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A review by alex_ellermann
An Accidental Death by Peter Grainger
3.0
This is a sturdy detective novel with a decent protagonist, likable supporting cast, and competently crafted mystery. This is a nice departure from hard-boiled detective fiction, and I enjoyed listening to it. If I were snowed in with a stack of D.C. Smith detective novels, I’m sure I’d get along quite nicely.
However, the author makes two choices that, combined, won’t bring me back. First, he builds tension by artificially withholding information from the reader. The reader should know what the detective knows so s/he can play along. Concealing is cheating. Second, he writes his detective as someone who has stepped down from a position of higher authority, then smirks at his seniors as they blunder about. It doesn’t work that way, dude. If you can do a better job, then you should be in the chair. If you bug out, you forfeit the right to act smugly toward those who step up.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed “An Accidental Death.” I enjoyed spending time with its characters, and I enjoyed sussing out its mystery. Recommended for mystery fans.
However, the author makes two choices that, combined, won’t bring me back. First, he builds tension by artificially withholding information from the reader. The reader should know what the detective knows so s/he can play along. Concealing is cheating. Second, he writes his detective as someone who has stepped down from a position of higher authority, then smirks at his seniors as they blunder about. It doesn’t work that way, dude. If you can do a better job, then you should be in the chair. If you bug out, you forfeit the right to act smugly toward those who step up.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed “An Accidental Death.” I enjoyed spending time with its characters, and I enjoyed sussing out its mystery. Recommended for mystery fans.