Innocent Victims: Two Novellas (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
The first of these, Chicken Feed was so well-written, but quite flawed: you know what happens right up front, so the suspense is all in how a mild-mannered young man could have been driven to murder. Walters, in an epilogue debates the facts briefly, as it's based on an actual crime.The second story, Tinderbox, was much better, in that there is a mystery that unravels. Two elderly women have been murdered and the suspect is a Irish man. He lives with his parents in an English village, where there's plenty of anti-Irish sentiment. An Irish woman, Siobhan, often comes to the family's defense, and tries to figure out what truly happened. The story is told in flashbacks and with a conversation she has with the detective inspector on the case. The true villians are wonderfully surprising--Siobhan's nanny and a local guy who stands to inherit a lot of money due to his grandmother's death. Innocent Victims includes two novellas, "Chicken Feed" and "The Tinderbox." As a new reader of mystery, I may not be a good judge of whether this is good mystery or not. What I do know is that the story (have only read Chicken Feed) is written in a straightforward style that seems to magnify the strangeness of the events. Though havent been able to identify what it is about their writing style that makes me want to read more, I seem to particularly enjoy reading UK authors. This was a very quick read, so made nice summer by the pool reading...well that is if you dont mind a gruesome twist.
What do You think about Innocent Victims: Two Novellas (2012)?
The first story was quite good, but the second one was poorly written and organized.
—Mcr
Quite suspenseful----I just flew through this book! The stories seemed quite real.
—Kai
The second novella better than the first, but still a good read.
—vic10025
