Stevie‘s review of City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita
Contemporary Police Procedural published by Berkley 10 Jan 23
I’d seen a couple of articles online about Whittier, Alaska around the middle of last year, and they gave me a great incentive to pick up this book when it was offered to me for review. Stories about tower blocks and the communities that form within them aren’t that common, to my knowledge, and the idea of such a community developing in virtual isolation is particularly fascinating. The fictional Point Mettier is inspired by Whittier, and there are an awful lot of similarities between the two in terms of geography at the very least. The town is isolated in the winter, with only a road tunnel linking it to the rest of Alaska, although it is visited by a multitude of cruise ships and part-time residents who rely on the ships for business in the summer. Naturally, this murder mystery takes place in the off season.
Year-round teenage resident Amy Lin finds a decomposing hand and foot on the beach, while hanging out there with her friends. Although the investigating police officer sent from Anchorage believes the body parts have washed up following an accidental death out at sea, another detective, Cara Kennedy, is less certain. Cara is on long-term sick leave, following the death of her husband and son, and believes the discovery is somehow linked to their disappearance. When a storm leaves her stranded in the town until the tunnel can be reopened, Cara teams up with the younger of the town’s resident police officers, J.B. Barkowski, to continue the investigation, made more urgent when more parts of the victim are discovered, and a link is made to one of the town’s resident families.
As Cara digs into the history of all those suspected to be involved, she realises most have good reasons to isolate themselves in Point Mettier. Some are fleeing abusive partners, while others are fugitives from the law. On top of that, there is a more worrying criminal element based in a nearby village. Cara and J.B. suspect a connection between the gang and the murder victim, a suspicion that is strengthened when the gang targets the family they have already linked to the deceased.
This book wasn’t quite as claustrophobic as I expected, mainly because of Cara’s excursions beyond the main apartment building. The finale, however, takes place in an even more oppressive location, and I found that part especially gripping. I also enjoyed the different narratives from the viewpoints of Cara, Amy, and another local resident, Lonnie. I’m hoping this novel kicks off a series, because I’d love to find out what Cara does next.
Grade: B
Summary:
When a local teenager discovers a severed hand and foot washed up on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has her own motives for investigating the possible murder in this isolated place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel.
After a blizzard causes the tunnel to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and suspicious residents of the town—all 205 of whom live in the same high-rise building and are as icy as the weather. Cara teams up with Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski, but before long the investigation is upended by fearsome gang members from a nearby native village.
Haunted by her past, Cara soon discovers that everyone in this town has something to hide. Will she be able to unravel their secrets before she unravels?
Read an excerpt.
