Jodi Compton has toned up her plotting skills in Sympathy Between Humans, the sequel to her debut novel, The 37th Hour. In 37th, protagonist Detective Sarah Pribeck embarked on a search for her missing husband, only two months after their marriage. It becomes evident that his disappearance is connected to the murder of her partner's daughter. Although the murderer got off on a technicality, his later death in an arson fire remains an open case. As Sympathy Between Humans opens, her husband has been imprisoned for his part in that investigation, and her partner, brokenhearted, has taken herself off to Europe. Now Sarah is struggling to adjust to life without the two most important individuals in her life, and, although she knows who wreaked vengeance on the murderer, she keeps that knowledge to herself, even when it seems that she's now the prime suspect. Delving into her work to help keep her loneliness at bay, Sarah is approached by a teenage girl, asking her to find her missing twin brother, Aiden Hennessy. As her investigation progresses, she becomes increasingly perplexed by the circumstances of the Hennessy family, which, in surprising ways, remind Sarah of her own disjointed upbringing. She's also assigned to investigate a doctor practicing without a license. Juggling her loneliness, her memories, her status as a suspect, and these two cases challenge Sarah's beliefs and principles.Author Compton's strength lies in her ability to create multidimensional characters who grapple with problems familiar to us all. The lines between legal and moral right, wrong, and justice are often blurry, and one of Sympathy's main themes deals with that complexity. Where is there room for compassion? What exactly is justice? There is no black or white, and Sarah must find a way to do her job without compromising her belief system. Ms. Compton skillfully brings these cases to satisfying, though not "happily ever after" conclusions, while leaving her readers eager to discover where Sarah goes next.
Sympathy Between Humans was a good title for this book. One of the things I appreciated is that it can be read without having read the first book. There are hints about what has happened in the past without spending half the book retelling you all the details of Sarah's life.I liked Sympathy Between Humans much better than 37th hour. Even though Sarah continues to wade into some unethical behavior for someone who is expected to uphold the law, she doesn't stoop to vigilantism. The reader can understand why some situations aren't just black and white. You feel that it is okay for 'the law' to look the other way when there are shades of grey in a particular situation. That is where we can sympathize with the hardships that the various characters are challenged by. Her husband Shilo didn't interest me at all in the previous book so I am glad he just stayed in prison throughout this book. I also liked the fact that we didn't have to read about her ex-partner since she absconded to Europe at the end of The 37th Hour. The new characters in Sympathy Between Humans were complex and I felt Sarah's compassion for them. She is driven to do her job as a sheriff but also help people when she can. The book isn't all about getting the bad guys. There were a few twists and turns so I was surprised when I guessed wrong about the mystery surrounding the family situation she gets involved in. One thing that is interesting to note is that the author must have had fun with a baby name book. Must of the character's have unusual names--one's that aren't on the top of the chart for this year's most popular names. The author isn't profuse in her descriptions of people and places but you get a general idea what someone looks like. If you like cop stories with a great deal of action than this isn't what you are looking for. It has a fairly slow pace and you switch between cases from chapter to chapter. The ending is bittersweet which makes the story seem more real.
What do You think about Sympathy Between Humans (2005)?
Compton's second police procedural reintroduces the emotionally unstable Sarah Pribek and advances the storyline from The 37th Hour. Once again, Compton delivers a compelling plot and fully-realized characters with convincing problems of the mind and heart__as one character notes, "the mathematics of the human psyche." Disarmingly complex, the novel asks tough questions about law and morality; Sarah, for better or for worse, takes matters into her own hands when the law does not deliver justice. Only the Detroit Free Press cited an unbelievable missing child case and challenged the idea that permeates the novel__that breaking the law is bad only if the intentions are, too. Loose ends may bother some readers, but there will be more to come from this intelligent author and her protagonist.This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
—Bookmarks Magazine
A great follow-up to "The 37th Hour". Detective Sarah Pribek is being investigated for murder - many law enforcement officials believe she's guilty - one in particular is determined to bring her to justice and others are pleased she took that scumbag out and got away with it. A young woman comes into the sheriff's department wanting help in finding her missing twin brother; as the family is temporarily without a parent, Sarah gets assigned to supervise them. She's also sent out to hunt down a man practicing medicine without a license; she finds him easily enough but doing her job is easier said than done. Good book - I hope Ms. Compton continues to write this series. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that Shiloh was not in it. I'm hoping she's got a book 3 coming out getting back to his story with Sarah.
—Cathy
