The idea of a small child returning to life supernaturally can make for great storytelling. So too would a book about a couple forced to work together despite their personal relationship unraveling, a young woman repairing a broken parental bond, or detectives hunting the clues in a supernatural mystery. This novel tries to do all of the above, and yet does not manage to produce a single fascinating plot by the end. Its rote storytelling saps the emotional intensity that should have made for compelling character study, and the lack of any real suspense made the detective plot more distracting than compelling.
Detective Ellie Saunders is forced to deal with the mysterious circumstances of a young boy found dead in an alley. The problem, as alluded to before, is that he doesn't remain so. I wish the book had dwelt more on this plot, especially the effect this "rising" apparently had on the little boy in question. Instead, once the book reaches the foregone conclusion that it was a miracle with no medical basis whatsoever, the boy (and the initial interest he garnered) is pushed to the background.
We are then left to focus on Saunders. I truly wish she had been given a fully developed personality to go with her far more interesting backstory. The thrust of the novel should be her personal progression, which is hindered by the broad strokes continually used to draw her. She exhibits no specific personality traits beyond a perpetual exhaustion; even her attempted crustiness is anemic. Her investigative and communicative skills are limited. Many of her reactions to the events at hand simply didn't make sense, tipping the story into the world of melodrama.
Even the soap opera angle isn't fully explored. The central love story isn't given nearly enough foundation to earn the weight it gains toward the end. While the love interest was the best character in the entire book, his uneven pursuit failed to add much spice to what should have been real sexual tension.
The heroine's eventual redemption may bring some readers joy, and it is one of the better handled moments in the book. But there's far too much to wade through before that point me for me to recommend it.
This review is also posted at Goodreads and Amazon. I received an eBook copy courtesy of the publisher as part of the INSPY book contest. The cover artwork was designed by Nicola Martinez. The book is currently available from Harbourlight Books, a division of Pelican Ventures, as a Paperback ($15.99) and eBook ($5.99).
