Another great mystery starring Detective Inspector Hazel Micalief that has an action-packed suspenseful ending. Wolfe has written a winning combination with a tough, tenacious female protagonist, a cast of well-developed characters, and an excellent plot. Even with Micalief's qualities there are some who consider the sixty-two year-old a dinosaur, and therefore dispensable. With her recent back surgery, she is fighting on a lot of fronts. This is a page-turner that the Canadian setting made even better. I feel like dropping by Tim's for a double-double. ( )

I have to admit feeling a little let down with this book. I have fond memories of the first book, “The Calling”, thinking it was the start of a great series with a unique and interesting protagonist. This book however, felt like more of the same stuff we’ve already read.

The good:

* Hazel recovering from back surgery at her ex-husband’s house and his new wife. Talk about uncomfortable positions for all! I liked that the author explored each person’s feelings and attitudes about the arrangement.

* We also learn more about the history of DC Wingate. One of the bright spots in the books, I like his character and want to know more. He’s an interesting supporting character and needs a bit more attention in my opinion.

The bad:

* Unfortunately the mystery itself was not very well plotted. It had a preposterous premise and went on for far too long.

* The city police were unbelievable in their responses to Hazel. The fact that they would try to impede the investigation while a person’s life was at serious risk came off as implausible.

* I also must mention the writing itself. Supposedly Inger Ash Wolfe is a pen name for a known literary author. The prose in the book, while functional, was not up to the standard I would expect from a literary author. I know several other crime fiction authors whose writing I would rate above Wolfe’s.

I enjoy the characters enough that I will read the next book, but will hope for better plotting next time.
( )

Not bad. I think, in the end, I liked this one somewhat better than The Calling, simply because I the ending was stronger. My one issue is a spoiler, so I won't bring it up, but I think the author has a tendency to go for easy plot devices. I really like Hazel, and the various supporting characters, but I would have liked more Wingate. ( )

I wanted to like this - it came highly recommended by Kate Atkinson, Mo Hayder, Peter Robinson... But I found Hazel Micallef virtually unbelievable. A 62 year old woman, crippled with back pain, addicted to painkillers (for oh, weeks!) living in her ex husbands house with his new wife, and oh yeah, her mother too for good measure. And some convoluted plot about writers and dodgy policeman somewhere else (not in the sticks, no, in the country everyone is lovely); ending up in a helicopter chase looking for signs of fading orange on a dark night, shooting the dodgy cop with virtually no evidence... Quite how our detective inspectors back held out for all that I don't know. ( )

A really good quick read, couldn't put it down. ( )