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Sharon Ouderkirk's Reviews > Blood on the Breakwater
Blood on the Breakwater (Breakwater Mystery Series)
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Jean Paetkau is a journalist from Victoria, B.C. and that's the setting for her first mystery. I picked up the book because I saw her on CTV news talking about how writing a mystery has been a life-long dream, finally realized in her 50s. I admired her for that, so I read the book.
Her writing style is heavily journalistic, but I enjoyed her political and social commentary on the passing scene: she has an acerbic perspective on the hypocrisies and pretensions of society, and she clearly has developed a strong BS detector in her work. Reminded me a little of John D. MacDonald who also infused his detective novels with his thoughts on the issues of the day (environmentalism for one).
The story itself begins with journalist Helene who finds a body during her nightly walks along the breakwater. She's disturbed enough to want to follow up on the investigation, and she forms an uneasy alliance with the female cop who is assigned to the case. The victim is Lucy Marino who was the curator for a gallery that specializes in the work of a 19th century woman painter, Amelia Grayson. Paetkau uses this scenario to talk engagingly about the art world, and feminism. Paetkau seems to know quite a bit about art (she took the beautiful photo on the cover of the book) and her descriptions of sunsets demonstrate the detail of an expert observer.
I enjoyed Blood on the Breakwater, but will say that Paetkau's style was hindered by her journalistic discipline. If she relaxed her need to make sure that the speaker is clearly identified, and just let the dialogue flow, it would be a better book, but I was involved in the story, so I'm glad I read it.
Her writing style is heavily journalistic, but I enjoyed her political and social commentary on the passing scene: she has an acerbic perspective on the hypocrisies and pretensions of society, and she clearly has developed a strong BS detector in her work. Reminded me a little of John D. MacDonald who also infused his detective novels with his thoughts on the issues of the day (environmentalism for one).
The story itself begins with journalist Helene who finds a body during her nightly walks along the breakwater. She's disturbed enough to want to follow up on the investigation, and she forms an uneasy alliance with the female cop who is assigned to the case. The victim is Lucy Marino who was the curator for a gallery that specializes in the work of a 19th century woman painter, Amelia Grayson. Paetkau uses this scenario to talk engagingly about the art world, and feminism. Paetkau seems to know quite a bit about art (she took the beautiful photo on the cover of the book) and her descriptions of sunsets demonstrate the detail of an expert observer.
I enjoyed Blood on the Breakwater, but will say that Paetkau's style was hindered by her journalistic discipline. If she relaxed her need to make sure that the speaker is clearly identified, and just let the dialogue flow, it would be a better book, but I was involved in the story, so I'm glad I read it.
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Fran
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Nov 14, 2023 09:29AM
I'm particularly intrigued by your analysis of the impact of the author's career as a journalist on her writing, because I, too, have switched from a long journalism career to writing fiction. You've absolutely pinpointed the problem I faced -- I've had to learn to let go and just let the story and characters move where they want.
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Fran wrote: "I'm particularly intrigued by your analysis of the impact of the author's career as a journalist on her writing, because I, too, have switched from a long journalism career to writing fiction. You'..."Thanks Fran -You can tell from the writing that she is a good journalist, and I agree with you that a relaxation of form is key to making the transition to fiction.
