True Witness

Brodie Farrell ##2

by Jo Bannister

A teenage boy is beaten to death on Dimmock's derelict pier. Detective Jack Deacon is convinced they have the murderer; he just needs a positive identification to lock him up for good. But the only witness is math tutor and amateur astronomer Daniel Hood, in his own way a man as determined as Jack.

Compelling as the circumstantial evidence is against the suspected killer, Daniel cannot be certain that this was the man he saw. Nothing anybody says - or does - can convince him to take the easy way out and implicate a man without satisfying his own conscience.

With the town baying for blood, the only person who understands is Brodie Farrell, who steps in to defend her friend. Using her uncanny knack for "finding things," perhaps she can unravel part of this mystery and ease Daniel's burden.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, British Literature, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Jo Bannister lives in Northern Ireland, where she worked as a journalist and editor on local newspapers. Since giving up the day job, her books have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Most of her spare time is spent with her horse and dog, or clambering over archaeological sites. She is currently working on a new series of psychological crime/thrillers.

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read any of this series before, but I have enjoyed the author's Castlemere series for years. Although her sleuth did not solve the mystery and was somewhat in the background of the story compared to Daniel Hood, the plot was very enjoyable. I will read more of these.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is very good, the writing is very good, but the story was frustrating.

While there are few female characters in the story I liked how all of them were portrayed. Each of them was a strong person with no effort by others to demean them for being girls or women.

For me, the frustrating aspects were that the characters occasionally made deductions and choices that did not seem logical to the reader, that the characters missed the relevance of clues, and that story ends with final reveals where a character tells everyone (including the reader) what happened.

For the most part, the characters were very good though Daniel Hood and Jack Deacon both seemed overdone with Hood being portrayed too much as a simpering wimp and Deacon too much an oafish lout.

The story left some dangling threads, such as why Daniel Hood was no longer teaching at the school.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very clever plot, although some of the actions of the characters were beyond belief.

How could the killer have a hidden place in the countryside that absolutely no one in the area knew about?

How can a man stand up to a town full of angry people when all he had to do was identify who he saw on the pier that night?

How did he not know who the killer was by sight, since he had been a prominent member of the town for so long?

And yet the twist at the end was delightful just the same.

[Carolyn Crocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the Ash/Best duo that followed this series, Brodie Farrell's relationship to Daniel Hood deepens as once again he comes to considerable physical harm trying to maintain his integrity. Dimmock's history and demographics, as well as and DI Deacon's personal past, play into the deaths of young men ten years apart. A compelling mystery.

"A God with a funny sense of humor had given him Robin Hood's urge to ride to the rescue, and Maid Marion's muscles." p.13

'He knew that, on the thinking woman's wish list, men like him came up just below cystitis.' p.191

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brodie Farrell novel. Daniel witnesses a murder on the piers and the story of its solution relates to serial murders 10 years earlier in Dimmock. Great story.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive

[Jane Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very well-done. It's been awhile since I read a book where I can't wait to see what happens. Good characters and interesting plot and virtually no bad language. A real plus!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is well-written. But, the subject is dark, even for a murder mystery, and that made it difficult reading for me. I was also surprised that Brodie seems to be a relatively minor character.

[Carolyn Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written story with a different cast of characters. Even though this is of the Brodie Farrell series, she does not capture the center of attention. She is an integral part of the story but everything does not spin around her. You see the puzzle fitting together and can make intelligent guesses but the author brings in a twist of two. Though of a hard and disgusting subject matter (murder and rape), the author only provides what is necessary instead of sensationalizing the gruesome. I'm ready to read more of Jo Bannister's works.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent story with a few suprising moments. However, I'm unsure why this is a "Brodie Farrell (sp?)" mystery, since she played such a minor part in the story. Her role seemed to be as a background supporting character for Daniel Hood, and a to provide a romantic interest for Jack Deacon. I would consider either of the male characters to be more central to the story.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This series is shaping up nicely and was a pleasant change after the very tedious Swedish mystery Room No. 10. I did notice that the first book had the highest rating so I hope that I won't agree as I read more.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book two of Brodie Farrel series. Wanted to see if the second is better than the first. However, this title expired -- was borrowed from overdrive as an ebook. Didn't have time to finish. May try again in the future.

[Mamatufy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brodie is drawn into an investigation into the body that is pitched over the pier in front of her friend Daniel and her daughter. The ensuing mystery is complicated and intriguing. The bad guy is caught in the end but the resolution is pretty awful.

[Andrew & Bethany Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a good plot and story line, but not the expressive or descriptive qualities of JK Rowling(but, who could be better than her?). However, the book did hold my interest throughout.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-crafted mystery; Worthy continuation of 1st novel. Balances between a plot-driven & a character-driven story.

[Kelly Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd in a series but I think this is the last one for me. Can't stand the Daniel Hood character.

[Maegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second in the series and since I read the first and second in one day each you can see how much I loved them. Definately a series to check out.

[Jane Auringer Danjin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Daniel; I don't know how he lives through it all. Very creative plot and it kept my attention all the way through to its unexpected ending.

[Dawn Kadyszewski]

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