Immoral

Immoral is Brian Freeman's debut novel. It was published several years ago, and based on reviews at the time, I added it to my reading list. I finally got to it this week. After waiting so long to read it, and reading so many good things about it, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. It was a good book, but not spectacular, which is what I was expecting.

The book is about the mystery surrounding a missing teenager. Did she run away, or was she killed? Is her disappearance related to another missing teenager several months ago? She had every reason to want to escape her home and there are a good many people who would have liked to see her dead. It is a good mystery and suspenseful at times. The book does keep you guessing until the last pages, but all along, you know you will be because halfway through the book the detectives think the case is closed. As a reader you are left thinking, "Okay, so what now...what fills these last 150 pages?" Of course you figure out that there must still be pieces missing from the puzzle. The who, what, when and where of it all do keep you guessing though. I did not find the solution to be predictable, even if the path to it was.

The main character is not your typical mystery novel cop though. At the end of the book, he and another officer make a decision that was a little surprising to me. Usually in these novels, no matter what, the officers of the law follow the law. This detective makes a decision to protect someone, covers up the truth in the case and in essence a murderer goes free. That was unexpected. At first I thought that it was out of character for the cop. But as I think back, I don't believe the author ever made him out to be a cop who followed the rules to the letter or who was strictly about what was right and wrong. There are two more novels that follow this one with the same detective. It will be interesting to see if this character stays consistent through the next two novels.

Overall, it was a good read. Quick and easy and interesting. Be prepared for explicit content though...this author has no reservations with subject matter, description or language.

Happy Reading!