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Looking at a mutilated body in a wood chipper, Marcus Melter is most interested in a small shard of wood stuck in the victim’s leg. Marcus is not a police officer. He is a biology professor. However, his friend is Detective Jack Bratton, and Jack has always found Marcus’ eye beneficial. This clue will eventually lead them to the body of an EPA investigator in an empty house. As the pair continue chasing leads, the murderers will hit close to home, and the two friends will find themselves facing a rich and powerful opponent. In another timeline, we see the parents and grandparents of the two men and learn more about the forces that shaped them even before they were born.
Ritter’s multi-layered crime novel puts his elegant sentences and interesting reaches into the interconnectedness of all things at the forefront of a reader’s concentrated gaze. In a work as much literary fiction as a detective drama, Ritter displays remarkable control over the wide web of subjects he touches upon as he orchestrates the varied components of this story and directs them to his central plot. Many readers will be dazzled by his writing skills and enjoy his style. However, the literary theatrics occasionally shift the focus away from the main narrative. Still, Ritter displays a certain poise in his writing that makes reading his sentences and paragraphs a treat for any language lover. This book will appeal most to readers who relish literary fiction and enjoy the sounds of a well-crafted tale.
A 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award Montaigne Medal Finalist