3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Winter City Wolf Moon by Elvis English is a crime thriller set in Anchorage, Alaska, where young Native American women are being sadistically murdered. Criminal defense investigator Lewis Bocarde begins his own investigation into what he believes are serial killings, to the chagrin of Lieutenant Bullen of the Anchorage police department. Meanwhile, Lewis becomes romantically involved with Grace Frye, a once suicidal social worker who finds something to live for in their relationship. She takes an interest in his investigation, which is also aided by a young Native American man, Jed, from whom Lewis gets information. The investigation rapidly grows obsessive for Lewis in his determination to find the killer.
The writing in this book is strong. English really romanticises Alaska with poignant descriptions of the landscape, local flora, and wildlife. His prose is beautifully descriptive and evocative, painting vivid mental pictures for the reader. However, I did struggle at times with some very long sentences. I counted around 80 words in a descriptive sentence about Anchorage in Chapter Two but soon realised this was English's style when I saw other similar examples. There is one in Chapter Eighteen that runs for a whole page, and a later one of almost two pages! I grew accustomed to these behemoths, however, as they were a sort of "stream of consciousness" for the viewpoint character, and the author broke them up with plenty of well-placed commas.
English really knows his characters well, getting right in their heads. They all seem realistic and true to their motivations and backgrounds. Lewis's obsession with finding the killer takes a serious toll on both his personality and his relationship with Grace. The relationship itself is quite sweet, as the two find in each other a way to keep their own personal darknesses at bay. Scenes from the killer's viewpoint are strong, with his vitriolic anger and hatred on full display in his internal monologues. Though I couldn't personally identify with his poisonous nature, I gained a strong understanding of who he was and how he viewed others.
One scene in this book was especially powerful for me, where Lewis climbs a water tower. I share his fear of heights, and empathised with his character, feeling similar terrified vertigo to himself during this scene. The author succeeds in executing both this and the violent scenes very well throughout the book. I found myself particularly engaged and emotionally involved in these scenes. Good writing in the thriller genre is all about reader engagement, as the reader has a high level of investment in the story with characters placed in serious physical jeopardy.
Winter City Wolf Moon does contain some minor errors, mainly missing punctuation. I identified ten of these in the first 150 pages. If not for these, I would comfortably rate this book 4 stars. It is a strong and beautifully descriptive crime thriller with great characters and a powerful story. Unfortunately, with the minor errors, I can only rate it 3 out of 4 stars. It is a great read for anyone who likes serial killer thrillers, particularly those set in beautiful and unforgiving climates. However, if you dislike strong violence, I would recommend you avoid this one.
******
Winter City Wolf Moon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like joshfee77's review? Post a comment saying so!
