Gravewriter
A
Billy Povich Mystery
Mark
Arsenault
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-312-33596-2 (0312335962)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-33596-0 (9780312335960)
Publication Date: November 2006
List Price: $23.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Billy Povich used to be a journalist. He lost his wife
because of his gambling habit, and then she died in a car crash. Now he
finds himself writing obituaries and living with his elderly father and
seven-year-old son, Bo.
Billy plans to kill the man who was at the wheel the night of his
wife's death. But then a summons to jury duty for a murder trial delays
Billy’s agenda. As the trial heats up, Billy finds that his
little boy
spots danger faster than he does, and a frantic and deadly chase begins
with Billy as the prey.
Review:
Mark Arsenault introduces a new series with Gravewriter
featuring Providence (Rhode Island)
obituary writer Billy Povich out to exact revenge on the man he holds
responsible for the death of his ex-wife in a car accident. While
planning this mission, he is side-tracked by jury duty and finds
himself listening to evidence in the trial of a man he believes is on
his way to being convicted of a crime he didn't commit.
Billy is a reporter at heart, and despite the circumstances in which he
finds himself, his natural instinct is to investigate. As a jury
member, he is warned not to read anything about the case, yet having
access to his newspaper's archives proves too much of a lure. He
uncovers information that he, correctly, guesses is being suppressed by
the court and then curiosity takes over. Why was it suppressed, and
more importantly (to him), does it have anything to do with the crime
of which the defendant is accused? What follows is a twisted tale of
betrayal and deceit that will have even the most jaded mystery reader
turning the pages to find out what happens next.
Arsenault has devised a clever and well-paced plot, seamlessly
interleaving several apparently unrelated subplots to create a story
that is greater than the sum of its parts. Billy is a wonderfully
complex character: he has an addiction to gambling that ruined his
marriage, yet he is a thoughtful and caring father and son, three
generations of men living together who share a common joy in eating
breakfast at all hours of the day and night. There is a noir-ish
quality to the book, especially in its descriptions of the Providence
locations that serve as its setting. Finally, the conclusion to Gravewriter comes
as an unexpected surprise and provides the perfect ending to this
exceptional mystery.
Special thanks to Breakthrough Promotions for providing an ARC of Gravewriter for this review.
Review Copyright © 2006 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Gravewriter? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Gravewriter
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), November 2006
ISBN-10: 0-312-33596-2 (0312335962)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-33596-0 (9780312335960)
Loot the Moon
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), October 2009
ISBN-10: 0-312-55576-8 (0312555768)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-55576-4 (9780312555764)
Omnimystery keywords for Gravewriter ...
Location(s) referenced: Providence, Rhode
Island.
