Stray Bullets by Robert Rotenberg
This is the third book in the legal mystery series based in Toronto. The first was Old City Hall, followed by The Guilty Plea. We have Detective Ari Greene and Officer Kennicott back, and they both get a good share of the action both on the case and in their personal life. Another character we see back is criminal lawyer Nancy Parish.
As the book begins, Nancy is about to leave for a long-awaited vacation in Mexico. But downtown, at a Tim Hortons, a tragic situation unfolds. The jealous ex-boyfriend of one of the employees is just out of jail and she is worried he will show up, confiding in a co-worker. As she leaves at the end of her shift, her fears are realized and her ex and his friend appear as her new boyfriend arrives to pick her up. Shots are fired and a small boy is hit in the head. Security cameras pick up some of what has happened, but not the defining actions.
As the police arrive and try to make sense of things, those involved run. It is one of those, the ex-boyfriend's friend Larkin St. Clair that is Nancy's long-time client. And his picture is now on the front page of the paper. As Nancy fights to defend Larkin, and the police try to figure out what really happened at the coffee shop, the new Crown Attorney takes on his first murder case.
Giving us real insights into the legal and police worlds, Rotenberg has also taken on what seems to be a more common criminal situation today, the involvement of the innocent bystander. With the recent Eaton Centre shooting and College Street shooting, we see how more and more often criminals choose busy public places when carrying out their deadly intentions.
The writing is great, Rotenberg seems to get better and better with each book. I know he is a hot author at my library and this new release will only raise his profile further.
No comments:
Post a Comment