Safe House
By Christine Duncan
Published by Whooo Doo Mysteries,
A division of Treble Heart Books
ISBN 978-1-936127-00-9
Reviewed by Marlene Pyle
The main character of this cozy mystery is Kaye Berreano, a counselor in a battered women’s shelter. She is also the divorced mother of two troubled teenagers. Kaye has a lot on her plate, and her life is about to get even more complicated.
When the body of a teenage girl is found in a deserted field, the police’s main suspect is Kaye’s son, RJ, and Kaye also discovers that RJ has been using drugs. This is every parent’s nightmare, and having raised two teenagers myself, I could definitely relate, but the reader is not drawn deeply enough into Kaye’s emotions. We seem to skim along the surface of her feelings, never really delving into the fear she is experiencing for her son.
The story is fast-paced, moving quickly from one scene to the next, but could have benefited from a more thorough examination of the horror Kaye must have felt when faced with her son’s problems. It felt to me like this was a major aspect of the novel, and the reader could have been more engaged if the character’s thoughts were more intensely revealed. As an example, Kaye’s budding romance with police investigator Pete Farrell is just barely touched on. Pete is introduced as a pretty decent guy, but we have no real idea of how Kaye feels about him or whether he is an important part of her life. Pete seems confused as to what kind of relationship Kaye wants with him, and the reader is left in the dark as well. It seems almost as if Pete was just thrown in there to give Kaye a romantic interest, but a lot more could have been done with this, even if only to show Kaye’s ambivalence and hesitation about becoming attached to this man.
Some parts of the plot were a bit implausible, in order to bring the story to a neatly-tied, satisfactory conclusion. I can’t really explain more without giving away the twists the story takes, and I don’t want to do that, because it is a good story. With a more richly developed main character, it could be an even better story. Since this is a series, the author will have the opportunity to bring her readers more fully into the life of Kaye Berreano, and as the character grows, I believe the next installment will be enriched.
Copyright ©2009 Marlene Pyle
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION
I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.