I started this book before vacation last summer, and forgot about it in my suitcase until a week or so ago, not because it was a bad book, just that I hadn't gotten far into it at the time. Dreyer's protagonist Molly Burke is a very complex character. Vietnam vet, trauma nurse, death investigator, black sheep of the family, among other roles. At times, it was hard keeping track of them all. For example, she is a trauma nurse at one hospital because she is the subject of a lawsuit at another hospital, yet the lawsuit, which would be a major plotline in another book, almost felt like an afterthought other than to introduce the lawyer who filed the suit against her. Likewise, her war experiences leave her with nightmares and flashbacks, but also play a minor role overall.Dreyer focuses on Burke's skills as a death investigator and shifts in the ER as a nurse to explore the main plotline about why a bunch of lawyers in town are found dead of apparent suicide. One lawyer is a politician who dies the same day a major casino plan is announced, a plan she played a crucial role in, and corruption allegations regarding the casino project begin to surface. Burke and her colleague can't find any ties among the deaths other than that they were all lawyers and perhaps knew each other through common social circles. When the brother of one of the other lawyers, estranged from all of his family members except her, approaches Molly insisting that his sister would never have killed herself, Molly feels a connection to the man, who is also a Vietnam vet, and focuses on finding a connection long after everyone else has determined there is none.The major plot twist was slightly predictable, but I don't think was played up well enough in the beginning to seem like the connection that brought them all together. That said, Dreyer did drop a few hints, some of which I picked up on, but most I missed.Overall, an enjoyable book, and I have another of hers to read. It doesn't seem like there would be a sequel to this one, but I would like if there was a prequel to this one that perhaps covers the lawsuit Burke faced, even if this book did pretty much spoil that plot.
