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Matthew Worth hadn't intended to become a cop. Just because his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been cops didn't mean he had to – his older brother carried the name on in his generation. But Kelly had been killed in the line of duty after only three years on the force and now Matthew is a cop. Not a great cop, kind of a screw-up, really, and presently working night-patrol at a supermarket in penance for having thrown a punch at the detective for whom Matthew's wife had left him. So the sum is, career in a slump, marriage in the dumpster, a joke at the station and a curiosity at the supermarket, where he fills his time bagging groceries in his police uniform and occasionally chatting with Gwen, one of the checkers. Then one evening Gwen comes to him with a problem. A big problem. And, impulsively, Matthew decides to provide her with more help than she was looking for, a decision that lands them both in a lot of danger. This is a very well-written story. Matthew is a classic film-noir-style anti-hero, wry and weary but not without smarts and a bottom-line doggedness that sees him through even his own despair. He's quite likeable and it's easy to identify with his state of depression and ennui. When he unpredictably breaks out of inaction, we see his own surprise and bewilderment, and it's clear he has only the vaguest notion of how he's going to proceed. Much of the suspense in the story comes from the very realistic sense that Matthew is making this up as he goes. Rather than watching the unfolding of a clever plan, we find out about twists in the plot, complications in his path, before he does and get to watch as he reels and then improvises with more desperation than deftness. I found it quite compelling reading.
Reviewed by Diana Sandberg, December 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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