This mystery, Drawing Conclusions, by Deirdre Verne, threw me a few curves and surprises, most of them quite good.
The story starts simply. Our main character, Cece, is a ‘freegan’ — someone so ecologically committed to protecting the environment that she dumster-dives for food (not because she has to but because it reduces waste). Cece also happens to be an heiress to a large fortune, thanks to her father’s work in genetics. When Cece’ twin brother is murdered, Cece’s father, and the police, think Cece might be next.
Why would anyone want to kill Cece’s brother, Teddy? Why does Cece’s father specifically request Detective DeRosa to investigate? These are just two of the many questions that Cece will wrestle with through the course of the book.
The science within the book was amazing. The discussions and investigations of genetics really surprised me. Pleasantly so. I was not expecting a “sketch in crime mystery” to deal with such hard science topic. It surprised me and took me a bit out of my comfort zone, but author Verne handled it smoothly and I never felt as though I was reading something that was too difficult. And for someone who is not much of a science guy, that’s impressive.
On the other hand …. For a book that is a “sketch in crime” mystery, titled Drawing Conclusions, I think it’s reasonable to expect a fair amount of art to be incorporated into the story. While there is some (Cece, it turns out, is able to sketch people, from memory, with uncanny accuracy), and the resolution of the plot hinges on some sketching, artwork definitely takes a back seat to science in this book. I was drawn (pun intended) to this book precisely because of the anticipated art themes and so I definitely missed the fact that art wasn’t a little more strongly identified here. Fortunately, the science was interesting and the writing strong and it kept me motivated.
I’m definitely interested in reading more works by Deirdre Verne and I hope that there will be future installments in the “sketch in crime” titles (though, with a little more art, please).
Looking for a good book? Drawing Conclusions by Deirdre Verne is a mystery that will surprise you and keep you guessing all the way to the end.
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Drawing Conclusions
author: Deirdre Verne
publisher: Midnight Ink
ISBN: 0738741310
paperback, 312 pages
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