The Tunnels
A
Kelly Jones Mystery
Michelle
Gagnon
Mira (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2446-X (077832446X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2446-1 (9780778324461)
Publication Date: June 2007
List Price: $6.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): An old, abandoned tunnel system beneath the prestigious
New England college becomes the gruesome stalking ground of a serial
killer ...
The crime scenes are both grim and otherworldly. The bodies of two
female students are found mutilated and oddly positioned in the dark
labyrinth beneath the school—haunting symbols painted on the
walls above them.
In her decade tracking serial killers, FBI special agent Kelly Jones
has seen some of the worst humanity can inflict. Yet the tragedy
unfolding at her alma mater chills her to the bone. Evidence suggests
that the connection between the victims—daughters of powerful
men—and the cryptic message behind the killings is rooted in
a dark, ancient ritual. As the body count rises, so do the stakes. The
killer is taunting Kelly, daring her to follow him down a dangerous
path from which only one can emerge.
Review:
Michelle Gagnon introduces FBI special agent Kelly Jones in The Tunnels, a
murder mystery set at a college in New England.
Kelly is back on familiar turf here: she is an alumnus of the college
and is aware of, but not particularly familiar with, the series of
tunnels that snake beneath the campus. These tunnels are the scenes of
two horrific crimes: two female students have been hung in front of
symbols painted on the tunnel walls and their blood drained from them.
Together with her FBI partner Roger Morrow, Kelly needs to decipher the
meaning behind what appear to be ritualistic killings before another
murder takes place.
Gagnon has created an intelligent, confident character in Kelly Jones
who grows more complex and, not coincidentally, more interesting as the
story progresses. The members of her investigative team are also well
drawn, particularly the character of Jake Riley who works for the
father of one of the dead girls. Kelly and Jake clearly have the
potential for a romantic relationship in the future, but fortunately
Gagnon doesn't complicate her book by introducing one here.
Where The Tunnels
tends to fail is in the development of the plot. Almost by definition,
serial killers have a sense of purpose and are methodical in their
choice of victim, yet it's rather disappointing to discover that
neither is especially true in this case. The identity of the murderer
is fairly obvious early, but the reasoning behind the crimes when
revealed at the end seems particularly strained. And Gagnon should have
come up with a better way for Kelly to solve the crimes than to put her
in a "you're going to kill me anyway so you might as well tell me
everything" scenario; she's smarter than that and deserves a better
ending.
A relatively weak plot aside, readers are likely to embrace Kelly Jones
in The Tunnels
and look forward to her next case.
Special thanks to Michelle Gagnon for providing an ARC of The Tunnels for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
The Tunnels
Mira (Mass Market Paperback), June 2007
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2446-X (077832446X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2446-1 (9780778324461)
Boneyard
Mira (Mass Market Paperback), July 2008
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2539-3 (0778325393)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2539-0 (9780778325390)
Omnimystery keywords for The Tunnels ...
Location(s) referenced: New England.