Friday, April 27, 2018

"A Time of Fury" by Bill Pronzini

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, May/June 2018, p. 149-154

This story opens in the aftermath of estranged father narrator Jordan Cameron finding his recently returned daughter Andrea has slit her wrists in the bath. Cameron pieces together what he can about Andrea's broken marriage and drives across the country determined to kill her controlling ex-husband, whom he blames for Andrea's death.

The man isn't at all as Cameron expected, nor is his account of the marriage. On one hand, I had the same difficulty accepting the ex's account as the truth. On the other, that twist was the only way the story could surprise.

The outcome left me not quite satisfied, wondering what outcome I would've preferred, and why—all buttons Pronzini means to push.

No comments: