As a reader, you have to assume that when a book's title is a statement, the fact of the book is the exact opposite (i.e. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine). Such is the case with Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery. Turns out Vera Kelly actually *is* a mystery, but that's OK, because she's a former spy and they're kinda supposed to be mysterious. In this second book about Vera, she's left the CIA and is now a private investigator attempting to track down the teenage son of a Dominican politician. When she discovers that the people who hired her don't have the best intentions for the boy, she's faced with a decision: do the job she's hired to do or attempt to reunite the boy and his parents. All the while, Vera's trying to sort out her own messy life, thanks to a forced job switch and her girlfriend leaving her.
Knecht created a great, complex character in Vera. She's young, but an old soul and she's a professional woman dealing with multiple layers of discrimination in the late 1960s. The mystery of this story (where the boy is and whether or not he's safe) takes a backseat to Vera's character, but that's OK, as she's an excellent character. I'd like to see more of these books in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment