The latest issue of AHMM includes another story by John Dirckx, one of my favorite mystery short story writers. Dirckx is well known for his Cyrus Auburn stories, but this one is a change of pace, and I'm not totally convinced it works as well.
For those who don't know, Auburn is a homicide detective in Baltimore, quite cerebral, good at his job. This new story features a coroner named Mary Deventer.
Deventer si called out to a power plant where a veteran worker has managed to electrocute himself. Accident or murder? Suspicion arises because it was a rookie mistake that killed the victim. Well, this turns out to be a crime and, of course, it is solved. No real problems there, but...
Hopefully, what follows isn't a spoiler.
I'm used to my Cyrus Auburn where there is a motive made plain. I didn't really get a motive for murder as far as I could see. Of course, a coroner may not be concerned with motive so it is true to life, I suppose, but then, that truthiness doesn't necessarily make the story moving or interesting. The Cyrus Auburn stories are always that.
Anyway, grain of salt time.
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