I loved this book.
I feel that Inga Vesper captured the era perfectly. She shows the world of women, the prim and proper housewives, their husband's, the men of the house, the racism towards Ruby...but she also throws in some little lights of hope along the way, the detective who shows that he tries to look past the colour of a person's skin, who questions why the witness is being treated like the criminal, who asks for her help and goes out of his way to help her, and the woman who runs a woman's committee where she tries to inspire women, to help them see they can be more than the housewife who looks after the children and the needs of her man.
And in amongst all that is a fantastic storyline. A genuine mystery that i didn't find to be predictable. There was a point where I thought I knew more or less "whodunnit" but actually didn't turn out quite the way I thought.
And I liked the characters. Detective Blanke was flawed but trying to Dona good job and be better even when he found himself slipping. He is a man trying not to fall prey to stereotyping.
Ruby is a determined black woman who wants nothing more than to be able to go to college and become a teacher who helps detective Blanke despite being black and him being not just a cop but a white cop.
The only thing that I found disappointing about this book is knowing that the racism that exists in the time the book is set still exists today. That the cop arresting the black witness at the scene of a crime because hey she's black so she's clearly involved is still something that you can see happening today.
Otherwise I thought this was a brilliant read, I enjoyed the writing going back and forth between the 3 main characters. It went at a good pace and kept me guessing.
I feel that Inga Vesper captured the era perfectly. She shows the world of women, the prim and proper housewives, their husband's, the men of the house, the racism towards Ruby...but she also throws in some little lights of hope along the way, the detective who shows that he tries to look past the colour of a person's skin, who questions why the witness is being treated like the criminal, who asks for her help and goes out of his way to help her, and the woman who runs a woman's committee where she tries to inspire women, to help them see they can be more than the housewife who looks after the children and the needs of her man.
And in amongst all that is a fantastic storyline. A genuine mystery that i didn't find to be predictable. There was a point where I thought I knew more or less "whodunnit" but actually didn't turn out quite the way I thought.
And I liked the characters. Detective Blanke was flawed but trying to Dona good job and be better even when he found himself slipping. He is a man trying not to fall prey to stereotyping.
Ruby is a determined black woman who wants nothing more than to be able to go to college and become a teacher who helps detective Blanke despite being black and him being not just a cop but a white cop.
The only thing that I found disappointing about this book is knowing that the racism that exists in the time the book is set still exists today. That the cop arresting the black witness at the scene of a crime because hey she's black so she's clearly involved is still something that you can see happening today.
Otherwise I thought this was a brilliant read, I enjoyed the writing going back and forth between the 3 main characters. It went at a good pace and kept me guessing.