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This is the second novel from the pen of J. W. Kerr, following the first novel to star Lieutenant Anson Hilderbrand, 'The Devil & Lieutenant Hilderbrand'. Here, Hilderbrand is trying to track down the people responsible for the murder of his best friend, Herman Rathke, a fellow officer. His quest takes him across America, only to discover that the real danger was back in Houston. As in his first novel, there is not a great deal of depth and the majority of the story is told through dialogue. It was nice to see Hilderbrand get out of Texas and head for California, which Kerr did his best to make feel authentic, although this is hard to do in the few chapters allotted to it. The ending was unexpected and it seems as though Kerr, a professor who teaches law was using it to discuss some of the moral concepts that police officers face. He shows us something that we have seen many times before and allows his characters to discuss whether their actions are always the right ones. As I have said, this is not a new idea, but Kerr gives it enough depth to permit the reader to think about it more deeply. Like his first novel, 'Graves, Worms and Epitaphs' is short and sweet, to use a clichÈ. He anchors his plot more firmly in reality than in 'The Devil & Lieutenant Hilderbrand' and this is a further positive point. It is worth reading the books in order, but 'Graves, Worms and Epitaphs' is better and this shows that Kerr is continuing to develop his writing talents. I look forward to his next novel.
Reviewed by Luke Croll, April 2002
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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