Title: DÉJÀ VU
Author: Linda Freeny
Publisher: Toplink Publishing
ISBN: 978-1948556156
Pages: 179
Genre: Crime / Mystery
Reviewed by: Dave Bishop
Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
DÉJÀ VU seems a particularly apt title for this absorbing crime drama. Certainly the plot makes involving use of that feeling one has of reliving an experience from one’s past. But there’s an added factor as well. The book itself—in its conception, its structure, its hidden clues, and its labyrinth of false leads and dead ends—puts one in mind of other mysteries we’ve wondered through—and loved every step of the way. While it mirrors many of the conventions of its type, rather than feeling stale or shopworn, it brings to mind many of the intellectual pleasures the best of its genre provides. One hungrily turns page after page to find out who did it and why, and how will it all end.
Frank is an ex New York City cop transplanted to the Santa Barbara California Sheriff’s Department. His move from one side of the country to the other was an attempt to escape personal demons created by submersion in a serial killer case that cost him his marriage and almost cost him his sanity. When the well-heeled and relatively quiet west coast community experiences a brutal double murder, memories of Frank’s tragic past are reignited as he’s charged with finding the killer.
A man and his wife have been beaten to death. From the beginning, Frank senses that the violent act is much more complicated than it appears. At the crime scene, physical evidence, or in some respects the lack of it, doesn’t add up. Potential suspects begin to pile up. The deeper Frank gets into the case, the more aspects of this crime begin to stir unwanted memories and feelings of déjà vu. When another murder with alarming similarities occurs downstate and the killer is apprehended, the Santa Barbara authorities are more than ready to believe their case has been solved as well. But Frank is far from ready to concede anything. He can’t let it go.
Author Linda Freeny does a first-rate job of creating an empathetic protagonist in Frank. He’s got more than his share of self-doubt and guilt, but he’s also got a dogged determination to get to the truth no matter the consequences. Freeny’s supporting cast is also lifelike and memorable. Many stand out. From the sleazy moviemaker, to the hedonistic entertainer, to the victim’s boozy brother, mixed-up children, and somewhat less than grieving wife; they all come across as people you might actually find on the street, not just in the pages of a potboiler.
Backstory is woven in seamlessly and its addition adds substance and depth to a plot that unfolds at an enticing pace. You need not race to the end to find the answers, but you may not be able to keep yourself from doing so. If you’re looking for a book to help you remember why you liked mysteries in the first place, give this one a try. Chances are you’ll get that strange feeling of DÉJÀ VU.
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