Wednesday 9 July 2014

Face Value by Michael A. Kahn

Poisoned Pen Press
The body of a young attorney is found in an alley beside a 10 floor parking garage.  The police rule the death a suicide, something not uncommon amongst those stressed out by the high demands of being a young law associate.  Stanley Plotkin, a mailroom employee from the same firm as the young attorney Sari Bashir, is convinced that Sari didn’t commit suicide but was murdered. 

Stanley approaches Rachel Gold, a lawyer he knows, to say that he has proof Sari was murdered. He points to a broken heel from a high heel shoe and a tube of lip balm found four spaces down from Ms. Bashir’s parking space. He also brings into play his knowledge of FACS, the Facial Action Coding System that correlates hundreds of facial muscle actions to specific emotions and mental states.
Stanley may have Asperger’s but his knowledge of FACS is nothing short of genius. This knowledge tells him that in the days preceding her death, Sari may have been preoccupied or agitated, but she was definitely not suicidal.  Rachel agrees to look into the matter and along with her team she investigates the top lawyers at Warner & Olsen, an investigation that leads to secrets, cover ups, questionable ethics and finances.
This is my idea of a cozy mystery.  A main character supported by a group of other characters, some zany and others either really smart or really lucky.  Stanley is an original character, so much so that I felt at times he overshadowed Rachel. There are no gory scenes and the plot moves along at a moderate pace with little gems of humour incorporated into some well written dialogue. 
The author is a lawyer and the legal and financial information is well presented in a readable and informative manner that doesn't detract from the story.  Kahn also provides Rachel the ingenious idea of creating a memorial video about the victim, enabling Stanley to design the questions to ask each suspect and see their responses without having any social interaction with them, since social interactions can be very difficult for someone with Asperger's.  As ingenious as the idea is, and as well as it works as a device for plot development, it doesn't always make for great reading.
I loved how Kahn has the ability to make the setting of St. Louis seem so familiar and the characters so comfortable to be around, like old friends.  Even though this is the ninth book in a series I can vouch for it being a stand alone since I haven't read any of the others and I didn't feel that it made a difference.
Overall I found this a fun, interesting and worthwhile read - just not a nail biter.
To read an excerpt go to:
 
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