Reviewed By Liz

ISBN 1569475040

Soho Constable – Hardcover
April 1st 2008

RECONSTRUCTION is a book that I would never have picked out for my own reading enjoyment. Suspense isn’t my favorite mystery category and the book deals with a hostage situation at a nursery school, which would seem to indicate violence against children – something I try to avoid. Luckily for me, SOHO press sent me the book anyway. RECONSTRUCTION isn’t just a book, it is a literary striptease that will tantalize you until the wee hours of the morning.

Yes, it is about a hostage situation at a nursery school, but it doesn’t involve the slaughter of innocents that recent events might bring to mind. Instead, it involves a scared young man named Jaime who is looking for someone. Jaime is caught up in circumstances he doesn’t understand and is unable to control. His lover, Miro, has disappeared, possibly with a large sum of money that didn’t belong to him. Before he disappeared, Miro gave Jaime the name of one of his co-workers, Ben Whistler, and told Jaime to find Ben if anything unusual happened. Inside the school, Ben, Jaime, and even the hostages try to piece together the puzzle of Miro’s disappearance. Outside, the hostage negotiators, police, and shadowy government agents are doing much the same. But are they aiming for the right answer or just containment?

RECONSTRUCTION is the most enthralling book that I have read in a long while. Both the book and my reaction to it surprised and delighted me. And, unlike my usual reviews, that is all I am going to tell you because I don’t want to ruin it for you. Plan on reading it in one sitting!

Okay, I do have one other note. RECONSTRUCTION is from a new imprint from SOHO entitled SOHO Constable that features British mysteries. RECONSTRUCTION is Herron’s fourth book and, if it is anything to go by, we should expect more great things from both him and SOHO Constable in the future.

Mick Herron lives in Oxford. His novels, Why We Die, The Last Voice You Hear, and Down Cemetery Road, all follow a group of Oxford residents.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2008

Available at Amazon!