Rating: 
Summary: Not great reading material
Review: Unfortunately, this is the first Carroll book I have read, so I cannot compare its literary quality with others. I found it started very slowly, meandering just as its hero, trying to find a path for his plot. Soon I was amused - Carroll does dedicate the book to Pat Conroy as well as other authors: - the hero's daughter Cassandra begins to sound very much like the inappropriately mature child in Conroy"s BEACH MUSIC.The story becomes pretty predictable, with little depth of character, & the weird Veronica Lake thrown in for good measure. I found it very strange that a man such as the hero was supposed to be, kept allowing himself to be hoodwinked by Veronica's sophomoric behaviour & games. Then we have the old rough & tough cop, the old buddy, the addicted war hero - nothing new here either. The old home town hasn't changed a lot, & the poor village idiot is still there reciting commercials. Who committed the murder, & why are there still more murders going on? How are they connected - or are they? Why is it so important, after so many years, to solve this one particular homicide - I know: so that the book can be written! Towards the end, the sophisticated mystery/murder reader begins to ask himself: OK - a writer has to wind down - I can see only so many pages left - so who dunnit? Who has the most to gain & nothing to lose? That's when the answer falls plunk into your lap & it's over. From title to finish, I found the book contrived & barely enough to keep me turning pages. I finished so that I could understand why I didn't like it very much.
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