Shannon C.’s review of Burning Spiral by Edita A. Petrick
Paranormal romantic suspense eBook released by Cerridwen Press 7 Aug 08
I like science fiction, and I like paranormal stories. Anyone who has read even a few of my reviews knows this. I also like it when an author successfully mixes genres. That being said, Edita Petrick’s not quite there yet, but she shows a lot of promise, and I am hoping her next book will be even better.
The murders that Carly, our homicide detective heroine, is investigating are definitely out of the ordinary. All are young men named Michael who drive Ultimas. All of them have a four-inch column of flesh removed with precision from their bodies, and all have strange topographical maps tattooed on their faces. Carly and her partner are pretty sure they’re dealing with something not altogether human, but what can they do with this information? Complicating things further are Carly’s ex-husband, a scumbag if ever there was one, a new romance in her life, and her worries about her children.
Let’s start with what I did like. I loved Carly. She’s snarky and funny, and what’s more, fully and completely human. I felt like I could totally run into her in any police station anywhere. I also believed her struggles with her ex-husband, and the parts where she is allowed to be a mother, and where she deals with her ex’s constant controlling tactics rang very genuine. I also loved the romance, which, while not as developed as some aspects of the plot, was still important, and I was glad to see Carly get her happiness.
The mystery plot, on the other hand, was entertaining but lacking. I couldn’t quite maintain enough of a sense of credulity to take it seriously, and I felt it was way too ambitious. There were also some stylistic issues that bugged me. I felt like we got to hear more about what was going on from Carly’s mouth than see it all with her eyes. And there were some scene cuts that just completely baffled me. The characters would go talk to someone important, and then we’d cut to after the conversation with them summarizing things. I also hated the end, which tried too hard to be cutesy and was mostly just eyeroll-inducing.
I don’t know if this is a debut effort for Ms. Petrick, but I have a feeling that some of the things that bothered me about this book could be fixed in future novels. I can’t recommend this one particularly strongly, but as I said, this author is definitely one to watch.
Grade: C
Summary:
A trip to the morgue in the middle of the night is routine work for Detective Sergeant Caroline Osych of the Chicago Police Department. The problem is that lately, every murder victim heading for the morgue is a young man named Michael who drives a Japanese import. The killer’s MO is troublesome too—five pounds of flesh vaporized from victims’ chests and a fluorescent map tattoo on their faces are not everyday occurrences.Caroline must deal not only with the string of bizarre murders but a vengeful ex-husband, his alcoholic heiress child bride, a manipulative and sleazy FBI inspector and an enigmatic soldier with sexy blue eyes. The stark realization that the killer is not her contemporary is not nearly as terrifying as the seeping suspicion that the final and ultimate target may be her children, living with their father and his new wife.
Read an excerpt.
