Living Witness: A Gregor Demarkian Novel

by: Jane Haddam

Published by: St. Martin's Minotaur (April 14 release)

Reviewed by Alex McGilvery

Living Witness by Jane Haddam is the latest in the series of Gregor Demarkian novels. Gregor, retired from the FBI, is in the midst of wedding preparations that are bewildering in their complexity. When he is asked to consult on a brutal attack on an old woman in a small town upstate, Bennis, his fiancée’ insists that he go.

What Gregor finds is a town in an uproar over a lawsuit to prevent the mention of Intelligent Design in the schools. The lines have been drawn and each side is sure that the other is going to not only destroy the town, but all of America. The victim is a woman who came from the richest family in town. She is one of the ‘atheists’ who put their name on the lawsuit. Gregor, who is not religious himself, is bemused by the depth of certainty of both sides. When there is another attack, it is clear that something is seriously wrong in Snow Hill.

I enjoyed the story, and the way that Gregor suffers as much from culture shock as he might in a foreign country. I did find that some of the characters were a little too one dimensional, but to be fair, the caricature was on both sides of the debate. Jane Haddam does present us with a couple of fascinating people including the detective himself and a holiness preacher named Nicodemus Frapp.

The story itself is satisfying and all the information is there for the reader in classic mystery style. The puzzle is well thought out and presented. There is enough information about Gregor if this is your first Jane Haddam book, and some nice revelations for those who have been following his long career.

On the whole a fun read and a book I would recommend.

Armchair Interviews says: Nice addition to a series.

Author’s Web site: http://www.JaneHaddam.com