How Everything Turns Away by Steven J. KolbeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ezra James is a former FBI agent, busted down to probation after a psychotic episode where he threatened his partner with his service weapon and vilified in the press for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame a man for a series of random murders.
His new job is head of security at the private school, St Joseph and Mary Catholic High School in Chicago. Then, the night of the school Christmas Pageant, the young and beautiful student art teacher is found almost dead in the snow below the school's bell tower. Was it attempted suicide? Or was it murder? At the fateful time all the electrics tripped and so no-one can tell if she jumped or she was pushed.
Lucia Vargas has just made police detective and this is her first case, her older partner Gorecki is a bit of a dinosaur so she is the one doing all the legwork on this case. When some of Ezra's throw-away comments about the student teacher Brooklyn Hannigan's body and the small blister on the back of her neck are repeated by the medical examiner she begins to take him seriously as a fellow professional. Then the school administrator informs her that the parents will not allow the police to question their children, the school would face multiple lawsuits, but the school byelaws do allow them to be questioned by the head of security - step up Ezra - and Lucia can 'observe'.
Soon there are multiple suspects. Who did Brooklyn have lunch with on the day she died? Who was her mysterious lover, was he married, or one of the students? Was he the father of her unborn baby? What caused the blister on her neck?
This was a fun read and it kept me guessing to the end. Ezra was a bit too superman for my liking, reminded me of the knight in one of the Monty Python sketches who has all his arms and legs cut off and still wants to fight people, and there was a lot of backstory which wasn't needed, although I assume it is the overarching thread of the series - who really was the Coast-to-Coast killer.
Anyway, I would definitely read the second book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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