Rachel Reviews: Too Late for Redemption by Sydney Preston

It is with some shame that I admit having this book dowloaded to my Kindle for a long time, probably measurable in years. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to read it as Preston's books are a good read.

Set on Vancouver Island within the island village of Britannia Bay, we follow Police Sergeant Jimmy Tan as well as other characters as they attempt to solve murders. This is the second one of hers I've read and if I recall correctly, this one is an earlier book; not a prequel as it can be read as a stand-alone but a book that takes place earlier in Tan's career as a police officer on Vancouver Island.

In this book, a man has been savagely murdered and the police are called on, quite rightly, to find out who could have committed such an act of violence, a shock in this quiet reserved town. The victim, Max Berdahl, was not well-liked by everyone but was he someone worthy of being killed brutally for his behaviour or was there more to his life than suggested on first impression?

It is soon obvious that Max did have things to hide and so, Tan and his grumpy and 'well-seasoned' partner Ray Rossini are sent to the mainland to uncover information that concerns some dodgy dealing on Max's part which may have seen him becoming involved with the wrong (and potentially murderous) people.

But of course, that would be too obvious wouldn't it?

And so, there are many twists and turns in this novel, all deftly dealt out by Preston with smoothness and timing which keeps the narrative exciting. You, as a reader, are being led by the nose through Tan and Rossini's investigation and it's stimulating and engaging. There are characters galore, all effectively evoked through Preston's use of realistic dialogue and knowledge of people and their proclivities.

The novel leads to a satisfying conclusion with much pathos, as would be expected from the small island community where the book is set.

A great read.

Rachel Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐