Finding Mrs Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce

A mystery novel about identity and bad guys.

In the one corner there are two teenage girls who are friends but also opponents, each wanting to be like the other. In the other corner there are Italian-Americans and Catholic Iraqis. Two stories, one set in the 1970s the other in 2014. At some point all will become clear and the stories will join.

Getting to that point is fairly detailed in places, sometimes the childhood days unnecessarily so, but it is an exciting journey that includes gangsters, drugs, love, murder and violence as well as immature fall-outs. Credit to the author that there are few signposts so we read on in an attempt to find Mrs Ford and understand the significance, who and why.

The writing is clear although towards the end it becomes long-winded and abstract, not in keeping with the rest of the book. Unfortunately, the modern day conclusion is unsatisfying and a little incredible and mawkish. As well as this, the absurdly beautiful and perfect Chaldean-Iraqi deserves further development. In nearly every breath he says that he is a Chaldean without giving anything more about what it means, the ancient roots or  any cultural information about these peoples.

My favourite titbit was that one of the dogs was named 'Pliny' after Pliny the Younger!

An American thriller, a great beach read.

​Published by Post Hill Press, 25 June 2019.

Advanced review copy supplied by the publisher.