What can I say about A Truth for a Truth, the latest Detective Kate Young crime thriller from Carol Wyer?
I could say that she’s at the top of her game, once again. That would be true. But that’s kind of a given now.
I could say that Kate continues to struggle with the repercussions of her actions. Also true. But that’s not good enough to describe her journey.
I think I’ll say that I absolutely love how the author has taken this character. And that I was pulled in from the very first paragraph. And didn’t want to put it down.
All. True.
One of the things I like most about this series is that Kate is fallible. She’s nowhere near perfect. Her demons (and oh boy, does she have demons) have multiplied and serve as a Greek chorus to her actions.
It’s a depth of character seldom reached in other books.
Writing a book review of a crime thriller is difficult because it would be so easy to give away a twist or a plot point. And we know I hate to do that.
I am constantly impressed with Ms. Wyer’s command of police work. Not only are the characters “real” but the procedure is always spot on. I never feel like I have to think about whether or not the police would do something…everything rings true.
Ms. Wyer also tackles a sensitive and topical subject (sex trafficking) with sensitivity. That’s not to say that it’s whitewashed in any way. It’s as gritty as you would expect. The way the plot threads intertwine creates a web that rivals what it must look like inside Kate’s mind.
But that’s also to be expected when you have a protagonist who is a murderer trying to stay one step ahead of an investigation that could bring her down while arguing with voices in her head, and trying to maintain a semblance of “normalcy.”
I know it’s an unusual review, but I can’t say enough good things about it and I can’t get specific without giving twists away. I will say that you should probably read the three previous books first. There is so much to Kate’s backstory that starting from this point would definitely make you lost.
I will also say that the twists at the end of this book rival those at the end of book three. It’s a smashing end to A Truth for A Truth, and it makes me very impatient to see how Carol Wyer tops herself in book five (no pressure).
I’m here for all of it.
