2 out of 4 stars
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Maelstrom by Paul Huwiler is a mystery novel set in the quiet Connecticut town of Stonefield. Life in Stonefield changes abruptly when a local man with a suspicious connection to some recently uncovered Native American artifacts is murdered. It’s up to Stonefield’s sheriff to unravel the mystery, but things are complicated by the appearance of some new faces in town. A rumored mob boss, a tribal elder with grand plans, a beautiful FBI agent, and a high-powered attorney, all new to Stonefield, play key roles in the murder investigation unfolding in the small town.
From the intricately woven mystery to the small-town setting, this novel has a lot of potential. Although the beginning of the novel proved a bit confusing, as the author introduced various characters and took time setting the scene, the mystery behind the small-town murder slowly came together in a methodical manner. Moreover, throughout the narrative, the author creates a vast cast of characters that are all very different and, at times, intriguing.
Unfortunately, there were quite a few detracting elements in this story that prevented the novel from reaching its full potential. First, the character development in Maelstrom is shallow, with many of the characters appearing as typical archetypes of the genre: a hot-headed out-of-towner brought in to handle the investigation, a misunderstood local sheriff, a comically-evil and seductive villain, and a caricature-like mob boss all make an appearance in this story. The lack of proper development of any of these characters made it difficult to care about their outcomes or become invested in their stories. Similarly, the non-existent dimension to the characters’ personalities made important aspects of the plot predictable.
The writing in this novel was also problematic. Maelstrom is told in the third-person perspective, but the author utilized interior monologues throughout the narrative, written in italics, to convey character thoughts. Unfortunately, this device was distracting and tended to remove the reader from the narrative. Since the narrative perspective is omniscient, it would have been more powerful to simply include character thoughts within the narrative instead of as separate, italicized monologues.
Further, there were some questionable timeframes in the narrative, such as when the mobster, Gio, decides to move to Stonefield and renovate a dilapidated and failing inn: the move to Stonefield and subsequent renovation and grand reopening of the inn takes all of one or two months, which seems highly unlikely. Lastly, there were some minor editorial issues, like inconsistent chapter headings and a failure to follow basic dialogue rules, which gave the novel a less-than-professional feel.
Maelstrom is a mystery with a lot of potential. However, quite a few elements prevented the novel from being a great read. Since the story held my interest for the most part, I rate Maelstrom 2 out of 4 stars. However, the flat characters and amateurish writing prevent me from selecting a higher rating. Readers who enjoy mysteries set in a small town may enjoy reading this book.
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Maelstrom
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