Michael J. McCann and a New Series

First, I'm going to backtrack a little and mention that I really like McCann's series featuring Donaghue & Stainer.  The characters are well-fleshed out, both the main characters and the secondary characters, and McCann manages to get the reader involved in their lives and their compelling cases.

My two favorites in that series are Blood Passage and The Fregoli Delusion because each had such an interesting premise.

From my review of Blood Passage:

"What makes this book so interesting is the past life aspect and the information concerning Chinese Triads.  McCann has done his homework on both and his sources are listed.  The University of Virginia has done extensive study of the past life phenomenon, and McCann lists Dr. Jim Tucker's book Life Before Life:  A Scientific Investigation of Children's Memories of Previous Lives as his inspiration for the story."

  The Fregoli Delusion is the eponymous title for the real, but rare disorder:

 The Fregoli delusion, or the delusion of doubles, is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise. The syndrome may be related to a brain lesion^{[citation needed]} and is often of a paranoid nature, with the delusional person believing themselves persecuted by the person they believe is in disguise.     (Wikipedia)  

Once again, McCann's research developed into a great mystery, and I learned something about a strange and fascinating disorder. 

When NetGalley offered McCann's newest book, I was surprised to discover that it is the first in a new series.  Sorrow Lake has Detective Inspector Ellie March of the Ontario Provincial Police called in to manage the investigation into an execution style murder. She is assisted by Detective Constable Kevin Walker, who is eager to work with Ellie.  Her strong reputation as an investigator and previous success doesn't carry weight with everyone, however; there are still those who resent having a woman in charge.

The strength of this novel is that it is a genuine police procedural.  No grisly and disturbed serial killer, no gory descriptions or torture.  The plot is involved with how the police go about solving the crime.

On the down-side, although March and Walker stand out as individuals complete with human flaws, they are treated with a kind of distance.  Unlike Hank Donaghue and Karen Stainer, who are so vivid they take over the plot, Ellie March and Kevin Walker lack the same liveliness and intensity... but then, they are different characters, not the same characters with new names.

This is the first novel in the series, and it is very good.  I liked the emphasis on the aspects of the investigation and the way it proceeded.  March and Walker have time to become more of a duo in future installments, and in time, I hope to like them as much as I like Hank Donaghue and Karen Stainer.

NetGalley/The Plaid Racoon Press

Police Procedural.  March, 2015.  Print length:  299 pages.