The Ranks of Jody Brae
Non-series
Jonathan Michael Cullen
Block Island (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-9796816-9-3 (0979681693)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9796816-9-1 (9780979681691)
Publication Date: November 2009
List Price: $22.50
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Boston 1964: Fires rage throughout Roxbury, a vast
urban slum, destroying buildings and leaving families homeless. The
local press, politicians and civic leaders have all ignored the rash of
fires, probably because the Arson Squad has determined every incident
to be accidental. But, as the fires become a nightly affair, police
reports and building records go missing and fear becomes a regular
companion for the residents of Roxbury.
What begins as a routine investigation turns into a nightmare of
survival for Jody Brae, a Boston cop who grew up in an orphanage in the
neighborhood. As Roxbury burns, he wanders the back alleyways of the
city alone, determined to uncover the secret of the fires. Abandoned by
his own police department and questioned by the woman he loves, Brae's
search leads him to an aging underworld figure who knows as much about
the fires as he does about Brae's own troubled past. With no one left
to trust, Brae makes a pact he may not live to regret.
Review: Jonathan
Michael Cullen's debut novel, The
Ranks of Jody Brae, introduces a police detective torn between
his past and the present, a darkly written story set during a turbulent
time in 1960s Boston.
Jody Brae is a detective with the Internal Affairs Division of the
Boston Police Department. A loner, subject to frighteningly vivid
nightmares, he lives in the suburb of Roxbury, where old, dilapidated
buildings seem to be going up in flames at an alarming rate. The
largely poor and non-white neighborhood isn't given much attention in
the news, or by the police and fire departments. Brae and his new
partner, Harrigan, a Nation of Islam black man from the Caribbean
island of St. Kitts, are assigned to investigate. Being members of IAD,
they aren't trusted by their fellow cops, relying instead on an
informal network of informants. When a building adjacent to a mosque
burns, a member contacts Harrigan with information about the fire,
asking to meet him in the basement of the mosque. Instead, Harrigan is
brutally beaten. Regaining consciousness in the hospital, he slips a
note to Brae: "They are involved. I heard everything. Don't trust
anyone." Brae is abruptly removed from the case, but can't forget the
visions of children forced to leave their homes as a result of the
fires. He makes every effort to find who's setting the fires, even if
it means risking his own life in the process.
The Ranks of Jody Brae
doesn't read as a typical crime novel, at times leaning more towards
literary fiction rather than genre fiction. That's not necessarily bad
or wrong, but those readers seeking an entertaining, plot-driven
mystery will not find it here. It is much more of a character study,
specifically a single character study, told from the perspective of
Jody Brae, whose psychological problems no doubt are intended to
contrast (or maybe complement) the social issues of the day. But his
portrayal is more depressing than enlightening, his attitude more
negative than positive, and despite his seemingly sincere dedication to
his community, he is really a hard character to like. Possibly had the
book been written in third person, he might have come across
differently, identifying less with the reader. As such, if one can come
to terms with the character, what follows will likely be satisfactory,
enjoyable even. Otherwise, it's a tough book to appreciate.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Ranks of Jody Brae and to Jonathan Michael Cullen for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
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Novels by this author …
The Ranks of Jody Brae
Block Island (Hardcover), November 2009
ISBN-10: 0-9796816-9-3 (0979681693)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9796816-9-1 (9780979681691)
Omnimystery keywords for The Ranks of Jody Brae ...
Location(s) referenced: Boston.
