"superb police procedural"
In Passage South, Ireland, the murder of the American art
dealer Evangeline Walter would be difficult enough on the
townsfolk, but the way she was tied to a tree on the edge
of the Glar River made for an even eerier sight as if she
floated on the estuary. The village's only police officer,
Garda-Sergeant Francis Recaldo has no experience with
homicide, but quickly realizes his "innocence" (as a cop
that is, not as a lover of a married woman) is over once he
sees the corpse. Francis begins making inquiries by seeking links between
locals and the victim. As he digs deeper into Evangeline's
affairs in Passage South, Francis finds himself in the
worst scenario he could imagine, as the prime suspect is
Cressida Sweeney, his clandestine lover. Psychological mystery fans know that Gemma O'Connor walks
on water when it comes to an entertaining who-done-it with
deep characters struggling between self actualization (in
terms of duty and honor) vs. personal desires and secrets.
WALKING ON WATER has that and more as the police procedural
is cleverly designed so that the audience looks over the
shoulder of Francis while also seeing inside his gut. The
townsfolk and the victim (when she was alive and through
the investigation) make the village real and the torn lead
protagonist's agony genuine. Ms. O'Connor provides readers
with a triumphant perceptual murder mystery. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted August 8, 2003
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