John Holt (9)

Epidemic is third in a series of mysteries starring Tom Kendall, now a private investigator. The books should probably be read in order, as there are lots of characters, and knowing which is the protagonist would offer hope as others suffer their sad demises. Still, Kendall is called to investigate a reporter’s death. Then slowly, carefully, adding up clues, rejecting them, then adding them again to carefully convincing conclusions, Kendall deals with murder while his assistant deals with reminding him to lose weight.

Epidemic is a relatively weighty tome, with lots of internal dialog and flashbacks used to create strong, believable characters. Locations and histories are carefully and convincingly portrayed in well-researched detail. I even found myself looking up an address on Google to find out that, yes, there is a café with that name providing that sort of food in Miami Beach.

Slow deductions, reworked and redrawn, make this an easy book to pick up and put down. A rambling plot blends appropriately with its rambling protagonist’s thoughts. And the novel is always interesting, never over-the-top, and definitely topical; a neat medical thriller, seen through the eyes of a dogged detective. The medical explanations might not convince the medically minded among readers, and the American dialog might be overly English at times, but it’s a fun read.

Disclosure: I was lucky enough to win a free ecopy and I offer my honest review… (meer)