Mortom

Erik Therme

Andy Crowl has been left an inheritance. Rather than putting him ahead however, he’s stuck with his crazy cousin’s ideas of fun – a treasure hunt for an unknown treasure with higher stakes than he knows.

Andy and his puzzle solving skills were a delight to behold. The background story from him, in dribs and drabs was good. I could have seen more of that, but the story was plot driven. His sister Kate on the other hand, I just couldn’t love, and hated her against the strong male protagonist.

I’ve never lived in such a tiny town, and I wonder whether I’m missing something in the dynamics between the characters. Ah well. The secondary characters were sketched in to a point where I couldn’t understand their motivations, but I could understand Andy’s interactions with them.

The suspense of this novel worked well. At first you don’t know what you’re really playing for, then it suddenly hits you. All the little things you thought were unimportant suddenly come to the fore. The trail of clues was incredibly detailed and frustrating! I only wished I could have had more information about the outside clues so that I could feel superior if I worked out the clues first.

I really wasn’t satisfied with the ending. Andy hadn’t really done anything wrong, yet it seemed like he’d be stuck forever in Mortom for his stupid sister…

A decent read, and had me unable to put it down from around the middle. Recommended for those who like mysteries, but want something a bit outside the norm.