Book Review: Parallel Lies

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

Parallel Lies     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Ridley Pearson
Class/Genre:   Mystery

Pearson writes a very nice series featuring a team of cops in the Seattle area. In this departure from his series he doesn't quite find his mark.

Umberto Alvarez has suffered a very painful loss - his wife and two children died when their vehicle was hit by a train at a railroad crossing. Officials of the rail line prevailed when Alvarez was not able to prove that the crossing guardrail was defective. As a result Alvarez has embarked on a crusade of revenge, involving a series of planned derailments.

Meanwhile, Peter Tyler, an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, is called to a puzzling scene in an empty boxcar - a bloody mess after what was clearly a violent fight. Gradually Tyler, working with a security officer for the railroad, pieces together what is going on - and the mix involves an overly ambitious plan for a high speed passenger train, financial shenanigans diverting maintenance funds, and the expert plan of Alvarez as he seeks his revenge.

Characters are not developed very well, and as the book concludes one of the criminals is not brought to justice. The reader is asked to view this as a just conclusion. I didn't see it that way!

Woodstock - RAM

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