Blind Faith by Alicia Beckman
10/11/22; 336 pages
Crooked
Lane Books
Blind Faith by Alicia Beckman is a highly recommended mystery.
There are several different mysteries that need to be resolved. Lindsay Keller is a lawyer who currently handles real estate deals and historic preservation projects in Billings, Montana. When she is given a wallet found on a property, she realizes immediately it belongs to Father Michael Leary, who disappeared years ago and is presumed dead.
Detective Brian Donovan has moved to Billings from Boston and
taking on a notorious cold case intrigues him. The case is
propelled to the forefront with the discovery of the wallet and
Donovan is carefully examining all the case notes from years ago.
In Portland, Ore., Carrie Matheson, knew Father Mike. When she
was young, her Baba and little sister, Ginger, moved to Billings
following Father Mike. She was in her senior year of high school
when something happened that had them moving yet again. This time
to Portland, Oregon.
Lindsay and Donovan are both examining and digging deeper into
Father Mike's murder. Carrie, on the other hand, is researching
her family tree to try and help her grandson get into a drug
trial. He has cystic fibrosis and in order to be accepted into the
drug trial, he needs a complete genealogy. Her investigation leads
to Father Mike and Lindsay and Donovan. There is also the question
of how does this all connect to an event in the 70's when a man forces
another car off a cliff.
The characters are fully realized as unique individuals. You will care about what happens, but there are many characters, which requires, again, that you pay close attention to all of them and remember the facts surrounding them.
This is a well-written intelligent and complex mystery that spans decades and moves forward at a steady, even pace. Chapters are headed by the year and this is very important because the narrative jumps back and forth between years as well as the points-of-view of various characters. Clues to what is happening in the present are found in these chapters which requires readers to pay close attention to when and where the chapter is set. The switching back and forth can also be a bit disconcerting. This is an excellent mystery but the jumping timelines made it a much slower trip to the satisfying conclusion.
1 comment:
So glad you enjoyed the trip to Montana with me!
Alicia Beckman, aka Leslie Budewitz
Post a Comment