Synopsis (from
the publisher):
A random and sadistic killer stalks the summer beaches of Oregon at the
height of the tourist season. An enigma to the local police, the
already troubled town of Cutter Point on the southern Oregon coast is
thrown into panic when the killer's body count of abducted and murdered
young boys begins to rise. As newly hired police chief Kevin Kearnes
wages an uphill battle for control of his agency, fighting corrupt city
officials and even some members of his own department, a chance meeting
with a beautiful and secretive woman leads to a second chance at love
for Kearnes. That is, until an old horror from his past resurfaces,
manifesting itself in the same murder cases he's been investigating,
and he begins a slow descent into his own personal hell of fear and
self-doubt over his ability to still do his job. Soon, the discovery
and hidden meaning of a child's innocent toy found half buried in the
sand at a crime scene puts Kearnes, the woman he loves, and the killer
himself on a deadly collision course. And he is about to learn that the
most dangerous secrets to keep ... are the ones you don't know you have.
— ◊ —
— ◊ —
Little Blue Whales
A Kevin
Kearnes Mystery
Kenneth
R. Lewis
Krill Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9821443-0-X (098214430X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9821443-0-5 (9780982144305)
Publication Date: March 2009
List Price: $16.95
— ◊ —
Review: Kenneth
R. Lewis' debut novel, Little Blue
Whales, is a cat-and-mouse-style thriller set on the Oregon
coast that has a credible premise and some interesting characters but
ultimately fails to adequately develop either.
Kevin Kearnes is the newly hired chief of police for the seaside town
of Cutter Point. An outsider from Kansas, he struggles to fit into an
established organization that needs him but doesn't want him. And his
leadership skills are tested early: a serial killer has been targeting
pre-teenage boys up and down the Oregon coast. Not unexpectedly, the
town leaders try to play this highly explosive situation to their
political advantage, interferring in the investigation at every step.
But Kearnes doesn't need the town counsel to second guess how he's
managing the investigation; Kearnes has a personal connection to the
case that causes him to question his ability to bring the killer to
justice.
The story in Little Blue Whales
alternates between the perspectives of Kearnes and the killer, Uriah
Beek. While each character has the potential to draw the reader in,
neither does to any significant degree. Kearnes is the more complex of
the two, conflicted in many (too many) ways, but his character is
defined more by the conversations he has with others or the situations
in which he finds himself. It's more two-dimensional than three. Beek
is even less developed and is, somewhat ironically, largely
forgettable. In many ways, Thud Compton, Kearne's second in command and
candidate for the top job before Kearne was hired, is the most
interesting character in the story. Fortunately, he's given a lot of
face time, as it were.
The overall plot is fairly typical of a serial killer thriller, but is
so loosely constructed that it doesn't generate any real suspense. The
pacing is erratic, there are too many extraneous scenes that contribute
little, the relationship between Kearnes and his new lady friend is
never believable, and the surprising revelations are anything but.
Overall, Little Blue Whales
is a disappointing effort in this increasingly crowded subgenre.
Special thanks to Krill Press for providing an ARC of Little Blue Whales for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Little Blue Whales? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Little Blue Whales
Krill Press (Trade Paperback), March 2009
ISBN-10: 0-9821443-0-X (098214430X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9821443-0-5 (9780982144305)
Omnimystery keywords for Little Blue Whales ...
Location(s) referenced: Oregon.
