As a reviewer, few things are more exciting than reading a debut novel from a debut author – although it’s also a cause for some apprehension as you never know what you’re going to get. When I was scrolling through NetGalley looking for some reading material, I couldn’t resist the description of S.M. Goodwin’s debut novel, Absence of Mercy. It comes out on November 10, and the purchase links can be found at http://www.smgoodwin.com/. Even though I don’t usually read books set in the U.S. (I’m an English girl, at heart and in blood), I am so glad I gave this a try.
Jasper Lightner, after a showdown with his father, a Duke, has opted to take a year’s assignment in New York, where he’ll be training the newly formed metropolitan police force in scientific detection. Met with extreme hostility on his arrival, due to the new police force and old police force in fierce competition, he’s given the most difficult case they have in order to scare him away. Never one to shy away from a challenge – indeed, his whole life has been a challenge with his unforgiving father and uncontrollable stutter – he accepts the case and approaches it head on.
Lightner’s only ally in finding the killer of several(?) wealthy men is Hieronymus Law (Hy), a detective imprisoned for supposedly accepting bribes in the same case. Hy knows he didn’t take any bribes, but no one else believes his word over those in authority. The pair, both being outcasts, find common ground in the hunt for a killer.
Usually, I can tell within the first chapter of a book whether I’m going to like it or not, and I knew after the prologue that I wouldn’t want to put Absence of Mercy down. It has all the elements I’m looking for in a mystery novel, first and foremost being the quality of the mystery.
- Mystery/Plot: The puzzle throughout this book was unbelievably good. At one point, Law and Lightner were debating whether there were 3 different killers! Add in the political intrigue, between the two police forces and with slavery laws, and this was one heck of a mystery. I was kept guessing until the very end, and then there was another twist that went another unexpected direction. The solution to the mystery became even better when I realized that it was based on teeny tiny details that I’d known throughout the story but hadn’t realized were relevant.
- Characters: I found both Lightner and Law to be unique and interesting characters throughout this novel. While we learn more about Lightner than Law, I have no doubt that Law’s past is just as intriguing and waiting for us in a book down the road. What I really enjoyed was the uniqueness of both main characters.
- Jasper Lightner has troubled family relationships, which aren’t unusual to find in a mystery novel, but his stutter, attitude towards his stutter, detecting skills and origins, and personality and combative style round out into a fascinating and original character.
- We meet Hy Law in an unusual way, which, combined with his full name, already makes him an interesting character. However, he takes actions that we might not expect for a detective with a tarnished reputation, and although he doesn’t reveal as much about his past as we might like, becomes a character that is far from being pulled out of someone else’s book.
Aside from the two basic elements of plot and characters, there are a couple of other elements that I’d like to touch on in this novel:
- Language: the F-bomb is dropped <10 times in this book (I’d estimate), which surprised me because the rest of the book is fairly cleanly written. It’s not a complaint, by any means – it was contextual – but something to keep in mind if you’re sensitive to language.
- Promiscuity: what’s a better source of information in 1800’s New York than a brothel? Lightner and Law use several brothels as sources of information, and, yes, there is sex involved. It’s not too explicit, readers are just teased with the introduction to the act (much like in Sebastian St. Cyr novels), and then the curtain closes. But, again, another thing to keep in mind depending what kind of reader you are. I like this approach because it teases the reader and the imagination.
The official synopsis for this book says that fans of C.S. Harris and Will Thomas will enjoy this read, and I think that’s a good conclusion. I found the pace, style, and content of the book to be a well-done mystery, but political, dark, and multilayered enough to be removed from the Cozy category. I liked this novel a lot, and will absolutely read the second one. This was an excellent debut novel, and if you’d like to read more about S.M. Goodwin, the website is http://www.smgoodwin.com/.