Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Layered mystery with great characters
Cons: None
The Bottom Line:
Final in series
Still as strong as the first one
You won't put it down
Sigmund Brouwer Brings His Nick Barrett Mysteries to a Close
I don't know why I never read this series sooner. I've loved
Sigmund Brouwer's books for years. But for some reason, I let these books sit
on my shelf unread. That was a mistake because, like almost everything he has
written, these books are wonderful.
The Lies of Saints is the final entry in the Nick Barrett
Christian mystery series. Nick is from a wealthy family in Charleston , South Carolina
This time, Nick begins investigating when PI Kellie Mixson
is involved in a serious car crash. The two are friends, and Kellie asks Nick
to help her close out a case she was working. That case involves the 25 year
old disappearance of Victoria Sebastian, a former beauty queen who vanished
with her infant daughter one night. The police had given up the search years
earlier, and the only fresh clue is a phone call that says Victoria's
disappearance is linked to some bodies recently found in a crawl space.
The bodies are interesting. The few who have been identified
had also vanished without a trace. But some of the bones are 100 years old,
some are 25 years old, and some are in between. Yet all appear to have died in
an identical manner.
So what is the connection between these bodies and Victoria?
Is she one of them?
And will Nick uncover what put Kellie in the hospital?
Since this book is by one of my favorite authors, I went in
with high expectations. And they were met. The plot pealed back like an onion,
with each layer only leaving me with more questions. I realized when I got to
the end that I had more pieces of the puzzle in place then I know, but I was
left hanging on ever word until everything was explained.
Nick is a very real character. He has grown over the course
of the three books in this series. The emphasis isn't quite as much on him as
it was earlier in the series where he was investigating his own past, but he
still comes across as very developed. A few characters from previous books pop
in and out of this one, adding a bit of color and a few clues. The book
features plenty of new characters who are interesting and help keep us
captivated by the plot.
The book jumps around some, telling the story in a mostly
linear fashion with occasional trips back in time to fill in some gaps. Even
though the book is written first person, we are sometimes treated to a scene
where Nick isn't present by the ever popular "I found out later"
method. Still, these jumps and gaps are handled expertly and I was never lost
once.
Along the way, we get occasional musings from Nick about the
meaning of life, death, and faith. These never slow the story down and made me
think about my own faith and approach to life.
Every time I read one of Sigmund's books, I am reminded just
how great a storyteller he is. If you enjoy a good yarn, pick up The Lies of Saints.
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