I purchased this book quite a long time ago and didn’t get around to reading it until now because the books on my to-be-reviewed pile tend to take precedence over ones I buy simply because I know that the authors are waiting for the review to be posted. When I finally did read it, I remembered why I bought it and wondered why I waited so long.
I’ve read a couple of other Tim Greaton novels and apart from his obvious skill with words and story, I always loved the theme of the power of compassion that I saw in them. At first, I thought that this book didn’t have that because it reads like a normal kind of mystery, and a very good one at that, but the end held the trump card. Sure enough, there was Mr Greaton’s signature heart-warming story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things through their commitment to helping others in a very real, hands on way. There is so much in our world that is hard and uncaring, and so much of that is reflected in mainstream popular fiction that it is a real delight to read a novel that models the best of human behaviour.
I cannot fault this book. The characters are complex and very real, as are their challenges, motivations and reactions, and the plot drives along at the perfect pace. You’re keen to keep reading, but it doesn’t speed up your heart-rate so much that you can’t sleep. I was totally invested in the happiness of the lead character shared her joys and fears as if they were my own.
The main character is a female cop and in the course of the story deals with drug addiction in her teenage son, the murder of his friends, a looming divorce and the mystery of the man in the red gloves. He first appears in the case she is working on, then again in other cases, but he doesn’t appear to have done anything criminal, quite the opposite. Who is he is and what does he have to do with the events surrounding her son. The answer when it comes is as surprising to the reader as it is to her.
I believe that Mr Greaton has outdone himself here. This is a story to hold and entertain the fussiest of mystery readers and yet it still manages to leave us with, not only hope, but also a suggestion that might just change your life.
I highly recommend this.
5 stars.
