When toddler Corban Foley vanishes from his home in the dead of night and a goat's head is left on the front lawn, most of Montezuma County turns out for the search. But nothing is at it seems with this case, and Detective Jude Devine soon finds herself caught up in a small-town soap opera whose players seem more interested in their fifteen minutes of fame than in the fate of little Corban. With the media snapping at her heels, she can barely conduct the investigation let alone have a private life, not that it's going well. Jude never liked time-sharing Dr. Mercy Westmoreland with English actress Elspeth Harwood, and when Elspeth buys land locally, Jude has to make some choices. The unexpected arrival in town of Chastity Young and her niece Adeline, adds a new complication to Jude's life, when she finds herself drawn to Chastity, who is far from her usual type. Rose Beecham follows her award-winning Grave Silence, with another uncompromising page turner. This second in series will not disappoint. |
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Detective heroine Jude Devine returns with a horrific new case to solve in Rose Beecham’s quick-paced and commanding latest mystery, Sleep of Reason. The murderer of toddler Corban Foley seems obvious to all, even the readers. The problem is that Devine cannot find the missing child and cannot prove a murder has been committed. Beecham is uncompromising when describing scenes, characters and emotions so that the reader can visualize it all. She does this once again with Sleep of Reason, using an economy of words. Beecham’s writing is tight, fluid, and crisp. We can feel the cold snow and the desolation of the desert when Devine is searching for Corban. We become angry at the despicable adults in Corban’s life that have allowed this to happen. Beecham likes to mix it up for us, never giving us the predictable. She carries the reader along to a point where we are putting together the pieces of the mystery puzzle. Then she introduces a new and disturbing angle and efficiently merges it into the main plot. With a less seasoned author, this additional storyline could be an interruption, but as she takes us in and out of this subplot, we turn the pages even faster so we can see how it corresponds with the overall story. Beecham does not disappoint her readers here. We get to know Devine better in Sleep of Reason, seeing a very likeable woman who is a dynamo as a professional, strong, driven and unwavering in her duty, but deeply conflicted in her personal life. It is easy for us to make Devine our heroine because even with her flaws, we want to be like her. Beecham also has done a swift and thorough job of lending continuity in Devine’s life by weaving in the back story, and using the same characters that were in Grave Silence, including her romantic interest, Dr. Mercy Westmoreland. But rather than giving the reader an overused romantic story, we are treated to some unexpected events that pique our interest. Sleep of Reason does not have a neat and tidy ending, but Beecham smartly leaves the reader with a promise that we cannot resist, letting us anxiously await the continuation of the series with Place of Exile in 2007. |
