Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Rocksburg railroad murders by K.C. Constantine

This is the fourth book by K.C. Constantine that I have read and it is by far my least favourite novel by him. If you were to go to your local public library or bookstore, chances are that Constantine would be classified in the police mystery section. But what makes his books a fantastic read – and they truly are remarkable stories – is not the cloak-and-dagger detective work of his hero, Chief Mario Balzic, but the insightful portrait that he draws of blue collar America.

Unlike his other books, however, “The Rocksburg Railroad Murders” is a typical detective story that could have been written by numerous other writers. To make matters worse, the ending seemed rushed, as if the book were an hour-long television show that was nearing the end.

To be fair, this is the first book in the long Mario Balzic series and it’s possible that Constantine was still finding his voice. As well, the book is filled with excellent dialogue that is a hallmark of Constantine’s great work. But for those who have not read this brilliant author before, I would not recommend starting with this novel.

2 out of 5 stars