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Feb 22, 2018wyenotgo rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Assessing a murder mystery I believe requires a different approach than that taken for, say a piece of prose, a domestic drama or historical fiction. This is entertainment, a mental exercise; it needs to move along quickly, no time to be lost admiring the scenery -- although establishing a mood and an interesting setting is helpful. This one seems to tick off the essentials: 1. A unique, preferably exotic crime scenario, where no explanation is discernible 2. Several possible suspects 3. A figure who acts as detective and who has interesting characteristics 4. Several twists along the way and the whole truth revealed only at the end I have a few minor quibbles, notably: a. Dana's timely and easy discovery of the letters required suspension of disbelief b. Greg's decisions in dealing with his wife's actions were hard to understand c. Character development of Diamond was unsympathetic and sketchy through most of the book; however, I assume the author intended to remedy that in subsequent books in a planned series. I felt that the revelation of some sloppiness in the police work lent realism rather than being a weakness. All in all, a quick, entertaining read. I look forward to reading more in the series.