Perfidy (A Circle City Mystery #1)
By M. E. May
ISBN13: 9781837148201
Author website: http://www.memay-mysteries.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt
Synopsis:
Mandy Stevenson left home for college even as her family was being torn apart by the loss of her brother, an Indianapolis police officer. But now, four years later, it’s time to return and face the grief and hardships she left behind.
As summer fades, Mandy finds herself in a nightmare when her mother vanishes without a trace. Faced with her father’s skepticism, Mandy turns to her godfather, head of the Missing Person Unit, for help. The police investigation quickly uncovers her mother’s secret, nefarious lifestyle–a lifestyle that may have cost her mother everything–including her life.
How much grief from personal loss and duplicity can Mandy bear? Will uncovering the most perfidious of all turn Mandy’s life to bitterness–or end it?
Review:
What drew me to Perfidy was that it was set in the Circle City of Indianapolis. I lived there for a bit and thought it might be interesting. Well it was and more so. This book reads like a crime drama on television. The reader gets to see the murder/mystery play out in all the different arenas. Main character Mandy Stevenson takes the reader along in her angst driven search for answers when her erratic mother disappears. The reader gets to sit in on police interrogations, inter office police meetings, evidence searches and all sorts of things. It is written from an interesting perspective. The story is well written, but very twisting and complex.
So much was going on in this book and had so many characters I sometimes had a hard time keeping up. That may just be me though, but still it was quite busy. Somehow thought it worked and kept things hopping. Even with all the characters, they were all well-developed and plotted. This author did a marvelous job trying to keep things connected and everything was very well played. Every character seemed to be involved with every other one in some nefarious way or another. There was all sorts of bad acts committed and some for what the person thought was a good reason. Who was the bad guys and who were the good guys is definitely up in the air for most of the book.
The earlier death of Mandy’s brother, an Indianapolis police officer, really tore her family apart. Her father is now the head of the Homicide Department but it wouldn’t matter where he worked in the police force, her mother would always blame him for the death of their son. As Mandy tries to find answers to her mother’s disappearance, she enlists the help of her uncle who heads up the Missing Persons department. This causes some issues with the men and the family conflicts play a big part in this story. The author’s handling of this is intense and well written.
Perfidy is the first in what I am sure is a truly intense series A Circle City Mystery. This installment is being put out as paperback now so it is a great time to start it. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves crime drama and those who love the crime shows on television will really enjoy it. It reads like a show or movie. It is very intense and can be a bit complicated, but the end result it well worth the work. The story is interesting and has tons and tons of twists and curves and surprises. Family drama is very important in this installment. I think fans of cozy mysteries with an edge will also enjoy it. There is so much in this book, I think it can appeal to a very wide range of readers.
