Grave Situation by Alex MacLean

4 stars

Allan Stanton is an emotionally distressed Lieutenant in Canada.  He is sitting on a case going cold and feeling badly and responsible for not being able to bring the guilty one to justice.  Then more murders begin to occur.  Mr. MacLean takes you through the characters background, emotions and reasoning.  This insight gave me the ability to empathize with each of the characters and their situation whether their situation was of their own doing or not.

The murder mystery is intelligent and gruesome.  I found that the religious beliefs of the characters was somewhat surprising, but I found this to be a reminder that people that believe in God and organized religion can do very bad things.  Something I’ve always known but am always surprised by.  Now, don't think that statement makes me a "holier than thou" person.  I just find it very surprising that people who believe in God and go to church are able to lack humanity.  Enough said.  I'll probably bring this up again.

I have started to read quotes in books at the end of the book to see how it applies to the story.  Chapter 1 starts with, “The only way to escape the abyss is to look at it, gauge it, sound it out and descend into it” by Cesare Pavese (an Italian novelist and poet I looked up on Google).  This quote applies to the book and life itself, of course!  It applies to fear!  Well, in my life it applies to fear.  Go for your dreams!  Make yourself happy!  Stop doing the status quo!  Same advise as from Nigel Marsh's "Fat, Forty and Fired."  Hmmm...a theme?

Yes, anther first novel.  I haven’t read a well-known author for sometime now and I haven’t found a reason to yet.  I have found so many first novels that are extremely good and free.  I will follow Mr. MacLean’s writing career with his next novel, “One Kill Away” and on.