The Sacrifice of Lester Yates
By Robin Yocum
Release Date: April 27, 2021
Ebook Available from WV Reads!
4 Stars - A really fast-paced and exciting mystery full of that rural Appalachian feel that has been picking up steam with the crime genre. Yocum's tale is spun without a bunch of meandering plot points or extra wordy prose. Here is the essence of a straight forward thriller, plus both the story and the hero have a bit of a dark side.
This is a sequel of sorts to Favorite Sons, which truthfully was not my favorite of Yocum's small book list. There are some spoilers to that story though so it's best to be aware of that if you skip it. The hero Hutch Van Buren (don't judge by his terrible terrible name) returns from that story. The stakes are less personal but no less high as he chases answers to cold cases tied together by supposed serial killer Lester Yates. Lester's not exactly easy to sympathize with or root for, but it's more about Hutch's crusade to do the right thing.
Yocum's tales of rural and small town with secrets never fail to entertain. And it's obvious he is content to put out a few high quality mysteries rather than just cranking them out at high speed like some authors these days. I loved his use of first person, not used frequently enough in my opinion. Hutch's determination as well as his sense of humor really came through. He's helped by a great cast of people from his loyal secretary to crusty old cops to fresh faced interns along the way. There's even a plot twist or two here. I'll admit it might be a bit bare bones for some readers' tastes. And Hutch is flawed and has made, and does make here, mistakes. But it's not like you're bogged down in red herrings and information overload, very refreshing. I can't say this was a fun and easy read exactly because there is some dark subjects, some violence, a dose of introspection. But I really probably could have read it straight through if not for life interruptions and I'd recommend it to both mystery lovers and less avid or frequent readers alike.
(NS)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep comments respectful and geared towards the review, new arrival post only. The library does reserve the right to remove any negative posts that it deems inappropriate.