Book Description: A man, hanging from a tree at the edge of the forest that surrounds Dockerty, Newry County, has been shot with arrows, two of which pin his belly to the tree trunk. Orwell Brennan, Dockerty’s chief of police, wonders whether it’s a hunting accident when a sergeant tells him it’s been ruled a murder. He also tells the chief that it’s now in the hands of Metro Homicide and outside his concern. But Orwell has never listened much to those telling him to mind his own business, and this case has far too many unanswered questions to suit him. He decides he can’t and won’t let it go until he knows what really happened—no matter whose toes he steps on. With a fast-paced, cinematic-like narrative, this murder mystery introduces a take-no-prisoners police chief, whose determination unearths some better-left-alone secrets.
Somewhere around the middle of the book, the story fell apart for me when the plot became too convoluted. Bed-hopping escapades involving just about everyone took over and created a real down-turn in the story. The original crime within a crime story seemed to take a back seat and what remained almost seemed like a different book. By the end of the book there was a recovery and although predictable, it brought the story together for a satisfying conclusion.
