The 37th Hour

I have a mixed relationship with mysteries. I enjoy them, but I've read so many that I barely have to read the middle on most mysteries. I start, read a chapter or two, roll my eyes, skip to the end, and discover, whoa, I was right, I know exactly who did the crime, and how, and why. It takes a real story to keep me reading. In this book, I was maybe three chapters in, at most, when I knew the plot line. So I skipped to the end. And said, hmmm. And went back to where I left off. Not only did I not know the plot line, I didn't know the characters. Yet with every word I read, they felt more and more real to me, more like people that I might I have met, known in real life, the kind of complex, hard to understand, mixed up people that reality is filled with and fiction is direly short of (at least if you avoid reading truly depressing books and mostly stick with genres that have happy endings.) There's a moment at the end of the book when the heroine realizes that life--that people--are not what she expected, and that she herself, the "wide-open" girl, is not who she thought she was. I've had that moment in my life (although no murders came with it). I am really impressed with a genre book that can encompass that kind of reality and still be a darn good story. If I had a kindle, I'd download the next one immediately. As it is, I'm almost tempted to buy a kindle just so that if this ever happens again, I'm prepared.

I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, and I really enjoyed THE 37TH HOUR. This novel, and its sequel SYMPATHY BETWEEN HUMANS, received mostly positive reviews but have largely been overlooked by the public. This is unfortunate, because Compton is a genuinely good writer. I found this book to be highly absorbing and the characters very interesting. If you enjoy character-based novels, this is a fine choice. I suppose the problem with this novel is the main character, detective Sara Pribek. This character is complex and flawed, and I suspect many readers will have problems relating to her thoughts and behaviors. I know that some readers find her annoying, but I ultimately found her quite human and sympathetic. This is also a novel filled with flashbacks, which I normally find problematic, but I thought this book employed them in a highly effective manner. A lot of this book deals with marriage and why couple come together, and how little a husband and wife can actually know about each other. In the end, this novel is about the Detective investigating her husband's past, and learning a few things about herself along the way. I thought the plotline was unique and very well done. THE 37th HOUR does not have a conventional ending, but many of the loose plot threads of this book are resolved in the sequel, SYMPATHY BETWEEN HUMANS, which I thought was equally good (you must read these novels in order to enjoy them correctly). It seems like there won't be any further books in this series, which is a shame. I hope Compton continues writing crime fiction; I would like to see some of her future work. If given the chance, I think she could be just as good as some of the best crime writers out there.

A fine book. Interesting characters, a good story. I urge you to buy a copy and read it so Jodi Compton's publisher will keep publishing her books. I'm looking forward to reading her next book.

The book opens with Minneapolis Sheriff's Detective Sarah Pribek, who specializes in finding missing persons, trying to talk a runaway from jumping from a bridge into the cold Mississippi River. The girl jumps, Sarah jumps in after and saves her. Sarah is one plucky gal.Sarah's husband of two months, Mike Shiloh, has been accepted by the FBI and is about to leave for training at Quantico, but even though this is his last weekend before he has to go, he urges Sarah to comfort her friend and partner, who had been on leave as her fourteen-year-old daughter and been raped and murdered by a man who escaped prison on a technicality.Sarah does as her husband asks and promises to be home in time to take him to the airport, but when she gets home, she finds that he's already left. She's angry that he'd leave without saying goodbye, but her anger switches to alarm when she gets a call from Quantico wondering where he is.Now she finds herself investigating the disappearance of her own husband. She tracks down his family to see if she can find a reason for his vanishing act and as she learns more about his past, she sees the man she loves, the man she thought she'd known, turn into a stranger.Ms. Compton has written a nail-biter that will keep you reading throughout the night. Her characters are real and flawed, the story is dark, sometimes violent with plenty of suspense. This was a mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed.Reviewed by Judith Ann Cole

It's sad but true. There are some books that should be major bestsellers but are released to a resounding Flop! and barely see the light of day. They may acquire a quiet cult following, but they never achieve the notoriety, the fame, that they deserve. There are a number of reasons why this happens, though it can sometimes occur for no reason at all. One of my favorite novels, a little suspense novel titled KARMA by Mitchell Smith, may not even be in print anymore. Another book, a mystery titled THE DEATH OF THE DETECTIVE by Mark Smith (no relation, heh heh) contains some of the most memorable prose I have ever read. I know of two people, besides myself, who have ever read it.THE 37TH HOUR by Jodi Compton is a fine, unforgettable debut. My goal is to make sure that people know about it, read it and remember it. And that they are still talking about it years from now, remembering the day that they first discovered her. The title, THE 37TH HOUR, refers to the truism that after 36 hours it is nearly impossible to find a missing person, or at least find them still living. There are of course exceptions to that --- Elizabeth Smart being the most recent one --- but it generally holds true in those cases where someone goes missing as the result of the bad intent of another or by misadventure. In the case of this novel, it refers to Michael Shiloh, who disappears on the day that he is supposed to leave Minnesota for Quantico, Virginia to begin FBI training. Shiloh is the silent subject of much of THE 37TH HOUR, but the focus of the book is Minneapolis Detective Sarah Pribek, Shiloh's wife, who doggedly pursues the investigation of her husband's disappearance. Pribek is an enigmatic character, as ultimately is Shiloh.As the story unfolds the reader learns how these two people after an initial encounter drifted slowly, almost reluctantly, toward a more permanent relationship. Pribek's quest takes her into Shiloh's past, including his estranged family. It is Pribek's own past though that ultimately holds the key to Shiloh's mysterious disappearance. Pribek's investigation, however, uncovers secrets and ultimately acts as a catalyst that will change her life forever.Compton's character development in THE 37TH HOUR is simply incredible. Pribek, almost from the opening page of her first person narration, gives the subtle impression that she is not entirely on balance. There is a reason for this --- she carries some baggage with her --- and her quietly odd relationship with Shiloh is but one manifestation of the quiet turmoil within her. As is occasionally noted in Alanon meetings, however, a "ten" doesn't marry a "two." And by the conclusion of THE 37th HOUR, you won't know whether you should have stared or looked away. This is not an explosions-and-karate novel. Compton paints a complete picture, but very slowly, with a stroke here and a brush there, keeping things quietly simmering but always interesting.THE 37TH HOUR is supposed to be the first of a series