London, England.
Dr Ted Conway is found in his home, rope tied around his neck, hanging in the middle of the living room. This should be an easy case.
Inspector Rei Yoshima’s first case after a forced break should have been as easy as that. However, the evidence will soon lead her to realize that this is not a suicide. With his client list deleted and no records left on his laptop or his cell phone, Dr Conway is a mystery. What could a pediatrician in his seventies have done to put himself into such a situation?
Cologne, Germany.
The German police force finds a murdered couple. Tied, tortured, not even their real names are known. Inspectors Muller and Morgan will have absolutely no leads to begin with, other than one name written on a piece of paper: Dr. Conway.
What do these different homicides that have occured in two different countries have in common? Other than the name of Conway, nothing is seemingly connecting them. When the two police departments come together, the plot will start to unravel.
This is a story with many different parts. The plot looks like a puzzle. But then again, shouldn’t all mystery books look like one?
The Sacrifice has the ideal length for a reader: it is neither too short, nor too long, so that you can follow through easily, without getting tired. There are no in-betweens where you might feel bored, and that is a key aspect for a good mystery book. Written consisely and simply, it is by all aspects an easy read.
If there is something amiss, it would probably be that the story ends without explaining some of the heroes’ backgrounds. Although on meeting every main character in the book, the reader gets some hints about their background, things are never fully explained even as the story comes to an end.
What, as a reader, I would like to believe, is that the author plans on a sequel with the same characters, where everything will be explained. If that, however, is not the case, then some details should be more thorough.
All things considered, it was a fun and easy read. There were some grammatical and syntax errors here and there, which you do not normally find in an edited book. It is, however, the author’s first book, so it is not too bad for a start.
For the fans of mystery, it is definitely worth reading. The ending was quite unpredictable and the plot well based, so I would suggest giving it a try!
