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Goodnight Irene
James Scott Byrnside, author
Hired to stop a murder at a birthday party, Detective Rowan Manory needs to solve a 20-year-old case to save his client from unwrapping a deadly and perhaps deserved gift of revenge. A baffling locked-room murder and The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 will make this his most difficult case. All the attendees are potential suspects and potential victims.
Plot/Idea: 7 out of 10
Originality: 7 out of 10
Prose: 6 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 7.00 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot: Byrnside delivers a classic, historical murder mystery that maintains focus and tension up until its satisfying conclusion.
Prose: Prose effectively serves the story, yet does not always shine. Dialogue is generally vivid, witty, and allows readers to easily differentiate between characters.
Originality: The highly original backdrop of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, greatly enhances Byrnside's storytelling, while infusing the narrative with historical resonance.
Character Development: The author crafts a lively cast of unpredictable characters with secrets, peculiarities, and potentially nefarious intentions.
Date Submitted: August 11, 2018