Book Review: A Small Weeping

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

A Small Weeping     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Alex Gray
Class/Genre:   Mystery

Comparisons with Ian Rankin seem unavoidable for any Scottish mystery writer, and indeed a review on the cover of 'A Small Weeping' makes just this comparison for author Alex Gray. This comparison is not completely inappropriate, but Gray is not a Rankin clone; he has his own style which is somewhat lighter and less gritty than Rankin's.

Gray's DCI Lorimer works in Glasgow for an unsympathetic and bureaucratic supervisor. Lorimer is a dedicated officer - not so tied up in his life that he has no personal life, but sufficiently absorbed in his work for his relationship with his wife to suffer. His closest colleagues are Rosie, a forensic pathologist, and the oddly remote psychologist, Solomon. They are trying to solve the murders of four women, all stranglings, all bodies left with their hands in the same peculiar position. The unravelling of this mystery - in the face of opposition from a more senior police officer, who wants to accept the easy and obvious answer - requires an investigation that ranges from street prostitutes in Glasgow to a retreat for the mentally ill in Lewis.

The clever plot and the sympathetic protagonist combine to produce an interesting story that should appeal to fans of the classic mystery novel.

Cheryl - RAM

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