ISBN: 1402518536 Order from: Recorded Books
An enjoyable and short novel with a good plot surrounded by personal developments, slightly marred by view-hopping.
Reviewed by David on January 03, 2004
Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth)
Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of Slow Dollar.
Deborah Knott, a judge in a North Carolina county with a large and close family becomes the first to encounter the victim of murder when a carnival visits her town. In addition to her role as a witness, the investigation involves her on many levels: some of her relatives were close by when the murder occurred; the chief investigator is her close friend, and even the victim seems to have ties to Deborah's family.
Full Review: This is an unabridged recording of Slow Dollar. Deborah Knott is, as in the previous books, the first-person narrator. In this book, the narration occasionally switches to other points of view to expose the events that Deborah could not witness. This is mildly distracting.
In general, the plot contains an amazing number of coincidences. However, given the typical unlikely premise of all mystery series featuring anybody other than homocide investigators in large cities, that the main character stumbles upon murders on every corners, this was easily accepted.
The murder plot is well designed, with a few red herrings on the way. The main thrust of the book, however, are the personal developments, both for Deborah herself, and for her family. Ending on a positive note, the book provides the satisfaction of solving some crimes, pleasant characters, and an atmospheric look at contemporary life in North Carolina.
Overall: 6; Plot: 6; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 2002, Recorded Books, 2002, Audio cassette, 6 cassettes
ISBN: 1402518536 Order from: Recorded Books