Review: Out of the Blues

Out of the Blues by Trudy Nan Boyce
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sarah Alt (or Salt, as she's commonly known in the department) has just made detective and with that move in her career has been shackled to a cold case. But not just any cold case—that of Mike Anderson, a blues man who may not have died as most said he did. It is up to Salt to not only figure out what really happened to Anderson, but to also come to terms with her father's death and a previous brush with death.

This is a standard crime drama that's set in Atlanta and surrounded by blues musicians, the church and people who are always being taken advantage of because of their circumstances. Salt is an interesting character, though her nickname does her no favors since her former partner's name is Pepper. All it did was constantly remind me of that Sammy Davis, Jr./Peter Lawford movie from the 60s. It took me out of the element and made it seem like a grasp for comedy in a story where there shouldn't have been something so cutesy.

Overall, it's not a bad novel, but I wouldn't see myself reading other stories about Salt. She just didn't appeal to to me as a law enforcement character.

*Received a copy of this book from Penguin First to Read

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