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A review by esdeecarlson
Down a Dark River by Karen Odden
5.0
**This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
5 stars
Gripping! This novel sweeps you away into the Victorian-era investigation of a serial killer targeting well-to-do young woman. I could not put the book down, and finished it in record time.
What is particularly impressive about the book, particularly in its genre (‘hard’ mystery following a lawman protagonist) is how real all of the characters are. Not only our protagonist, but also the side characters—friends, witnesses, colleagues, family—all appear on the page as fully-formed human beings with realized backstories and full inner lives. No one is a mere stock character. It’s difficult to believe that all of these characters sprung up purely from one author’s imagination.
The actual mystery was suitably twisty and turny; I enjoyed tagging along as Inspector Corravan tracked down leads and pieced together the puzzle. From start to finish, the story was interesting, well-grounded, and highly satisfying.
5 stars
Gripping! This novel sweeps you away into the Victorian-era investigation of a serial killer targeting well-to-do young woman. I could not put the book down, and finished it in record time.
What is particularly impressive about the book, particularly in its genre (‘hard’ mystery following a lawman protagonist) is how real all of the characters are. Not only our protagonist, but also the side characters—friends, witnesses, colleagues, family—all appear on the page as fully-formed human beings with realized backstories and full inner lives. No one is a mere stock character. It’s difficult to believe that all of these characters sprung up purely from one author’s imagination.
The actual mystery was suitably twisty and turny; I enjoyed tagging along as Inspector Corravan tracked down leads and pieced together the puzzle. From start to finish, the story was interesting, well-grounded, and highly satisfying.