Pick up any writing magazine these days or any book that purports to teach one how to write and one of the basic tenets you are guaranteed to see is "write what you know." With an MA in Psychology among other certifications, Louise Crawford uses her therapeutic experience as a backdrop in her third Blaize/Zoloski mystery. The result, long in pop-psychology and various twelve-step program jargons becomes a bit heavy handed at times, but the overall story is enjoyable. In this third installment of the series, Blaize is trying to figure out her relationship with the man she affectionately refers to as Z-man: Zoloski. The Police Detective and her lover has set an ultimatum for her concerning their future and wants her to commit to getting married. Because of her history of brutal abuse at the hands of her family, the idea of marriage is overwhelming.
At the same time, some of her extended family seems to want to reconnect, years after her father's death as well as her running away from home. Hardly before she has a chance to consider that possibility, Uncle Rich who was responsible for quite a lot of the abuse, is found murdered. Quickly, both Blaize and her brother Ian who has some shocking revelations of his own are considered suspects. With most of the clues pointing to Ian, Blaize can't leave things alone. She begins to dig and soon discovers that the abuse never stopped and the list of suspects with motive to kill is long and complex.
This novel is driven nearly entirely by discussions of abuse and therapy. Almost every character is extremely dysfunctional by anyone's standards and there are several stretches where different kinds of addiction are discussed and explained in great detail. For the average reader who is interested in such topics, the bibliography at the conclusion of the novel is a big help. However, while the novel is enjoyable, for readers who are looking for sheer escapism, this novel is not for you.
Acknowledging the fact that this novel is fairly heavy handed at times in advocating therapy for any and all problems, it must be also said that it is well written and deals with the issues it raises in a compassionate manner. With so much reliance on therapy issues, the action is limited, but what action there is serves to move the story along. Overall, it is an enjoyable read and with the brief explanations of events in the first two novels, it works as a stand alone novel from the series.
