My Sister's Grave from the Book Description: Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House—a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder—is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.
I was surprised to see mostly 4 & 5 star ratings for this book. From the beginning, my thoughts were that a good editing was necessary, but I was reading an uncorrected proof from NetGalley, and perhaps the other readers had a better edited version. On the other hand, as I read some of the 4 star reviews on Amazon, I noticed that many of them mentioned some of the problems I had with the book.
The premise is interesting. I liked that Tracy Crosswhite noted the discrepancies in the arrest and conviction of Edmund House. Even though she felt a certain repugnance about the man, she didn't think he was guilty and was determined to find out what really happened to her sister. House's conviction didn't feel right, and Tracy wanted to know the truth. Yet, the twist is strongly hinted at from the beginning and the events that follow the discovery of Sarah Crosswhite's body could so easily (and logically) been avoided.
While other readers seemed to find Tracy a strong and sympathetic character, she didn't really emerge as a three-dimensional character for me. The frequent flashbacks interrupted the narrative flow and didn't always add meaningful information. Much of the book seemed awkwardly paced and predictable.
NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer
Mystery. Nov. 1, 2012. Print length: 418 pages.
Wow, thank you for this particular review, as I was considering buying this one. I see it at the top of Amazon's most popular list and thought all those people can't be wrong. The premise sounds good. Anyway, now I will take a bit more time to consider it, or maybe wait to borrow it instead of buy it.
ReplyDeleteThe premise sounds interesting. Under normal circumstances this would be onto my wishlist. I will consider and see how it goes.
ReplyDeleteRita - If you do read it, I'd love to know what you think. And there is the possibility that many of the problems I saw in the version I read have been corrected.
ReplyDeleteMelody - It is an interesting premise, and I wish I could have liked it better.
I've heard of Robert Dugoni, but never read any of his books. I'm sorry this one didn't work for you.
ReplyDeleteWell, even if it didn't work for me--it certainly did for others. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the honest review. It sounds like it would have worked much better for you had the main character seemed more fully developed or if you had connected with her.
ReplyDeleteAlways interesting to see that others connect strongly to a character that doesn't evoke the same feeling in me.
ReplyDelete