Staccato
A Steven
Hawk Mystery
Deborah
J. Ledford
Second Wind Publishing (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-935171-17-8 (1935171178)
ISBN-13: 978-1-935171-17-1 (9781935171171)
Publication Date: September 2009
List Price: $15.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Three world-class pianists. Two possible killers. One
dead woman. Who is her murderer? Who will be next?
When acclaimed pianist Nicholas Kalman discovers his lover’s dead
body, he sets out alone to find her killer. During his journey, he
meets an unwitting female accomplice who soon becomes determined to
help Nicholas wield his retaliation. Following a parallel path for
justice, Steven Hawk, the deputy of a sleepy Southern county, is
assigned to the case. Pursuing the investigation, Hawk finds himself
entangled in a world of vengeance, greed and manipulation.
Performed against the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains of North
Carolina, Staccato transports
readers to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of professional musicians, the
psychological twists and turns of its characters, and in the end,
retribution that crashes in a crescendo of notes played at the literary
pace of a maestro’s staccato.
Review: Deborah
J. Ledford's debut thriller introduces North Carolina county deputy
sheriff Steven Hawk investigating the circumstances surrounding a
missing woman and a severely injured John Doe who may be involved in Staccato.
The "John Doe" is quickly identified as Nicholas Kalman, a 20-year-old
world-class pianist who studies under the reclusive Alexander Kalman,
the young man's uncle. The missing woman is Alexander Kalman's niece.
Nicholas sustained life-threatening injuries one night when his car
left the road at high speed and landed in a river. Though he survived,
he has amnesia and claims no knowledge of his recent past. But his
accident occurred on the same day his cousin, Elaine Kalman,
disappeared. Deputy Hawk believes there is a connection between the two
cases, but there's no evidence to link them. When a deadly fire claims
the lives of a young man and woman, initially identified as Nicholas
and Elaine, Hawk knows someone else is involved ... someone who will
kill to keep the truth from coming out.
Staccato is not only
this book's title, but also describes how the plot evolves and the way
in which the book is written. It's fast, to be sure, but also choppy,
with frequent shifts in style and tone, even changes in plot, sometimes
as often as between successive paragraphs. Virtually every character
shares a point-of-view at some point, contributing to uneven narrative.
There are also many passages that make seemingly inconsistent, if not
contradictory, statements. Consider the following:
When Alexander stormed into the
music room after returning from the hospital, Timothy knew at once the
visit did not go well.
Timothy took pleasure in Alexander's fury. One more step into
the fire, Nicholas. Bad for you. Very good for me.
Now Timothy cowered as Alexander stripped books out of their shelves,
and crashed yet another crystal vase.
It's entirely possible that in this particular case the author had
intended to reveal some sort of confusion for the Timothy character
here, but it doesn't come across that way -- pleasure and cowering seem
to be incompatible states -- and stylistically it's a mess.
Music is an important element to the story and particular classical
pieces are frequently mentioned, but the author rarely provides context
for them. Are they intended to impart fear, calm, excitement,
affection, domination, submission at the time of their inclusion in the
story? Probably all of the above at one point or another, but unless
the reader is an expert in the field, the specific titles are likely to
go all but unnoticed and unappreciated.
Staccato is the first in
a trilogy featuring Deputy Hawk, who plays a relatively minor role here
and is probably the most "normal" character in the book, though one who
doesn't exhibit much confidence or convey much authority. (He holstered his weapon and called out,
"Jessica, wait, I've got backup coming." Ignoring him, she started
pulling herself up the rungs as if she'd conquered the challenge a
thousand times. Hawk felt dizzy as he watched her fade into the shadows.)
Maybe his next case will prove different.
Special thanks to Deborah J. Ledford for providing a copy of Staccato for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Staccato? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Staccato
Second Wind Publishing (Trade Paperback), September 2009
ISBN-10: 1-935171-17-8 (1935171178)
ISBN-13: 978-1-935171-17-1 (9781935171171)
Omnimystery keywords for Staccato ...
Location(s) referenced: North Carolina.
