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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Review - The Church of Dead Girls by Stephen Dobyns

I am trying to read books of other genres and get out of my comfort zone of history, mystery murders, travel memoirs and family sagas. The results have been very pleasant. This book is of course part of a mystery murder but it actually comes as two distinct stories. One is mysterious murders of very young girls - three of them, and the how and why and whom, and the second story is how the little town of Aurelius slowly comes apart at the seams as a result of each murder.

Aurelius is a little town of just seven thousand souls. A minor crime rate and where everyone knows everyone and their business as well. The murder of a prostitute is the first thing that grips the town following which is the murder of each young girl. Trust and good feelings towards your neighbour turns to mistrust and suspicion. Everyone is suspect. It also shows how hysteria can change rational people into a mob of people intent on destruction. All small town get togetherness flies out of the window in the face of such hysteria.

An unusual read and one I liked.

6 comments:

  1. I admire you for stepping out of your comfort zone. Good work :)

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  2. This one sounds like one that I would enjoy and is in my comfort zone!

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  3. I find changing up my reading now and then is nice and it's always wonderful when you're rewarded with a good read! This isn't my tastes but maybe I'll give it a try since you liked it! ;)

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  4. This sounds more complex than the average murder mystery.

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  5. My friend Cheryl said this one was a good one too! I have not read it yet.

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  6. I remember reading this a while ago, I think. Good, but disturbing.

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