“Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll”
- Book: Girl Can’t Help It
- Location: Illinois, Iowa
- Author: Max Allan Collins
Okay! so this is book #2 in the ‘Krista Larsen’ series, however for those of you who tend to dip in and out of a series, it works just fine as a stand alone story. Yes, there is an ongoing backstory which runs through both books, however the author does a good job at weaving the pertinent, need to know details into the narrative, so that you don’t feel as though you are being left out of anything!
This story is an interesting mix of plot versus characters – but if you were to ask me if one prevailed markedly over the other, I would probably say, “no, not noticeably!”
More mystery than thriller; more small-town cozy than hardcore city crime; detailed police procedural, definitely not – but still murder nonetheless!
Don’t they always say that it is easier to write what you know about? Well! this author has enjoyed such a successful, long and varied career, that there was probably only one place left for him to go with that statement, and that would be to reflect and indulge a little in his passion for rock ‘n’ roll music, which he does most eloquently and knowledgeably in this book. You therefore do need to be prepared for some quite detailed narrative about the subject, where and when it is relevant, although Max has achieved such seamless results by blending fact with fiction, that I never lost interest in the storyline from that perspective.
The storyline and motive isn’t overly complicated, although that is predominantly because certain segments of the narrative are written from the perspective of the perpetrator, which could have become rather messy and confusing, but in reality were skilfully written, worked really well and only added to the intrigue. So in effect I knew the how, why and when of all the crimes, just not the who! I had a list with three suspects on it, however one of them became a victim and my other two choices were proved to be innocent, so I definitely wouldn’t have been much help for Krista, in solving the case! As it was, the guilty suspect gave themselves away, but not until the very last moment and I still never saw it coming until it hit me in the face. The final showdown maybe wasn’t quite so much of a surprise and was probably the most suitable and inevitable outcome in the circumstances, making for a definitive ending, following a good strong opening sequence, with some sound focused storyline content.
The mechanics of the police procedures which would undoubtedly be involved in such a complex series of unexplained deaths, are unfortunately not dealt with in quite so much detail. However this kind of reflects the authenticity and reality of the position of the City of Galena, one of the so named Quad Cities. It seems as though there are such limited resources, needing to be drawn with cooperation, from so many different cities, that for a Police Chief in Krista’s position, coordinating and commanding a serious potential murder investigation in-house, is almost impossible. So in that respect Max has stayed true to reality, which although that doesn’t make it quite so satisfying for us fiction crime addicts, who enjoy the complexities of the investigation and the pace of the action and storyline is definitely more sedentary, there is plenty of opportunity for immersing the reader in the whole experience, with some visually good and observationally detailed, descriptive writing, evoking a real sense of time and place. I felt as though I could have been there, in the city, knowing my way around the place and a neutral observer and bystander to the action.
There were a whole raft of characters involved in this complex story of revenge, betrayal and blackmail, some of whom I liked, a number of which I took an instant dislike to, with the rest probably being those whom I loved to hate! Not many of them came across as genuine, caring individuals, who were particularly engaging and there were plenty of sharp, edgy dialogue exchanges. There was also plenty of self-centred ego flying around the place, which made interaction between individual characters very difficult, not very open and certainly not very truthful, but to be honest was pretty much expected given the nature of the storyline.
If anything, I enjoyed this book more than the first, as Keith and Krista are beginning to resonate and grow on me, with Max starting to transform and develop the dynamics between them, giving both their personal and working relationships some genuine depth and engagement with me, the reader. I would also like to see the character of Detective Booker Jackson develop in his role alongside Krista, as they have the potential to make a great team in the future, especially if Keith does take on more of a consultancy role, as right now he is still searching for a sense of belonging, a state which will no doubt evolve and change as Krista finds her feet in her new role and Keith feels emotionally able to take his own life in a new direction.
This is definitely a series with real potential to go places and one which would probably lend itself quite nicely to a television series!
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