Heather’s Bookshelf: Hanging Softly in the Night
Author: Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra
Released: 11/08/20
Genre: Detective Novel/Suspense
“He knew that if he’d proposed this anywhere else, he’d be laughed out of the room or looked at as if he’d grown two heads. But this team had seen some weird s*** throughout their investigative years together, had acted on marginal hunches, and hadn’t outright dismissed sudden shifts in investigative directions. Sometimes the most insignificant crumb, even a hare-brained idea, had blown an investigation wide open.”
“Hanging Softly in the Night” takes place in New York City. The story follows a NYPD detective, Nick Larson, and his partner Vic Sacco, as they investigate an apparent suicide. The detectives are suspicious of the circumstances around the crime though, and their instincts lead them in a different direction.
The partners are stretched thin as a majority of the department has fallen victim to a flu outbreak. Nick is also haunted by the memory of his ex-wife, Angela, which continues to interfere with him moving forward with his personal life. His interest in the lovely Laura was sparked after he helped exonerate her from a murder that her vindictive twin sister actually committed. Her continued trials with her kin and his hang-ups on his ex’s demise keep them from fully committing and also threaten to distract Nick from his investigation.
As they interview suspects and track down leads, it becomes clear that someone else is responsible for all of these seemingly unrelated and tragic endings. A couple points of view are presented throughout the story, but it is mostly told through the voice of Nick, himself.
Trigger Warning: images of suicide, murder, sexual situations, adult language
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The main characters are well developed with independent personalities and interesting backstories. There is also quite a bit of psychological complexity behind the main characters, the victims, and the villains of the story. There’s a little romance, some humor, and the language is easy to follow with believable narrative. The story is well-paced throughout, although it loses a little of the suspense in the middle. I also found that the eventual conclusion was a little too obvious, though complete. I did absolutely enjoy the investigation along the way. By the end of the story, I was really invested in the characters interactions and futures. I could absolutely see how there could be sequels and continuations to this story and would love to see how the crazy twin storyline continues in the future.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A detective story with well written characters and back stories. The investigative ride is intriguing and the ending wraps everything up while also opening for the possibility of sequels.
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