David Schwinghammer's Blog - Posts Tagged "missing-person"
Chances Are
Three old friends meet for a reunion forty-four years after graduating from an elite New England college. This is not your EMPIRE FALLS Russo type work. No Paul Newman type characters, in other words.
The three boys were all in love with Jacy, the spirited young sorority sister, who was one of the boys. The three guys were hashers in what must've been a pretty big sorority. Lincoln was “Faceman”, a waiter. Teddy was a cook, and Mickey washed pots and pans. Jacy was engaged to another guy. Then, just when they were about to split up, she disappeared.
Lincoln has another reason for returning to Minerva; it's the Great Recession, and he may need to sell his mother's house. His next door neighbor wants to buy it, but he was a principal suspect in Jacy's disappearance and Mickey, who's six foot six once punched him out for trying to grope Jacy.
Back when they were young, they were all draft eligible and they waited with bated breath by the radio to hear their respective numbers. Mickey drew a nine; Lincoln was in the middle hundreds and Teddy was in the middle three hundreds. Mickey promises his dad he will serve. Teddy and Jacy try to talk him into going to Canada.
Look at that last paragraph. A hint as to what happened to Jacy is buried within. I hope that's not a spoiler.
Lincoln can't help but look for what he believes is a murder. He finds a retired cop named Coffin who investigated the case; he just happened to play football with Troyer, the neighbor The old guy seems to think Jacy is buried in Lincoln's mother's backyard and the three boys were suspects, but he was drunk while speculating.
Russo does a great job characterizing the three guys and Jacy, but there isn't a lot of traditional Russo humor, other than Mickey's rock star personality. The main page-turner is Jacy's disappearance. There are quite a few unique twists.
The three boys were all in love with Jacy, the spirited young sorority sister, who was one of the boys. The three guys were hashers in what must've been a pretty big sorority. Lincoln was “Faceman”, a waiter. Teddy was a cook, and Mickey washed pots and pans. Jacy was engaged to another guy. Then, just when they were about to split up, she disappeared.
Lincoln has another reason for returning to Minerva; it's the Great Recession, and he may need to sell his mother's house. His next door neighbor wants to buy it, but he was a principal suspect in Jacy's disappearance and Mickey, who's six foot six once punched him out for trying to grope Jacy.
Back when they were young, they were all draft eligible and they waited with bated breath by the radio to hear their respective numbers. Mickey drew a nine; Lincoln was in the middle hundreds and Teddy was in the middle three hundreds. Mickey promises his dad he will serve. Teddy and Jacy try to talk him into going to Canada.
Look at that last paragraph. A hint as to what happened to Jacy is buried within. I hope that's not a spoiler.
Lincoln can't help but look for what he believes is a murder. He finds a retired cop named Coffin who investigated the case; he just happened to play football with Troyer, the neighbor The old guy seems to think Jacy is buried in Lincoln's mother's backyard and the three boys were suspects, but he was drunk while speculating.
Russo does a great job characterizing the three guys and Jacy, but there isn't a lot of traditional Russo humor, other than Mickey's rock star personality. The main page-turner is Jacy's disappearance. There are quite a few unique twists.
Long Bright River
The title LONG, BRIGHT RIVER is somewhat perplexing. For one thing it's a dark novel about drug abuse and murder, and the word “bright” doesn't seem to fit. The reader doesn't find out why author Liz Moore used that title until late in the book, and I almost mistook that chapter for the acknowledgments.
The book is about two sisters, one a drug addict and a prostitute, the other a patrol officer for the Philadelphia Police Department.
Then Kacey, the younger of the two, the drug addicted one, goes missing, and Mickey is obsessed with finding her, so obsessed that she neglects her job. Somebody is also murdering prostitutes and Mickey gets a tip as to who it is.
Liz Moore offers a couple of red herrings to start. At first she targets a drug pusher named “Doc”. There's a minor theme involved here. Even the worst of us has some redeeming qualities. She misjudges Doc, and she misinterprets what's going on with her former husband, Simon, who groomed her as a counselor at the Police Athletic League. She thinks he might be a suspect, and when she follows him to the neighborhood where the prostitutes hang out, she's certain he's the killer. Mickey has a platonic relationship with her former partner, Truman, which could lead to something more serious but never does. He's on leave due to what she thinks is a job related injury. But Kacey's fellow prostitutes suggest he might be the real killer. That ruins that relationship. If you're the type who's obsessive about finding the one who done it, concentrate on the first couple of chapters. That's what most mystery authors do. They plant a hint at the beginning.
Another part of the suspense is whether or not Kacey will turn up dead like the other prostitutes. There are a few examples of foreshadowing. At one point Liz Moore actually tells the reader, so you'll know before the resolution. Another one is when Mickey finds several letters and child support checks from her father, who left the family when their mother, also addicted, died, at her grouchy grandmother's house. Her name is Gee, and she's a real winner.
There's also a surprise concerning Mickey's son, Thomas, whom we assumed was Mickey and Simon's son. Not the case. Guess who the real mother is.
Dennis Lehane, author of MYSTIC RIVER, really liked this book. Personally, I thought Mickey spent too much time running around in circles. The story wasn't moving.
The book is about two sisters, one a drug addict and a prostitute, the other a patrol officer for the Philadelphia Police Department.
Then Kacey, the younger of the two, the drug addicted one, goes missing, and Mickey is obsessed with finding her, so obsessed that she neglects her job. Somebody is also murdering prostitutes and Mickey gets a tip as to who it is.
Liz Moore offers a couple of red herrings to start. At first she targets a drug pusher named “Doc”. There's a minor theme involved here. Even the worst of us has some redeeming qualities. She misjudges Doc, and she misinterprets what's going on with her former husband, Simon, who groomed her as a counselor at the Police Athletic League. She thinks he might be a suspect, and when she follows him to the neighborhood where the prostitutes hang out, she's certain he's the killer. Mickey has a platonic relationship with her former partner, Truman, which could lead to something more serious but never does. He's on leave due to what she thinks is a job related injury. But Kacey's fellow prostitutes suggest he might be the real killer. That ruins that relationship. If you're the type who's obsessive about finding the one who done it, concentrate on the first couple of chapters. That's what most mystery authors do. They plant a hint at the beginning.
Another part of the suspense is whether or not Kacey will turn up dead like the other prostitutes. There are a few examples of foreshadowing. At one point Liz Moore actually tells the reader, so you'll know before the resolution. Another one is when Mickey finds several letters and child support checks from her father, who left the family when their mother, also addicted, died, at her grouchy grandmother's house. Her name is Gee, and she's a real winner.
There's also a surprise concerning Mickey's son, Thomas, whom we assumed was Mickey and Simon's son. Not the case. Guess who the real mother is.
Dennis Lehane, author of MYSTIC RIVER, really liked this book. Personally, I thought Mickey spent too much time running around in circles. The story wasn't moving.
