Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Every Kind of Wicked by Lisa Black

Lisa Black writes two contemporary crime fiction series, one about Theresa MacLean and one about Maggie Gardiner and Jack Renner. Both MacLean and Gardiner are forensic scientists, the regular day occupation of Black, whose real name is Elizabeth Becka Lansky. Maggie Gardiner teams up with a homicide investigator named Jack Renner in the second series, set in Cleveland. The third book in the series was shortlisted for the 2019 Sue Grafton Award.

In the sixth book Every Kind of Wicked (Kensington, 2020), Maggie is called to a deserted cemetery to examine the site around a bloody corpse for clues amid falling snow. At first glance it is a mugging gone wrong but when the medical examiner couldn’t figure out what kind of weapon was used to kill the young man and when his girlfriend vanishes as soon as she heard he was dead, the police know they have a real mystery on their hands. An apparent victim of an overdose in another part of town turns out to have ties to the first case, linking the two and adding another level of complexity to what seemed initially to be a simple investigation. Lots of local color about Cleveland add depth to the story.

The creatively construed plot is a well thought out tale of white collar crime, with plenty of surprises and misdirection. It is hard to say much about it without giving away some key points. Multiple story lines come together neatly in an intricate police procedural that features forensic investigative detail and analysis.

On the other hand, I have to wonder why anyone who can fashion a devious narrative like this one would dream up a character like Jack Renner, whose back story challenges credulity from the outset. And yes, I understand this is the sixth book in which he’s appeared. The first two or three chapters of this book focused on Maggie’s agita over her dealings with Jack, and I nearly put it down. I read crime fiction for the crime and the investigation, not the relationships.

I expect the mixed reviews from the professional reviewing sources reflect this dichotomy of great plot and unbelievable characters: Kirkus gave it a starred review and Publishers Weekly said it is so-so. Recommended for fans of forensic medical thrillers and police procedurals with the caveat that they will have to look past some questionable characterization.

 

·         Publisher: ‎ Kensington (August 25, 2020)

·         Language: ‎ English

·         Hardcover: ‎ 336 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎ 1496722388

·         ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1496722386 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2021

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.