How unusual to read a crime book written by a British/ German author but set in 1950s Los Angeles. The story is about the disappearance of a housewife and mother, Joyce Haney, one hot summer afternoon. Her black cleaner, Ruby, discovers blood in the kitchen and is promptly and wrongfully arrested for the crime. Joyce’s disappearance is investigated by a disgraced, maverick, detective, Mick Blanke, who has recently been transferred to Santa Monica from New York.
This book reminds the reader of the blatant sex and racial discrimination which existed at that time and also how haphazard the investigation of crime was in the days before proper communication, computers, DNA and proper forensic testing.
This is a refreshing and compelling debut which keeps the reader thinking about the issues long after they have finished the book.
This book reminds the reader of the blatant sex and racial discrimination which existed at that time and also how haphazard the investigation of crime was in the days before proper communication, computers, DNA and proper forensic testing.
This is a refreshing and compelling debut which keeps the reader thinking about the issues long after they have finished the book.