The Green And Ghastly Deep is Far From Ghastly

Another book found by accident.
 
The author said on Twitter “If anyone buys my book, I’ll help them with Wordle”.
 
I replied, “If you never mention Wordle again, I’ll buy your book.”
 
It got a laugh and a deal’s a deal, so I bought her book without knowing anything about it. And I’m quite pleased that I did.
 
It’s a crime caper with a female protagonist, a sort of bra wearing Jack Reacher, but with a lot more self-awareness and depth than Reacher is given. This protagonist knows her limits and tries to avoid situations where those limits may be exceeded. But as in all thrillers, she doesn’t always see things coming. But she’s still a feisty type and doesn’t take any BS from anyone, as she proves early in the story.
 
The Green and Ghastly Deep, by Jamie Melissa Renwick, forms part of the "Theresa Maddux" series, but in this story we find out a lot of stuff that even Theresa (who likes to be called Reese) doesn’t know about herself. This voyage of discovery forms a sub-plot to the main storyline.

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"the book stands alone as a novel "

So, Reese is enjoying a fishing vacation in Canada, where she lives, though she is actually American by birth and nationality. Her phone rings (they obviously have good wilderness coverage up there) and she is informed that her mother has been murdered in what appears to be a burglary gone wrong. Reese isn’t the type to let the police dismiss the incident so easily and hot-foots it back to her hometown – just outside Washington DC - and starts her own investigation.
 
Yes, Reese has the skill set to do that, it goes with her day job of being a “recovery expert”. She recovers lost things (or people) for the people who have lost them and where it might not always be their wish to involve the police – or if the police aren’t interested or effective enough. Needless to say, her day job brings her into contact with some rather unsavoury characters and this is important for the plot of this book to work.
 
Despite this back story, the book stands alone as a novel – you don’t have to have read the others in the series to enjoy this book for itself.
 
Indeed, if you enjoy this book it may be an encouragement to read the others in the series.

"The story is well written,"

The plot rattles along nicely with enough incident to keep the reader turning the pages. We discover things at the same time as Reese discovers them, so it isn’t possible for it to be a “whodunnit” that the reader can solve.
 
Reese is convinced from the outset that her mother’s murder was more than just a burglary gone wrong and the “who” becomes apparent well before the end of the book, so the story is much more about the “why” of the murder. While the police will be satisfied with the who, finding out the why is Reese’s self-appointed mission.
 
The story is well written, though it could do with much tighter editing. That’s why I’ve given it 4 stars rather than the 5 I might have thought about giving. There are a few scenes that just didn’t work for me and the input of an editor might have made them more convincing.
 
To give a couple of examples, there is a conversation that takes place in the back of a mobster’s limousine that contradicts itself; something that an editor would identify and suggest is corrected. There is also a tantalising thread left hanging at the end of the book. We don’t know if this is deliberate, to be followed up in another book, or whether the author just didn’t think to tie it down. 

"Jamie’s books sell for bargain prices."

But don’t let me put you off this book. Jamie Melissa Renwick is a good writer, and the book is well worth considering if you are looking for a crime thriller or a new author to follow. Just a word of warning if you have a weak stomach, as the graphic depictions of violence might leave you feeling a little queasy.
 
I recommend The Deep and Ghastly Green by Jamie Melissa Renwick and I assure you that I’ll be looking into her back catalogue for future reading. In fact, I’ve already bought “Gunmetal Blue Moon”, the next book in the series (yes, I know that isn’t “back catalogue”).
 
And for readers who are on a limited budget, Jamie’s books sell for bargain prices.

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