Broken Lines

Rating:
Summary: Well done police procedural
Review:

In the rural back roads outside Castlemere, Detective Sergeant Cal Donovan rides his motorcycle before stopping for gas. However, Cal steps into the middle of an armed robbery at the gas station. The culprit slams a gun into Cal's face before driving away from the scene of the crime. Cal pursues only to watch the culprit crash into another vehicle. The crash shakes up the other car's occupant, but she turns out all right. Cal rescues the robbery suspect from the burning wreck.

The armed robber turns out to be Mikey Dickens, the youngest son of the local crime family. The sure shot case unravels because of Mikey's clever solicitor and the sudden loss of substantial evidence. When Mikey turns up nearly dead, all the physical evidence points towards an avenging Cal as the suspect. This leaves it up to other members of the police force to prove his innocence before Cal's reputation and that of the department is destroyed forever.

Many fans of police procedurals hold Jo Bannister in high esteem for her charming Castlemere series. Books like A TASTE FOR BURNING and CHARISMA are some of the sub-genre's top novels. Her current Castlemere tale, BROKEN LINES, may be her best novel to date. The author cleverly employs an elaborate who-done-it filled with suspense. She then fills that story line with an in-depth look at the various connections between the characters, leaving readers to ponder the meaning of relationships. Ms. Bannister provides the audience with a unique story that will cause a mass desire for the next book in this series to appear quickly.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Plodding police and steroetypical characters run amok.
Review: This is my first Jo Bannister and I am very disappointed. These characters are steroetypically drawn and strain credulity. The plot borders on witless, and the setting (with which I am familiar) lacks resonance. My disappointment is tempered by the fact that I borrowed this from the library, saving my money to purchase new titles from credible successors to P.D. James et al.

Rating:
Summary: Plodding police and steroetypical characters run amok.
Review: This is my first Jo Bannister and I am very disappointed. These characters are steroetypically drawn and strain credulity. The plot borders on witless, and the setting (with which I am familiar) lacks resonance. My disappointment is tempered by the fact that I borrowed this from the library, saving my money to purchase new titles from credible successors to P.D. James et al.