Forty Words for Sorrow: A Thriller

I won't rehash the plot as others here have already done so and probably much better. Everything about this book was believable, from the characters, situations, dialogue to the well-below zero weather. I liked the fact that you know who the killers are part way through the book -- the pace of the story quickens as you are now going back and forth between added characters and situations. I also like that I had compassion for Cardinal concerning the situation with his mentally ill wife, but it was woven into the story in such a way that I felt it wasn't overkill. I found myself towards the end jumping ahead of the story because I couldn't stand the suspense and then I went back and read more slowly. Also, just when you think it's all over and resolved . . .SURPRISE! Highly recommended

I haunted the same streets of North Bay as did the author at about the same age and time. For me, reading this book was like going home...but what a place. Far less interesting things happened in our home town and for Giles to turn the place into the fictional Algonquin Bay is amazing. His writing (and note..this was his second novel...not his first) is tight, the characters believeable (and angst-ridden) and the story line interesting without being far-fetched. I enjoyed immensely this book and can't wait to read the new one.

According to the brief bio in the back of this book, author Blunt has written scripts for such notable shows as Law & Order. It is clear that he brings a lot to the table: a fine sense of narrative timing, strong skill at characterization, and a crisp writing style. These gifts all come into play in Forty Words For Sorrow. From the outset, the wretched cold is as integral to the plot as the characters. Blunt succeeds in evoking the climate both of a mythical northern Ontario town and of the local police force, where personalities clash and collide and, ultimately, pull together to solve the mystery of who has murdered a number of missing kids. There are finely wraught characterizations with not a stock character in sight. The issue of mental illness is addressed with sensitivity and insight. And at the point where the narrative focus shifts from who the villain might be to the interior rationale(s) behind the crimes, the momentum moves into high gear and stays there. The tension is spread across several lines: detective Cardinal's anxiety over his secrets and personal sorrows; the heightened fears and sorrows of those related to the victims; and the ongoing investigation of Cardinal's past by his new partner, Lise Delorme, who is torn by conflicting emotions and relentless ambition. This is a can't-put-down book, lean and taut. I'll be eagerly waiting for the next in the series.Highly recommended.

By some ironic twist of fate, the last two "mystery" novels I have read were based in Canada. This one and Lost Girls by Andrew Pyper. Of the two "Forty Words" was by far the better. For readers tired of the "series" novels where the detctives are cardboard cutouts that Dashiell Hammett used almost a century ago, this book is for you. The characters are all well developed and real (some real frightening). The book avoids the vices of most mystery books (the sexy feamle who may or may not be trusted, the deep dark secret that would change evertything, etc.) Some reviews have suggested that the book is too sadistic, but the sadism only makes the book seem more realistic.

Time is a precious commodity so there's always some degree of risk to start a novel by an author I'm unfamiliar with. In this case, the time devoted to read enough to decide if it was worth continuing was short. The story of an investigation of the murders/disappearances of three young people starts with the discovery of a body while describing the main characters in the setting of bitter cold Algonquin Bay, Canada. The cold winter weather is expertly described and matches the cold, detached feelings of the heartless killers. Once they are introduced, the pace of the story quickens. The technique of alternating between Cardinal and Delorme ( the primary investigators ) and the killers and their captive heightens the tension and accelerates the pace so by the time the storyline is clearly established, the investigation is in overdrive. The subplot allows the reader to witness the internal struggle of conscience in one of the characters and the total emptiness and lack of conscience within the other killer. The comparison offers enough contrast to lift the story above the run of the mill thriller by offering the reader some substance and material for reflection. To put it simply, invest the time, it'll pay off.