Posted by Candice on Saturday, Jun 30, 2012
If you've read any of S.J. Bolton's books, then you know when you start one that you're in for something good -- an unusual mystery, a bit of darkness and a somewhat gothic tone, well-developed characters and plot. Serious mystery for serious readers. Her newest, Dead Scared, is no exception. The book takes place in the storied city and schools of Cambridge, where an unusually high number of students have taken their lives; as if that's not enough, the suicides have strange similarities among them and a school psychologist has taken notice and gotten the police involved. The plan is to send one of their own in, posing as a less-than confident student, to suss out what's behind it all. Things go very awry, though, when the officer and the psychologist become possible next victims.
One thing I really like about Bolton's books is that each one is very unlike the others she's written. I certainly like to read mysteries that are part of a series, but sometimes they just seem to fall into a rut--the stories are often unique only in the details, while the story development and characters' actions all follow a too-similar path. This book actually has characters from two of Bolton's other titles, so I guess it's sort of a series, but really it feels like more of a coincidental meet-up: Dr. Evi Oliver from Blood Harvest, and detectives Lacey Flint and Mark Joesbury from Now You See Me all cross paths in Cambridge. While I know them from the other books, there was nothing predictable about them or the story, and that alone can be a very refreshing element in a mystery novel.
Dead Scared has a nice, slow pace -- there are a lot of nice details about the setting, as well, for those of you who like mysteries that take place in other locales -- and throughout it all Bolton never gives too much away. I watch and read a lot of mysteries, and it's gotten to be that I'm constantly changing my assessment of 'who done it,' always second-guessing the characters and their motives as well as the author's intent to keep it all, well, a mystery (everyone is a suspect, at some point!). Bolton does a fine job of keeping it all hidden without relying on trickery or unmentioned details that pop up in the end, and all is revealed in good time.
About the Author
I work at the Info Desk on the second floor, and I select books for the adult nonfiction collection. I have a degree in anthropology, which really helps in selecting...well...almost anything. I also manage the Art To Go collection of framed prints and original art, and the nonfiction DVDs.
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This is the latest in Harper's Aaron Falk series, and I recommend all of them. Like the others, this novel is slow-burning, atmospheric, and thoughtful. Human relationships and emotions are often at the fore of the story, but the underlying mystery is always there, waiting to be teased out via the small details that Harper drops here and there. This book isn't loaded with red herrings, and there isn't a lot of suspense--it's much calmer, more real, and I appreciate that. Also, the Australian setting is always a bonus, another character in the story in some ways. You don't have to start with the first in the series (The Dry), but again, all of the books are worth a read. -Candice