Razor-sharp and mesmerizingly eerie—with one of the most clever and ruthless villains to appear in ages—Still Waters is a stunning start to an exciting new crime series.
DCI Mark Lapslie is called in when the decayed body of an elderly woman is unearthed. The body provides few clues, beyond the fact that the murderer had a deadly knowledge of household plants. The dearth of evidence is not Lapslie’s only problem. He’s just returned to the force after a year trying to overcome the worst symptoms of his synesthesia, a neurological condition that causes him to “taste” sound. The murder appears to be the work of a serial killer who could strike again at any moment, so Lapslie has to find a way to make his synasethsia work for him, not against him. Otherwise the next life taken could be his own.
Still Waters is a solid murder mystery with some interesting aspects. The protagonist is a detective who has synaethesia (he tastes sounds), which prevents him from functioning normally. The murderer is an elderly woman who poisons other elderly women. This isn't a "whodunit" since we spend half the book with her, but the mystery lies in how the police will connect the initial body to her and track her down before she can do more damage.
Nothing knocked me over, but I did enjoy the unusual characters. They added some flavor (no pun intended) to the typical mystery novel.
Reading updates
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17 January, 2009:
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17 January, 2009:
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