Steve Hamilton created a special character with Alex McKnight, and it is the character’s interaction with his friends and antagonists that make the series so special. The other point that makes Hamilton’s books special is the setting in a remote part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Synopsis
With Let It Burn: An Alex McKnight Novel we have Alex but it is set in Detroit instead of Paradise, Michigan. The book flips between Alex’s last big case the year his life changed and today as Alex learns that the man he helped get convicted of murder, Daryl King, is getting released from prison. That gets Alex thinking and he mentally goes back to the few points on the case that didn’t strike him as quite right.
Alex drives to Detroit to have a drink with his old sergeant and see his would-be girlfriend, and on the way stops in Houghton Lake to see the detective he worked with on the murder case. He ends up driving around the area in Detroit where they hunted and found the young Daryl and Alex even stops to meet Daryl’s mom. Something about her conviction that Daryl could not have killed anyone brings all Alex’s reservations to the fore and he continues to dig into the case.
Then he finds his former detective co-worker murdered and the work shifts to be a hunt for Daryl Young. Alex still is not convinced Daryl killed the woman years before and even less convinced he killed the detective, but Daryl is the obvious suspect.
Time Flashes
At this point Let It Burn starts flipping between 30 years ago and today as Alex first learns that there are other unsolved murders with the same MO as the first lady. The comparisons between Detroit 30 years ago and today are sad but fascinating (and I think a little outdated given some of the improvements in the last year) and we go along with Alex as he retraces his thinking and the past case.
The Ending
The very first time the eventual killer was introduced in the story he struck me as the killer, although with no real reason. Alex eventually stumbles around, as he usually does, and resolves the whodunit and nearly ends up dead himself. I had mixed feelings about the ending. It was good suspense, very much in character, fit all the other books. However, there was no earthly reason for the real murderer to attack Alex. He could have gotten away with it.
Then the after action seemed a bit misty. Alex was concussed and the way he narrated the action fit the concussion.
Characters
As usual Alex made the book. Leon, his erstwhile PI partner, and Jackie, his host at the Glasgow Inn, made small cameo appearances. Vinnie did not show up at all. I missed the usual cast. Daryl’s mother and the detective and Alex’s former partner were good but not as quirky or as interesting as the usual Yooper group.
Overall Let It Burn: An Alex McKnight Novel was very good, certainly better than many suspense/mystery novels. It wasn’t quite as compelling a read as Hamilton’s other Alex McKnight books but still excellent. The time flashes were very well done and the shift in mood from pensive to active were spot on. It also was a little less dark than some of Hamilton’s other books. I just missed the usual quirky characters and the Upper Peninsula setting.
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