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IT WAS YOU is the fourth in the series to feature former police officer-turned-PI Billy Rucker. In this latest novel Rucker is persuaded by the boss of a murdered woman to investigate her death. The fact that Rucker's office is in the same building where the woman works ensures that his initial investigations are extremely close to home. Juggling the investigation with his current caseload is not a problem either. However, when a second murder takes place and another connection to Rucker is recognized, it does not take a miracle to realise that he is the conduit. Even though this is the first book out of the whole series that I have ever read, it is clear that there are continuing threads and incidents from the earlier books that are yet to be resolved. While to a certain extent the threads are an excellent way to show continuity, they also proved to be a distraction that hindered the smooth telling of the story. Baron could have easily interwoven these threads with a lot more finesse. On the one hand whilst I enjoyed reading IT WAS YOU, I also sadly felt let down on too many occasions. Eagle-eyed readers will spot the culprit from very early on especially since most of the information is given away when an earlier case is being discussed. Furthermore, the author singly fails to offer Rucker any clues whatsoever in tracking down the culprit and he is left to play catch-up with the information that is already evident to the reader. On the other hand, the book has many good aspects to it. The characters are not only well-drawn but their response to what is going on around them could also not be better demonstrated. The grittiness of this book is reminiscent of some other English crime writers such as the excellent books by John Harvey and Martyn Waites to name a few and the atmosphere comes through in the writing. Would I go back and read the earlier books? Possibly, but not in a hurry. An interesting readable series that could be better known.
Reviewed by Ayo Onatade, March 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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