Published in 1999, I'm guessing this was meant to be the start of a series, but sadly the author passed away. I read this straight through, so it's a nice fast-paced book. I pretty much knew whodunit and why from very early on, although I don't know if the author intended it to be that obvious or not. Wren really piles on the problems for Jones - seemed a bit excessive. The hatred towards Neely expressed by her fellow police officers also seemed excessive, although I reminded myself that you do hear about appalling things happening amongst firefighters and police still today. Neely herself is a very appealing character, determined to be the best she can be despite what's stacked against her.
And another thing...it seemed to be that most of it could have been avoided by the villain. When Neely takes office, she has no clue what the ex-sheriff has been up to. The villain could have killed Gills and made it look like suicide, everyone would have accepted that, and Neely would have been left with a big puzzle but no way to unravel it.
And another thing...it seemed to be that most of it could have been avoided by the villain. When Neely takes office, she has no clue what the ex-sheriff has been up to. The villain could have killed Gills and made it look like suicide, everyone would have accepted that, and Neely would have been left with a big puzzle but no way to unravel it.
