Book Review: Graves, Worms and Epitaphs

Reviewed By: Webspinner - RAM

Graves, Worms and Epitaphs     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
J. W. Kerr
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Lt. Hilderbrand # 2
Lions Head Publishing;2001; $12.99; 247pp

This is the second entry in this series, and Lt. Hilderbrand is back with some age old problems: a fellow officer and personal friend is dead; an high-ranking officer is suspected of some type of involvement; suspects are wealthy and seemingly invulnerable; and everyone around him wants this killer brought to justice.

Another story of the conflict between good and evil, this novel takes a different turn and a different viewpoint. Generally written from the point-of-view of Lt. Anson Hilderbrand and "third-party", there is more mystery in this offering. The subject matter is dark, as is true in most any police department these days.

This novel provides more insight into the mind of Lt. Hilderbrand, his relationships, and his conflicts. I've met characters that I can like, empathize with, and Mr. Kerr has left me wanting to know more. That in itself will make me look for more books in this series. I'm looking forward to learning more about Houston, Lt. Hilderbrand, his family and his fellow officers. And I already have a Bandit of my very own.

That said, this will be a disturbing ending for many . . . especially those outside the borders of law enforcement, and hopefully for those within, too. While I appreciated the story, I have a large-sized problem of my own with the manner in which it ended. While I won't discount that the ending chosen may happen far too often, and for the stated reasons, it made me extremely uncomfortable. With two children of my own headed for careers in law enforcement, I hope they are able to find more acceptable solutions than Lt. Hilderbrand did in this case. (Which may have been the author's intent.)

Webspinner - RAM

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