Interesting double-story novel

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	• Shadows: A Novel Edna Buchanan Simon & Schuster, 2005 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Interesting double-story novel

the first time reading this author for me, and what drew me to her is her pulitzer-prize winner status. Ms. Buchanan spent many years writing gritty crime stories for Miami newspapers, and her knowledge of the seedy underside of Miami is evident throughout this book. Her story is one of several that follow detectives in the Miami PD Cold Case Squad. Two separate stories are told in this book, one having to do with the murder of a young black couple in their barbecue restaurant, long believed to be a robbery gone bad. However, the couple's son, now grown up and a detective on this Cold Case Squad, has never believed his parents were simply unlucky victims, and small clues, overlooked initially, cause this case to explored again and ultimately solved. The second story features the imminent demolition of a historic Miami landmark, the Shadows, a mansion built by a notorious rumrunner in the 30s. The Cold Case Squad is brought into the story when they delve into the mysterious shooting death of the homeowner many years before, and, during the course of their search of the property, discover 7 dead infants in a trunk in the Shadows' cellar. Who are these babies? Were they somehow related to the murder of the homeowner? The stories are told simultaneously, and it's a little tricky sometimes to keep them straight - add to that a plethora of characters, and the confusion multiplies. Buchanan's writing style is more reporter-ish than author-ish, as well, which I found a little off-putting. However, both of these stories were very cleverly told, and the characters, despite being a big group, are well drawn and very funny. Recommended.

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Entertaining read

This effort from Buchanan does a good job of using the local Miami flavor to separate it from other procedural efforts. The cold case elements as well as present day drama work well together. While the plot elements were anything but predictable, the prose was a bit tepid which kept it from being even better.

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Good read!

Buchanan knows how to write an intreguing novel. It's fast paced and not too long. I've read every one of her books and she hasn't disappointed yet.

Highly entertaining

Edna Buchanan's novels never disappoint me, and this is no exception. Part mystery, part suspense thriller, part police procedural, this kept me turning the pages. The author is skilled at evoking the atmosphere of Miami and has a wonderful ear for dialogue.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

The Pulitzer Prize-winning "Queen of Crime" (USA Today) follows up Cold Case Squad with an explosive second novel about a dedicated, complicated homicide unit that breathes new life into old cases.

In order to block a high-rise developer's plans to bulldoze the Shadows -- a gorgeous 1920s mansion in Miami -- a resourceful young preservationist approaches the police department's Cold Case Squad. Years ago, the high-profile owner of the Shadows was murdered and the crime has remained unsolved. Never content to let a trail stay cold, Lt. K. C. Riley and her detectives visit the long-abandoned pioneer house and discover a heartbreaking new mystery. But the people tied to the Shadows are evasive and paranoid, haunted by lies, guilt, and tangled pasts. Only one thing is clear: the killer is still out there, and the old, cold case is hotter than ever. . . .

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