4 out of 4 stars
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In Murder in Memory by Mike Thorne, readers find themselves exploring the quaint Southern college town of Harper in the early 1980s. After the first murder occurs, readers are introduced to the major players in the story through a third-person narrator. As the narrator switches from character to character including a psychologist, a police officer, the prime suspect, the suspect’s wife, and more, the reader begins to get a clearer picture of the politics that surround living in a college town when that town is facing potential upheaval. It also explores the tensions that develop in a marriage as the individuals change over time, the lengths to which a wife will go in order to be with her lover, the emotional distress that results from unsuccessfully trying to fend off one’s darkest urges, and the steps a person will take to protect themselves - even at the expense of another.
My favorite part of Murder in Memory is how quickly the author jumps into the action. Thorne gives a brief introduction to the setting in the prologue, but then in chapter one, he immediately brings the reader to the conflict. This helped me to feel engaged in the story right away. Additionally, I appreciated how Thorne introduced each of the characters in the midst of the conflict rather than laying all of that groundwork at the onset of the story.
My least favorite part of Thorne's work is the outdated setting as the world has really changed in the last 35 years. For instance, the police officer in charge of the murder investigation is trying to quit smoking, and there are a significant number of references to his struggle to give it up. As a modern reader, for whom smoking in public buildings has never been commonplace, it just seems like too much time is dedicated to the police officer's desire to light up. On top of that, the early 1980s setting also dictated that technology play a much smaller role in the story than it would have if the story was set in the present or even the more recent past. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this setting and the author does a good job of adhering to it, but for me, it felt like something was missing without the modern technology of today.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Even with my hesitations regarding the setting, Murder in Memory is an excellent read. The story is engaging and thought-provoking. The ending is both fantastic and frustrating. Readers will not be disappointed in the quality of the writing or in the overall storyline.
While Murder in Memory could be enjoyed by any mystery-lover, I believe Thorne’s work would especially appeal to older fans of mysteries as it might allow them to reminisce about the good ol’ days before technology permeated every facet of life. Readers who do not enjoy a good mystery should steer clear of this novel, and if you are currently suffering from paranoia and are concerned that your psychologist might be out to get you, then Murder in Memory is definitely not the book for you.
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Murder in Memory
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