M.A. Adler

I like historical fiction and murder mysteries so was looking forward to reading this debut novel featuring Oliver Wright, a homicide detective and WWII veteran. Much of the novel takes place in northern California and as the book jacket says, it "reveals the darkness and turmoil of the Bay Area during World War II, while celebrating the spirit of the everyday people who made up the home front."

There are so many characters in this novel that the author helpfully includes a list of characters and how they are related. Despite this resource, it was easy to confuse the characters and I found myself referring back to the list often.

Adler paints a vivid picture of racism in the 1940's, showing how it was blatantly common in the military, the police force, and civilian life. African Americans, Italians, Caucasians, and members of the Ku Klux Klan are grimly portrayed as victim or perpetrator.

Oliver and his German shepherd, Harley, are bright spots in this very dark novel. I found it extremely violent and one character in particular was just plain (and disturbingly) evil.

I received an advance reader's copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.… (más)