in interesting facts from obscure
medical conditions, to religions, to musical history, some of which
sent me to the Internet for more information. Among the most
fascinating was Olivier Messiaen, whose work the musical puzzles were
based on.
The
story starts with the murder of a promising singer. A second murder
and an abduction keeps the tension high as an FBI agent working with
Drayco fears for his own daughter's safety.
For a
who-done-it, the culprit is almost too carefully hidden. While there are some faint clues toward the climax, the hunt evolves mostly through a
process of elimination. Even so, anyone clever enough to guess the
killer is still in for a satisfying surprise.
FYI:
The
first victim is a petit woman, and there is a statement that her body
should contain six liters of blood. That sounded like far too much.
An extensive Internet check indicates calculating the amount is an
inexact science, but there are several references to the average
volume for a 150 pound man being around 5 to 5.5 liters. It isn’t
that relevant to the story but as a retired financial journalist, I
remain paranoid about not flagging a possible numerical error.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
significant issues
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: Sam Waite
Approximate
word count: 80-85,000
words
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