On Edge

Traveling while on leave after being injured in the line of duty, Chicago cop Konstantin Slovo finds himself drawn into the investigation of a serial killer who is preying on children in a small Maine town, first by being picked up as a suspect, then being grudgingly consulted by the local PD. Slovo finds himself torn between wanting to help and wanting to get out of town as fast as he can, a decision made more complicated by the wildly varied reactions (suspicion, hatred, friendship, both professional jealousy and admiration) he receives from the locals. In the end Slovo finds that confronting the town's demons is the only way he will be able to move on and confront his own. I found the writing to be refreshingly "real" and straightforward; all the people have believable reasons for their behavior and motivations, things don't always go well for the "hero", and there are no wild caricatures or stereotypes to be found. Second book (not a sequel) from author is "In the Wind" (ISBN 0312374917).

The title says it all. Now when can we get a sequel.

In detective Konstantin Slovo, Barbara Fister has created an interesting off-center character, one whom I hope will appear in sequels. One of the joys of reading mysteries is that of observing someone who thinks differently from the way we usually do, in a way that inspires us to want to observe things more carefully (a la Sherlock Holmes) or to perceive human motivations less naively--and more realistically--than we customarily do (a la any of the hardboiled private eyes). Detective Slovo offers what I found to be a fascinating variation: he has an ability, displayed repeatedly, to adapt himself to the worldviews and emotional concerns and priorities of the people surrounding him, the better to draw out from them, as a kindred spirit, information they'd never volunteer to anyone who wasn't immediately perceived as being on their own psychological wavelength. (I wish I were as articulate in describing this as Fister is in demonstrating it!) It's something we can see him doing after he's already into the process--that is, after he's picked up on the "signs" the other character are giving him, in a way that you or I would have overlooked to begin with. This chameleon adaptation ability is the kind of thing that left me wishing, "Gee--I wish I could do that, and maybe I really _could_ if I were just more perceptive to other people's little signals"--analogous to the resolutions one forms after reading a Sherlock Holmes story. That result, to me, is the prime mark of an interesting detective--about whom I wish to read more. I am not, however, doing justice to Fister's detective in reducing him to this one remarkable trait, for this book is much more of a novel, a literary work with real insights into the dark regions of human character, than your basic "paperback mystery." (By that I mean the kind with the template back-cover blurb of "[Interesting-occupationed character minding his/her unconventional business] . . . but when . . . soon finds . . . caught up in . . . may be the next victim!") If you want that kind of story, this is not it; _On Edge_ is much deeper and grittier, and its "smell" is not that of interpolated recipes to try yourself. We're on a whole different level here, folks. Fister has a genuinely insightful imagination, capable of entering into and unfolding the internal workings of multiple different and believable characters--good, evil, and very mixed--as well as being a skillful plotter who makes all of the many character interrelationships and story surprises unfold convincingly and organically. I very much look forward to future books with the remarkable detective character, Konstantin Slovo, from this remarkable writer.

Konstantin Slovo just had to get away from the mess his life has become. A Chicago police detective, he and his partner were setup in a trap with Robin getting killed and Konstantin very badly injured. To make matters worse, Slovo's gun was missing from the scene of the crime and he is being investigated to see if it was his gun that killed his partner. Without asking permission, he leaves Chicago for Maine where he becomes involved in another brutal investigation.Three young girls over the last few months in Brimsport, Maine were abducted, sexually abused, and murdered. Slovo, through a strange set of circumstances, finds the latest body and immediately becomes under suspicion from a town that is on the verge of hysterical erupting. Vigilantes break into Konstantin's room and try to beat a confession out of him, making Slovo all the more determined to find the perpetrator before another child is killed.ON EDGE is a dark gritty noir novel that is graphic in violence and profanity. One has to feel sorry for the protagonist, a beleaguered honest police officer who has to defend himself from those who want to take him down, which seems to be everyone. The perpetrator is the last person anyone would suspect; thus making this book better than most police procedural novels.Harriet Klausner

This is a graphic and spell binding mystery of the search for a child killer in a small town which is still reeling from past pedophilia scandal. The main character is a gritty, seasoned detective, with realistic flaws and foibles. Unexpectedly caught up in a race to catch and stop the killer, he struggles with his own demons and the demons of the townspeople as their fear and anger drives them to turn on each other and the detective trying to help them. The twists and turns of the plot are engrossing and surprising. It is a great read!