An avid reader of fictional crime, I can’t understand why I have just
found the remarkably, talented Wayne Zurl's - Sam Jenkins mysteries.
The first thing I really liked about this book, there is no
pussyfooting around. MR Zurl plummets right into the story with a murder scene,
in in the foothills of the Great Smoky
Mountains.
By the end of chapter one I was hooked, for two reasons:
The intrigue of how the story was going to
develop, now that Chief of Police -Sam Jenkins and his team, find themselves investigating
the murder of a young prostitute. The eighth victim of a serial killer,
nicknamed the Riverside Strangler.
The way MR Zurl skilfully described every
character, not just physically but their personalities, witticisms and foibles,
created lifelike images. Sam, reminded me very much of my favourite British
Detectives, Rebus, DCI Banks and Throne. A straight talking guy, who makes it
perfectly clear he is not a team player. Even though his unorthodox policing
pisses off the powers that be, he always gets a result. Along with his dry
sense of humour, I have to confess like the females in the story, I was
somewhat smitten by him.
As the story continued with yet another murder, I found myself submerged
in the plot. The action, twists and turns, of this bracing page turner, that at
times I felt I was actually watching a TV police drama. Which I am also an avid
watcher of.
As a rule, even with the great detective authors, I find myself sussing
out who the predator is, midway through.
By a medico author, usually chapter three or four. However, MR Zurl had
me biting my finger nails and cogitating right to the end. Never in a million
years would I have fathomed the killer of the second murder. Or the outcome of
Sam’s future as chief, at Prospects Police Department.
I highly recommend this book to any fictional crime buffs. To the not
yet converted, I say grab this book and you will be hooked.
I can’t wait to get stuck into MR Zurl’s earlier Sam Jenkins mysteries,
while anticipating his next book.
No doubt about it. A well-deserved 5/5
A Bleak
Prospect
A Sam Jenkins
Mystery
A serial killer dubbed The Riverside
Strangler by the Knoxville press corps has murdered eight Internet prostitutes
in East Tennessee, the most recent found floating in Prospect’s Crystal Creek.
Chief Sam Jenkins joins a task force led by
the county’s chief deputy, Ryan Leary, a cop known for his flamboyant police
work and questionable methods.
When investigators hit a stone wall in the
case, the killer strikes again—or was it a copycat? The type of victim and
location follow the Strangler’s pattern, but some details are significantly
different.
During the investigation, Leary is charged
in a bizarre and seemingly unrelated case of police brutality and relieved of
duty. Sam is faced with assuming command of the task force or turning over
responsibility to the FBI.
The outcome of the case and subsequent
actions taken by the Prospect City Council affect everyone at Sam’s police
department and suggest that life there will never be the same.
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