|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Reviews of Barbara Fradkin's latest Detective Michael Green's novel, the tenth in the series, have praised it as perhaps the best yet. It is certainly an intriguing read combining the past and the present as Green comes to terms with a crime that has haunted him for the last twenty years. The book starts with yet another letter from professor James Rosten who has written Green persistently, maintaining his innocence of the murder of one of his students, Jackie Carmichael. This time the letter simply reads, "HE WINS!!!" Rosten is referring to the death of Jackie's stepfather Lucas Carmichael, the man he has accused of really being guilty of the crime. It was Green's first major case and the numerous letters from Rosten offering alternative solutions have fuelled his own self- doubt over the conviction.
Carmichael's death prompts Green to visit both the wife, Marilyn Carmichael, and Rosten. He has seen neither of them in ten years. He finds Marilyn changed almost beyond recognition, white-haired and shrivelled, prematurely aged. The pain and suffering the family experienced after Jackie's murder broke them apart, with Julia, Jackie's twin and Gordon both living far away from Ottawa. They would be returning for the funeral. Rosten is equally changed, shrunken and confined to a wheelchair from the injuries he received in a prison assault ten years ago. Green challenges Rosten to let go of all his resentment and hatred and make a future life for himself in spite of all that he has suffered. Rosten subsequently applies for parole and Green is surprised to discover that this time, Marilyn's letter to the board supports his release.
Suddenly the past crime is no longer a cold case with the discovery, shortly after his release, of Rosten's body, an apparent suicide, in the old cabin where Jackie Carmichael was supposedly murdered. There is a subtle hint about who the murderer might be with Green's observation of something at the crime scene which reveals that the suicide was staged. From then on the action heats up with yet another murder and Fradkin unravels her wonderfully complex plot lines in solving both sets of crimes, present and past.
As usual, Fradkin always weaves aspects of Green's personal life into the novel. His major preoccupation this time is with his father, who is dying. Perhaps what makes Fradkin's protagonist such a successful character is that we can identify with this person who experiences the emotional demands and rewards of real life. No doubt that and Fradkin's amazing talent with dialogue contribute to the success of this long-running Canadian series. Before November 2014, Ottawa, let alone suburban Navan, would have seemed an unlikely setting for a serious crime series. No longer.
§ Ann Pearson is a photographer and retired college Humanities teacher who lives in Montreal
Reviewed by Ann Pearson, December 2014
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
