In
her latest novel, Gosling brings back the character of Lieutenant
Jack Stryker. This time, he is involved in a double murder mystery.
Professor Elise Mayhew is shot dead in her home and shortly
afterwards, a medical student called Ricky Sanchez is beaten to
death in a less than salubrious alley. His death would be chalked up
to a mugging gone wrong, were it not for the fact that some days
earlier, he had called the police station in some distress. In the
meantime, Stryker's partner Kate has also run into some problems at
work. Can all these cases be solved?
Although the book is described as 'A Jack Stryker Mystery', the
author does not concentrate on Stryker himself. Instead, she
provides multiple narrators and plot strands being developed in
tandem. This creates a tense atmosphere for the novel, especially as
the multiple plots start to link with each other. It is also clear
that Gosling has done her research, as she creates a believable
environment for her characters, both in the academic and law
enforcement worlds. The denouement is also successful and as a
whole, the plot works. It could be said that the eventual reason
behind the medical student's murder is somewhat unbelievable, but
the skilful writing means that the reader will simply not care.
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