Heather’s Bookshelf: The Rembrandt Decision
Author: Seeley James
Released: 01/18/22
Genre: Adult psychological mystery
“A big wave thunders across the rocky breakwater. A sign from the gods: time to go. My body remains on the bench while my soul slips under that retreating wave. I feel my consciousness disappear into the sea, down to the depths where I’ve hidden Uncle Vinny’s treasure box, leaving behind all my worldly cares. I intended to keep the secret. But if murder was my reward, I’ve left half a clue. I hope someone will figure it out and unearth the sordid story. The truth always comes out.”
“The Rembrandt Decision” features Pia Sabel, an adopted heiress/billionaire with a complex/tragic history and company. This is book #12 of the Sabel Security series, but I had not read any of the previous stories and felt it read fine as a standalone novel. The author does a fantastic job of introducing the characters, backstories, and references to previous tales in a way that felt organic and also left me wanting to read some of the previous stories.
The story takes place in the fictional town of Deeping Maine and begins with the death of Phil Jacobsen, an alcoholic who dies from drinking a cyanide laced bottle of extremely expensive tequila. The story is told through three main POVs- the murder victim’s sister (Christine Jacobsen: the ex-mayor and owner of the local bakery), nephew (Scott Jacobsen: Christin’s son and the police chief of the town), and Pia’s new bodyguard/advisor (ex-marine Isaiah Reddick).
Pia’s in town to check out the town for a potential business venture when she happens upon Phil’s dead body. She’s ready to leave the investigation in the local’s hands when news of her involvement gets out and she has no chance but to stick around to help. She, Scott, Christine, and Isaiah all work together and separately to solve the mystery and reveal other secrets as well.
Trigger Warning: violence, racist language, adult language, murder/death, gang-related crime, reference to sexual situations/sexual language, reference to drug/alcohol use
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It’s a mystery set in a small town with lots of memorable characters and personalities. The mystery is written in a way that the reader can figure out the culprit on their own while guessing along with the narrators. It is also written in a way that does not dumb it down for the readers, which I appreciated. As I mentioned above, it is a stand alone story with references to past books that is intriguing enough to want me to add more Pia Sabel stories on my ever-expanding TBR list. I also really liked that the title character was not one of the narrators in this story. She absolutely has a presence and a voice but in the way that others see her and through the well-written dialogue with the other characters. The story has several underlying threads of political and social injustice including police brutality, racism, sexism, abortion, and adoption which are all very much on the forefront here in the US (and I’m sure many other places throughout the world). I felt the topics were brought up more in a dialogue belonging to the characters than preachy and enjoyed the recognition and arch of one of the main characters. The finale wrapped everything up—-adding some humor, friendship, and support to an otherwise serious and depressing ending.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
Three distinct narrators explore a small-town mystery with an ending that does not disappoint. Part of a series, but read and reviewed as a stand-alone novel.
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