4 out of 4 stars
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This mystery thriller found me involved in the two main characters' lives and deep friendship as police officers. Pollo and Bobby are homicide detectives in the small city of Dunedin, which is at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. Bobby firmly believes that what he does makes a difference in people's lives. Together the detectives are investigating the gruesome murders of three Catholic priests who were brutally tortured. This book by Finn Bell is graphic, so reader, be advised. The primary motive for these murders is money, power and sex, but not necessarily all within the same incident.
Mr. Bell spends much time discussing the issue that pain produces results if you are trying to get someone to do something. The theme of pain appears often throughout Mr. Bell's book. It proves to be an interesting theory. Pollo is the older, experienced policeman and is from the Maori tribe. Being a native from New Zealand, he understands the laws and the tribal customs of his island. Bobby cannot understand the Maori ways and is in constant conflict. His time needs to be divided between his family and job, and his job takes much more than a larger half of that time.
The detectives' search takes them from the city and the churches where the murders occurred. They travel to the coast where there is the possibility of gang violence involvement. There is discussion of the whites who colonized the Maori, and the feeling among the Maori that the whites cannot be trusted. Some of the suspects belong to a native gang. Again the theory of pain appears, as the detectives wonder who could actually incur so much agony to another person and for what reason? Could it be just revenge against the whites?
The narration is superb in this book, as it is told by Bobby himself and goes almost hour-by-hour. You never really want to put this book down. You just want to keep going. You feel sympathy for Pollo, as he is constantly struggling with being away from home. He and his wife have a severely introverted daughter, and he feels her pain constantly. You can feel the closeness of this family, as their dialogue is a sweetly written and believable part of the book.
I believe I most enjoyed feeling a part of the close relationship between Pollo and Bobby. I do rate this a 4 out of 4 stars, even though the ending took me by total surprise. Other readers may be of the opinion that the conclusion was excellent. I would recommend this book to all readers who do not take offence to some brutal and vivid descriptive narratives.
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Pancake Money
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