4 out of 4 stars
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How does the mind of a detective work? One gets some insight in the mystery novel, Pancake Money, by Finn Bell. The story unfolds through the mind of Bobby Ress, a New Zealand detective. He and his partner, Pollo, work in Dunedin, New Zealand. They get called upon to investigate the grisly murders of a Catholic priest. This murder is followed by two more murders on consecutive days of Catholic priests involved in treating pedophile priests. Each murder involves torture before death. The rapidity of the murders and the lack of clues at the crime scenes make the murders difficult to solve. The murders could be related to Maori gangs or pedophile priests. Furthermore, it is unclear whether a single killer has committed the crimes or a group is involved.
Bobby’s world has two major divisions: police work and his family. At first, his reflections explore some realities of police work. In particular, he notes the contrasts between expectation and reality. His thoughts reflect his continuing education as a detective. His mentor, Pollo, provides the contrast of a partner seasoned and jaded by experience as he nears the end of his career. Police work dominates Bobby’s thoughts more and more as the murders remain unsolved. As he becomes more focused on the murders, he has less time for Em, his wife, who expresses discomfort with his police work and Eva, a special needs daughter dealing with agoraphobia.
Because this is a first-person narrative, sometimes the fragmented writing makes following the story difficult. This difficulty stems from Bobby’s conflicting feelings. We suffer with Bobby when he doesn’t know enough to move forward. When tragedy strikes, we perceive the depths of his loss, his limited knowledge, and his frustrations. Through his eyes, we experience uncomfortable interactions around these losses and the tragedies others experience. He must struggle with his desired vision of the world and the world requiring compromises between good and evil.
The writer shows a keen eye for details that add verisimilitude to the story. However, Finn Bell is judicious in supplying details. While the murders of the priests are especially grisly, the author does not relish describing the details beyond what is necessary to communicate their heinous nature.
My reservations about Pancake Money are two. The ending had a slap your forehead type of discovery moment. It succeeded in tying all the different loose strings of the novel together a little too neatly for my taste. The second reservation comes from the lack of real development of the secondary characters. Pollo came alive, but Bobby’s wife and his daughter never did for me. Perhaps Bobby’s understanding of them reflects his narrow vision of the world around him. Still, I found it a disappointing flaw in the main character that otherwise questions, examines, and analyzes so much of the world around him.
The book fits into the mystery genre, a police procedural. It succeeds in how it withholds the solution to the crimes until the end and the solution is believable. The author did not withhold information that would hinder the reader since we as readers share the knowledge of the main character. The novel includes Maori characters, but knowledge of Maori culture is not required. Language will not impede comprehension. The novel is set in New Zealand, but very little slang is incorporated. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The mystery is compelling, and the main character is likable.
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Pancake Money
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