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Harry Doyle and his younger brother, Jimmy, were murdered by their religious zealot mother when he was ten years old. She drugged their juice and put them in the garage, turned on the car and closed the door. By sheer chance, a neighbor notices something suspicious; the rescue workers are able to resuscitate Harry, but Jimmy dies. Since that time, their mother has been in prison and Harry is determined that she will never be released. She is clearly mentally ill. Each year on the anniversary of the murder, she sends him a letter reinforcing her desire for Harry to be united with Jesus. And each time that she is up for parole, Harry fights to keep her incarcerated. Fortunately, Harry was raised by a solid set of parents in a foster home. He is now a homicide detective in Florida. His colleagues have nicknamed him "the dead detective"; they believe that what happened in Harry's youth has enabled him to hear the dead speak. Although he denies that is the case, it is true that he seems to be able to intuit what the victims felt before they died. Doyle has just been assigned a new partner, Vicky Stanopolis, who had been working in the sex crimes unit. Her experience comes in handy on their latest case, which involves a murder victim who was a child molester. Darlene Beckett was a beautiful woman; the fact that she initiated a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy ultimately led to her arrest. Heffernan provides some excellent insights on child abuse, with some very thoughtful writing. Darlene obviously had some psychological problems; after her release from prison, she preys upon weak men, one of whom may be her killer. Although Harry was an intriguing character, the portrayal of Vicky didn't ring true. When she became Harry's partner, there was no breaking-in period. She acted as if she had been in homicide for years instead of days and had a lot of attitude. She was openly skeptical about Harry's way of doing things, when she hadn't earned the right to criticize. Some of the secondary characters lack depth, including the prime suspect. THE DEAD DETECTIVE is a solid police procedural with an unusual protagonist. It's refreshing to find a homicide detective who isn't a lone wolf; Harry is very much a team player who has a special affinity with the victims of the crimes that he investigates. The added touch of the deranged mother threatening Harry's well-ordered life adds another dimension to the narrative. It has been seven years since Heffernan's last book. Based on the conclusion of the tale, the door is open for Harry Doyle to become a series character. That is welcome news for hardboiled crime fiction fans. § Formerly a training development manager for a large company, Maddy is now retired and continues to enable the addiction of crime fiction fans as owner of the online discussion group, 4 Mystery Addicts(4MA), while avidly reading in every possible free moment herself.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, November 2010
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