Reporter Britt Montero Finds Justice
Written: Nov 11 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Not hard-boiled, fast paced
Cons: Not terribly complicated
The Bottom Line: Entertaining light reading
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| Rocketgirl's Full Review: Edna Buchanan - Miami, Its Murder |
This series of novels by Edna Buchanan features Britt Montero, ace reporter for the Miami Herald. This is one of the earlier books in the series, written in 1994.
Reporter Britt Montero is of Cuban descent with an Aunt who still practices Santeria, a Latino-Catholic mixed religion, with incantations and hexes. Her beat is the police beat. Her partner is Lottie, ace photographer and darkroom queen.
In this story, Britt starts out tracking the story of a serial rapist that the paper has dubbed the Downtown Rapist. Soon threatening letters start coming in to the paper and Britt fears that he may be coming after her next.
At the same time, she reports on a man who falls to his death in a concrete pour. Another man dies in a sexual asphyxiation gone too far. And another victim dies when he drunkenly drives his car off a bridge. These deaths are seemingly random and just part of life, but Britt will find out they are related and in a most unexpected way.
And woven through it all is an ages old case that Britt just can't let go. A young girl was raped and murdered and left for dead 22 years ago. The main suspect at the time is an up and coming politician who is running for governor. Britt feels she must find the proof before a murderer gets elected to public office.
What I most liked about this story is how the author cleverly interweaves all the stories together to make them seem related even when they're not supposed to be related. And then she makes it all come together again. It's a very nice technique that makes a not very complicated plot seem more complicated.
The story is a light-hearted novel in the same manner that the Janet Evanovich books. The main character does not take herself too seriously and things often don't go her way. The other characters are treated in the same manner. There are no blood and guts in this series of novels.
There are the typical recurring characters, such as Lottie the photographer, and Fred, the boss. There aren't so many characters that the reader loses what the point of each character is. Yet there are enough to advance the plot and help build Britt's personality.
In this story, there is also the character of Dan, the retired policeman who is a long time friend of Britt's. He's the one that tells her about the young girl who was killed, a case that has long troubled him as unsolved. He has always given her good advice.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. Not an intricate plot, but interesting enough to want to know the ending. The resolution of all the crimes and the 22 year old case are definitely a surprise, something else that I appreciate. I don't like it when the solution is apparent early. The series is entertaining enough that I will likely look for others in the series. This is the second one I have read.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Rocketgirl
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Member: Beth
Location: Tri-Cities, WA
Reviews written: 398
Trusted by: 224 members
About Me:
So many books, so little time.
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