A Book A Week

Believe it or not, we are in the final month of 2022! Please tell me I'm not the only one wondering where the time has gone! December tends to be a busy month, so I try to tackle lighter reads than I may normally gravitate toward during other parts of the year. This year, it seems those reads are taking me back to my comfort genre of mystery/thrillers. Having already completed my reading goal for the year, I've decided to kick off the month with a book by an author who I've never read. Scott Turow is one of those authors who I've always been aware of, but have never dived into. With thriller authors, especially those who write series, I find that I'm hesitant to either start a long-running series from the beginning or jump ahead to their current installment. The folks and Grand Central Publishing helped to force the subject a bit by sending me Turow's latest novel Suspect, the twelfth entry in his Kindle County Legal Thriller series. 

As the series title would suggest, this book centers on a court case. The case in question sees the police chief Lucia Gomez accused of sexual misconduct by three of her officers. Each of the men claims that Gomez solicited sex in exchange for their subsequent promotions. Already somewhat of an outsider in this small town, Gomez knows that these accusations will tarnish her already precarious reputation. She also maintains that the complaints are patently false. Desperate to prove her innocence, she turns to an old friend and seasoned attorney Rik Dudek to act as her representation in the federal grand jury investigation. 

Clarice "Pinky" Granum is about as unconventional of an investigator as you could possibly imagine. The granddaughter of a well-respected lawyer, Pinky spent much of her youth experimenting with different drugs, having casual romantic trists with both genders, and coming up short in every undertaking she attempted. Her last big failure came as she was booted from the police academy. Pinky has landed on her feet though. She now works as a licensed private investigator for Rik Dudek, looking into the minor cases that he takes on. When Rik agrees to represent disgraced police chief Gomez, Pinky knows she will need to keep her head down and stay out of trouble. She's about to find out, though, that keeping a low profile is easier said than done. 

I'm always a bit hesitant about starting a series with the newest installment instead of beginning with the first book. As far as I can tell, Suspect works perfectly fine as a standalone read. Turow does a fine job of setting the stage for each of the characters and the stakes of the trial that the book follows. He deftly balances both the courtroom drama and the investigations that are occurring outside. The book delves into small-town politics, gender bias, corruption, and sexuality, using the thriller to keep the pace moving. As an introduction to the author, I found Suspect to be an engaging read with a main character that really helped to differentiate this book from others in the genre. I'll be eager to go back and read more of his work in the future. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2022, 56)