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Summary: Premise: murder and racism in a small town
Review: Though I agree the writing at times was a little elementary, the story was disturbing to me, not just because of the theme of child molestation/murder but also because of the racism aspect. I am a non-white person living in a small community in the Northwest (about 2 hours from Seattle) with very little crime. While I have never experienced blatant racism, I have encountered some innocent/ignorant comments from people who were not hatefull; I'm assuming they were just not very culturally aware, so I can relate to many of the situations/feelings in the book. This is not a story with a happy ending; rather, it was sad (police chief and detective's relationship) as well as disturbing (altering crime evidence, guilt by association, hidden racial and militia agendas). It would seem to be a book to spark discussion groups on these multiple themes. I will read the author's first novel.
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Summary: An Isolated Incident Isn't All That Isolated
Review: I have ready many, many mysteries over the years and this novel is one of the best I have ever read! The twists and turns of the suspect, the bigotry that is as chilling to the bone as the murder itself. This book is provocative and stirring. The characters on this island are absolutely hateful! I look forward to reading "Guilt by Association". Thank you Susan...
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Summary: If only this book WERE more isolated
Review: The author had good intentions, but needed a much lighter touch for this book. The premise of an isolated island community rocked by a shocking murder is very intriguing. Unfortunately, the author didn't bring any new ideas to the mix. The killer is obvious from the first few chapters, and the rest of the book is comprised largely of heavy-handed caricatures and anvil-dropping. I don't like books that talk down or preach to the reader, and this did plenty of both.
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Summary: PREDICTABLE
Review: Maybe her first book, Guilt by Association, spoiled me...it was one that was gripping, realistic and had an explosive, unpredictable ending.......Wish I could say the same for An Isolated Incident....... A brutal murder of a lovely 15 year old girl in Seward Island in the pacific northwest..........sounds like the beginnng of a great mystery...........However, the author then went on to concentrate on anti-Semitism rather than a building up tension, and we knew from the first who the murderer was......she also left unanswered questions (i.e. just what WAS going on behind Malcom Purdy's fenced in abode?.........and what did it even have to do with the story??....) ...It was also totally out of character for Ginger, a policewoman on the case, to do such a dishonest thing as to play with the evidence.....see was seen as a morally, intelligent, law-abiding person.....one who would have even turned in her lover or family if they were guilty of a crime.......... I'm not saying the book isn't a good read......it was filled with excitement and backgrounds on some interesting characters....it's just that it could have been so much more had she spent less time trying to jam the bigotry issues down our throats!
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Summary: killed by the ending
Review: I read this book and thought I had an understanding of the characters. Then we get to the last quarter of the book and everything is completely unexpected except for the killer. I had that figured out in the beginning. I don't believe true suspense in mysteries is achieved by having characters in the end doing completely unexpected, out of character things.
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Summary: A Fine & Surprising Book
Review: The surprise was not the killers's identity - I knew/suspected who the murderer was in this fine story right from the beginning, based on the description of the victim's feelings in the first chapter. (I'm not usually that good at figuring out solutions in mysteries, either). What was surprising was the way the story appeared to be a standard, well-written mystery - very straight-forward... until the last few chapters when the lives of the leading characters unraveled and changed drastically. Even though I was sure I knew who the killer was - the ending was so oblique and so dark that I was taken off-guard. In fact, my initial reaction was - "Huh"? I turned out the light - and started to go to sleep when the meaning hit me! Migod! I did NOT go to sleep right away - and books seldom affect me that way. After the shock wore off, I kept thinking - 'Yeah - but the DNA will tell the truth - won't it'...........? A mystery that makes you think & feel? What's this?? Reading this over, it looks like I've written a mystery right here, in my effort to not divulge too much - but hey - aren't reviews supposed to pique your interest?
Rating:
Summary: First Rate
Review: A first rate novel. The book shares many similarities with the author's first book (Guilt by Association): great literary style, a good, fast paced story, meticulous examination of a contemporary issue, three dimensional characters. Indeed, the book's major fault is that it does not quite live up to the standard set in "Guilt by Association," but than no other book that I've read does so either.
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Summary: Too Many Unresolved Issues
Review: "An Isolated Incident" takes places on Seward Island in Washington State. This small community seems immune to crime occurring elsewhere in the world, particularly murder. However, when a pregnant 15-year-old girl (Tara Breckenridge) is found dead--stabbed to death, wrapped in a carpet and discarded in a Dumpster--, the entire island is shocked and eager to seek justice. The woman leading the investigation is 28-year-old Detective Ginger Earley. Her partner is 45-year-old Chief of Police Ruben Martinez, who later becomes Ginger's love interest. Their exploration of suspects and clues lasts for nearly five months, resulting in frequent criticism and forewarnings of losing their jobs. With this added pressure and very few leads, they settle on the most likely suspect: Mr. Jerry Frankel, Tara's 35-year-old high school history teacher. As soon as his identity is revealed, Mr. Frankel and his family are constantly harassed. His being Jewish also brings the worst out in people--and, gradually, a common display of racial and religious hatred emerges throughout the town, creating a very shocking and sad ending. I thought "An Isolated Incident" was a relatively good mystery and social commentary on intolerance. Most of the characters were described well, although occasionally a little too in-depth. The Puget Sound locale was also perfect, but then I'm biased since I live here. :) However, after reading nearly 500 pages, I thought there were too many unresolved issues in the book. I had to re-read the last couple pages to fully understand the how's and why's of Tara Breckenridge's murder. Although I had suspected the killer from the beginning (clue: his reputation was at stake), I expected more to be revealed about the murder than what was shown at the end. It was quite a let down. But if you like somewhat unsolved cases, then you'll probably like "An Isolated Incident". I thought, for the most part, it was a very good mystery. The ending was disappointing but realistic; after all, not all murder mysteries are completely solved.
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Summary: Depressing Ending
Review: Sloan is not a lawyer and needs to get her facts straight, starting with real life. This book keeps you guessing until the end which wasn't pleasant.
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Summary: A terrific mystery
Review: The death of a 15 year old girl came without any warning. The knife went inside her abdomen more than a few times, yet she didn't feel a thing; she was stunned and couldn't believe what she was seeing. The murder of this young girl name Tara Breckenridge gave problems for her Professor Jerry Frankel because they were lovers. Jerry was blamed for her death bacause he didn't want his wife to know about his love affair. Those little details and the closeness to Tara made Jerry seem to be the murderer, and that is when you have to stop and think abou it.
The author of this novel takes us around the characters, and then turns us back to think about the real story behind all of this, and puts little pieces together. It's an outstanding book because I love how the plot came together, and how the characters are related and fit in the story. It really made me curious and made me want to read more amd more. I couldn't put the story together till the end; only then could I figure on the mystery. Even at the end it made me think and wonder again the true meaning, but i got it.
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