Full Disclosure, Beverley McLachlin. 2018. 341 pages.
I read this, the author’s debut modern whodunit murder mystery in one day. I haven’t read many murder mysteries so I am unable to compare it reliably to others of its genre. It is certainly a very interesting and complex plot. Although there are a lot of twists, some of them are quite predicable well in advance. For example, I figured out the relationship between the prosecutor and the accused about half way though the book. And the true killer was easy to predict as that character was just depicted as too evil. It seems there is always a lost illegitimate child, a secret same-sex relationship and at least one high society marital infidelity twist in modern novels, which can lead to some suspense, but also becomes a bit predicable.
The jousting, sometimes comical, sometimes hostile, and sometimes mutually respectful interaction between the prosecutorial and defence teams is depicted in great detail and is probably an accurate depiction of what really is common in high-profile criminal trials, although I have had no occasion to observe this interaction firsthand. It seems more realistic than the exaggerated drama of movie and television court scenes.
There are some highly unlikely coincidences such as Jilly happening upon Damon as he is about to hit up, but such contrived circumstances are not unusual in novels, and perhaps are needed to make the story work.
Surprisingly, considering that the very highly respected former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada is the author, there are a few highly improbable legal details, such as the conviction of one accused in spite of the strong argument for reasonable doubt made by the defence team. And one character is said to be out on bail at the time of the high society murder, in spite of being a street druggie who had been seen by multiple witnesses to pump five bullets into a prone youth from another gang. What judge would grant him bail? His acquittal seems equally unlikely.
One character apparently is listed for and receives a liver transplant for alcoholic cirrhosis without demonstrating that she can abstain for six months, a requirement for listing that all liver transplant programs in Canada are obliged to follow. (Full Disclosure: I had a fairly major role in bringing that rule into force.) I trust that my former colleagues on the Vancouver liver transplant team would never break that rule.
Some loose ends. It is not at all clear how the murderer managed to have the vicim’s lover murdered in Brazil, and it would have been nice, though perhaps too predictable, to see the prosecutor and her paramour reconciled at the end, but their relationship is left up in the air. I guess I should not complain about this and also complain about plots that are too predicable. And as a novel writer who has been criticized for developing a too predictable plot, perhaps I am just to sensitive to this problem in other’s novels.
Overall, a light enjoyable read, in spite of the inconsistencies.
Next week, two short reviews of a novel (A Gentleman in Moscow) and a political commentary (a Higher Loyalty).
I read this, the author’s debut modern whodunit murder mystery in one day. I haven’t read many murder mysteries so I am unable to compare it reliably to others of its genre. It is certainly a very interesting and complex plot. Although there are a lot of twists, some of them are quite predicable well in advance. For example, I figured out the relationship between the prosecutor and the accused about half way though the book. And the true killer was easy to predict as that character was just depicted as too evil. It seems there is always a lost illegitimate child, a secret same-sex relationship and at least one high society marital infidelity twist in modern novels, which can lead to some suspense, but also becomes a bit predicable.
The jousting, sometimes comical, sometimes hostile, and sometimes mutually respectful interaction between the prosecutorial and defence teams is depicted in great detail and is probably an accurate depiction of what really is common in high-profile criminal trials, although I have had no occasion to observe this interaction firsthand. It seems more realistic than the exaggerated drama of movie and television court scenes.
There are some highly unlikely coincidences such as Jilly happening upon Damon as he is about to hit up, but such contrived circumstances are not unusual in novels, and perhaps are needed to make the story work.
Surprisingly, considering that the very highly respected former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada is the author, there are a few highly improbable legal details, such as the conviction of one accused in spite of the strong argument for reasonable doubt made by the defence team. And one character is said to be out on bail at the time of the high society murder, in spite of being a street druggie who had been seen by multiple witnesses to pump five bullets into a prone youth from another gang. What judge would grant him bail? His acquittal seems equally unlikely.
One character apparently is listed for and receives a liver transplant for alcoholic cirrhosis without demonstrating that she can abstain for six months, a requirement for listing that all liver transplant programs in Canada are obliged to follow. (Full Disclosure: I had a fairly major role in bringing that rule into force.) I trust that my former colleagues on the Vancouver liver transplant team would never break that rule.
Some loose ends. It is not at all clear how the murderer managed to have the vicim’s lover murdered in Brazil, and it would have been nice, though perhaps too predictable, to see the prosecutor and her paramour reconciled at the end, but their relationship is left up in the air. I guess I should not complain about this and also complain about plots that are too predicable. And as a novel writer who has been criticized for developing a too predictable plot, perhaps I am just to sensitive to this problem in other’s novels.
Overall, a light enjoyable read, in spite of the inconsistencies.
Next week, two short reviews of a novel (A Gentleman in Moscow) and a political commentary (a Higher Loyalty).
The Passionate Reader 