Book Review: At Dead of Night

Reviewed By: Carol - SLC - RAM

At Dead of Night     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Linda Amey
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Amateur Sleuth   Thriller
Series: Blair Emerson # 2
Mystery Writers of America Presents, iUniverse, 2002, 283 pages, $19.95

This is the second installment in Linda Amey’s Blair Emerson series. Blair, a funeral director following in her father’s footsteps, finds herself at the center of several conflicts (not the least of which is arson) in her old hometown of Live Oak. Ms. Amey does an excellent job of bringing the reader up to speed on Blair and her family without rehashing everything in the first book. In fact, much of the background information that is included in this installment is fresh and new - giving the reader even more insight into the main characters.

Ms. Amey uses multiple subplots to help keep the reader off balance, adding to the tension and aura of suspense. In less capable hands, this tactic could result in a choppy, uneven flow of ideas, resulting in a disjointed storyline and leaving the reader confused. In this case, however, Ms. Amey moves around her subplots with the command of an able navigator, managing to tie up everything smoothly and satisfyingly.

Ms. Amey also changes the setting of the book for this installment, helping to keep the reader interested by not allowing one to become too familiar and comfortable with Blair Emerson’s surroundings. Another successful tactic. I was quite pleased with this book, and launched right into the third in the series.

Carol - SLC - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Carol - SLC - RAM