Book Review: A Long December

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

A Long December     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Donald Harstad
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Carl Houseman # 5

'A Long December' is an excellent police procedural. It is set in Iowa, an area I do not know at all. I found the rural background a refreshing change from the police novels with more urban settings.

The book begins with a dramatic and powerful scene of a police stand-off, and switches almost immediately to the narrator, Carl Houseman, a deputy sheriff and chief investigator, carrying out his routine duties at some point in time before the stand-off. This switch in time was a little disconcerting at first, but I soon found that it helped to increase the suspense.

Houseman's routine day is disrupted when a murder is reported - a very unusual one, both because it appeared to be 'execution-style', and because there was an uninvolved eyewitness who could describe the entire murder and the murderers. Identifying the victim and the killers is a challenge for the police because recent changes in nearby Battenberg have resulted in an influx of immigrants of varying backgrounds, cultures and languages, some of whom do not like to talk to the police.

The plot continues through fascinating twists and turns as the connections among the various characters are revealed. The details of the police investigations are particularly interesting, especially the care and strategy that went into the interrogations.

Overall, this is an excellent novel with interesting characters, a plausible and twisty plot and convincing details and descriptions of the investigation and the setting.

Cheryl - RAM

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