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An alert cop came to Homicide Detective Marshall Bahr with several anomalies in a suicide case he had caught. Bahr was concerned enough to do some more investigation and this led him into one of the biggest cases he has ever had. It was a case that covered many states and had ties back to the Civil War. And the story of the investigation is a fascinating one. Ms. Erickson does an outstanding job developing characters. Bahr (nicknamed Mars) is a likable, flawed human being, devoted to his job, upright and honorable, but second guessing himself sometimes. The most striking thing about him, however, is his devotion to his son, Chris. Chris lives with his mother but Mars spends as much time as he can with him. Chris is a spiffy kid too and adds humanity to his dad and to the book. The victims come alive; never are they simply pieces of flesh or objects of an investigation. Bahr and his team agonize over them and firmly intend to bring them justice. The murderer, who is remote and never fully introduced to us, is the least authentic character, but even he is believable. It is simply a joy to meet and get to know the characters in this book and I want to meet them again and again. There is a firm sense of place permeating this story. Mostly it takes place in Minneapolis which is a neat city to visit and learn more about and Erickson clearly understands and loves it. Some of it takes place in Richmond and in West Virginia, and these areas also come alive for the reader. Essentially this is a police procedural although it feels like much more. The procedure seems correct and we follow the cops around as they do their jobs. Being successful requires hard work, long hours, and intuition. A successful policeman must have the ability to put disparate pieces together and see the picture. The police we meet are like most police, decent, honest people who want to catch crooks. Erickson does demonstrate the politics of the police department and especially of the police union who resents anyoneís success and hates any sort of change in the department. When the current chief leaves in the next year, Bahr and his team are going to have some problems defending their unique status. The union tipped off reporters that Bahr was spending time and resources probing a suicide and this nearly destroyed his investigation. The book is well written and well plotted. The writing never takes the reader out of the story, but develops the plot and the characters deftly and proficiently. Even when we learn the identity of the murderer, the tension does not let up nor does the good police work. And at the end of the book Erickson stops a moment to tell us what is true (about the historical part) and what is not. I appreciate an author's note. For authentic and moving characters, excellent plot, and a story I simply could not stop reading, you must try The Dead Survivors. I thought the first in the series, Third Person Singular, should have been nominated for some awards and I know this one should.
Reviewed by Sally A. Fellows, April 2002
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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