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Book Review of The Body Box (Cold Case, Bk 1)

The Body Box (Cold Case, Bk 1)
geejay avatar reviewed on + 85 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


Within about 20 pages I was not only totally hooked, but laughing my rear end off at the line "Pick another town, pervert" delivered by the media-savvy chief of police in a televised raid on a pedophile ring.

It is clear immediately that the author, is an experienced and extremely talented writer. Biographical information at the end of the book reveals that Lynn Abercrombie is actually a pseudonym for a "highly acclaimed Edgar Award-winning author, past president of the Atlanta chapter of 'Sisters in Crime'". A hint it's a man, enjoy the hunt! I got a laugh. The author delivers a tight and intricate plot, snappy dialogue and an especially talented ear for regional dialects.

The main character Mechelle Deakes has done some struggling, it would seem, and for her sins she has been kicked down from narcotics and at the beginning of this book, reassigned again from "GLBT Liason officer" (that would be Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender)to the new Cold Case Unit, situated in the basement and consisting of herself and her superior the baccy chewing redneck, oldschool Lieutenant-with-a-mission Hank Gooch. The author has tongue firmly in cheek the reader suspects at many points throughout this book and although the subject matter is deadly serious this book is consistently a cracking good read.

Abercrombie's first "Cold Case Thriller" is a stunner. I'm giving it 5-stars for hitting all the hallmarks of a good crime series in the very first book. The author gives you great characters, from the most minor to the two majors, well paced plot and particularly clever dialogue. On top of that it made me laugh!