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UNTIMELY GRAVES
by Marjorie Eccles
St Martin's Minotaur, March 2004
240 pages
$22.95
ISBN: 0312307535


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Leavenstock CID has had its hands full within the last few weeks. Heavy rains have attacked their jurisdiction causing property damage, flooded housing, and the discovery of a murdered body at the Kyne River.

Detective Superintendent Gil Mayo and his assistant, Inspector Abigail Moon, are at a loss. No one has claimed or identified the dead woman and the police have little to go on. It is not until a chance discovery by a 'maid for hire' that the investigation gets on track leading to another crime and possibly another murder.

In UNTIMELY GRAVES, Marjorie Eccles focuses mostly on character development with this novel because that is where you will find the tale. Each one plays a role whether as a red herring or an actual clue and the novel takes its time in developing the situation before identifying the woman in question.

The book at times may be slow, but where is the fun in a quick thrill? The reader is introduced to a family who are instrumental in the telling of this mystery. A father forced to retire from the police force working unsuccessfully as a private investigator; his daughter Cleo taking a break from university and trying to find what she would like to do in the world; and his wife working at the local university and involved in a dispute with several landowners over a proposed school entrance.

Eccles weaves a tapestry using these characters whom, while interacting with other characters, uncover new layers to the mystery of the woman in the river. UNTIMELY GRAVES makes an impression due to its powerful writing. It will motivate readers to try Eccles' other books. The Gil Mayo series has been out for a while and now is a good time to start. Maybe soon.

Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, April 2004

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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