Review of Precision
- Cyndi Morley-Perez
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- Latest Review: Precision by d.c. scott
Review of Precision
Precision by D.C. Scott begins with a retired investigator, Jay Macgruder, reopening a cold case that piques his interest because he knows the victim. He then delves into the life of John Riley Logan, a lovable character with a rocky love life. Wanting only to have a wife and children, we follow his many ups and downs trying to reach that goal. Although the novel is essentially a murder mystery, it is told from an investigative point of view like reading from a file.
I would give this novel three out of five stars mainly because I couldn’t decide whether I enjoyed it or not. Although it was cleverly written and the talent of the writer goes without saying, the way the story was told just didn’t make me want to read the next in the series. I can appreciate that it is an interesting twist on the traditional murder mystery genre but rather than being told from the point of view of an emotional character, it reads more like a police file. The novel is a rather stiff telling of the victim's life by an unknown voice. Albeit the first in the promised series, the fact that it is a murder mystery is entirely lost after reading the introduction until the end of the book. A few chapters in, I completely forgot he would be the victim. The intended main character of the series, Jay Macgruder, was only in the introduction. Now don't get me wrong, the story is very well researched and cleverly told, with two completely distinctive styles of writing that separate the present from the past and lots of detail that pulls you right into the story. However, I found the stiff and formal writing style used in the main story very uncomfortable to read. What could fall in the romance category, if written differently, becomes just a flat retelling of a life story by an acquaintance. Everything was told in such a matter-of-fact way that there seemed to be no climax or surprise. Perhaps if John's life had been told with more emotional language, I would have been more invested in his murder and felt more than a dull response to the ending.
Even writing this review, I find myself flipping back and forth on whether I would recommend the book or not. On one hand, as I said, it was well-researched, had tons of detail, was easy to follow, and wrenched emotion from me more than once. But on the other hand, it was in no way my idea of a murder mystery, as the mystery only came at the end and was very short-lived. I must conclude that it would be best suited to someone who enjoys a different take on a mystery, a little bit of romance, with an open mind and an eye for detail. If you like your mysteries, mysterious from the start, this one’s not for you.
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Precision
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