Forty Words for Sorrow, by Giles Blunt

One of the better books I've read this year. I've had this sitting around and just hadn't got to it...now I've got a lot of time to make up for with this author. If you're a mystery aficionado, such as myself, you absolutely cannot miss this one.

As the story opens, Detective John Cardinal, who was earlier taken off Homicide largely because he disagreed with the way the cops were handling a couple of missing persons cases, is called back to lead an investigation into a murder. One of the earlier-mentioned missing persons cases was that of 13 year old Katie Pine, who at the outset of the novel is discovered down an abandoned mine shaft, encased in a block of ice.As the investigation proceeds, Cardinal cannot help but feel that this death is somehow related to other unsolved missing persons cases, and eventually he is able to make the case for a serial killer. While all of this is going on, however, Cardinal has to face some serious issues in his own life.
raid.

By far, one of THE best police mystery novels I've ever read. Actually, I'm not sure how I should label this book (suspense, police procedural, mystery) but whatever it is, it is most excellent. I literally did not put it down the entire time it took me to read it. This one I can definitely very highly recommend as being a very well written, engrossing novel.

The novel is set in Algonquin Bay, a very cold town in Canada close to Toronto. I've never been there before, but I felt like I was in the freezing temperatures as the author described it so well. In fact, the author's depiction of place and setting was impeccable...I mean, physically I was in the middle of the Caribbean sun and humidity while reading this, but in my mind, I felt like I wanted to go grab a parka. Not only does the author have the ability to deliver place & setting, but the characters are all quite realistic, which always makes for a great reading experience.