Book Review: Overkill

Reviewed By: Carl Brookins - RAM

Overkill     Amazon US TPB Amazon Canada TPB
Susan McBride
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Maggie Ryan - 2 # 2
Trade Paper, 255 pg.
Mayhaven Publishing
2001, $14.95

3 Sails and a jib

Susan McBride, is a young, enthusiastic, skilled, mystery novelist. It shows. She’s also a good writer. For themost part, McBride handles the elements of the mystery novel maturely and with a certain freshness. This is only her second novel and it again features police detective Maggie Ryan, who works for the people of Litchfield, Texas. Ryan is a good detective who got her start on the meaner streets of Dallas. She brings this experience to bear with good effect when a developmentally challenged student is brutally gunned down while riding a school bus.

There are two axioms in the mystery novel community that are rarely ever challenged. One is the killing of pets (petjep) and the other is danger or death to children (kidjep). Even experienced and established authors steer clear. McBride shows a lot of moxie in confronting one of these maxims head on. She certainly demonstrates the writing skills and knowledge of the genre adequate to handle the task.

The novel is taut, logical and full of exciting scenes. The resolution is excellent. If this book has problems, it lies in the emotional upheaval that seems to attend Maggie Ryan throughout. She’s not quite a basket case, but I found the character’s lack of sufficient professional distance and her emotional struggles, both personal; and professional, to be too strong. In my view, the novel is poorer for that emphasis, although it is undeniable that those emotions add dimension to the character.

Carl Brookins - RAM

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

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