The Coroner (Book Review)

Title : The Coroner
Author : M. R. Hall
Genre : Mystery, Crime, Thriller
Published : 2009
Rating : 3.5 /5

Synopsis :

Perhaps she had been too swift to imagine a conspiracy, too easily swept up in the emotion of teenager’s shocking death. Snapping her briefcase shut, she made a decision to go about her investigation in as detached and professional a manner as she could. She was the coroner, an impartial, clear-headed, determined investigator of the truth…

When lawyer Jenner Cooper is appointed Severn Vale District Coroner, she’s hoping for a quiet life and space to recover from a traumatic divorce, but the office she inherit from the recently deceased Harry Marshall contains neglected files hiding dark secrets and your trail of buried evidence.

Could the tragic death in custody of a young boy be linked to the apparent suicide of a teenage prostitute and the fate of Marshall himself? Jenny's curiosity is aroused. Why was Marshall behaving so strangely before he died? What injustice was he planning to uncover? And what caused his abrupt change of heart?

In the face of powerful and sinister forces determined to keep both the truth hidden and the troublesome Coroner in check, Jenny embarks on a lonely and dangerous one-woman crusade for justice which threatens not only her career but also her sanity.

Review :

M. R. Hall has created a brilliant, original and precise plot yet it’s pace does not match the general thriller genre. Jenny Cooper is the only gallant protagonist whom I have ever witnessed in the book world. Her character developed in a stupendous way that no one can resist but to fall for her. Forensic and post mortem scenes are remarkably well written.

"Experience had thought her that you could trust no one with professional secrets, not even loved ones".

Even though the writing style of this book has to be appreciated for it's narration with vivid details, this plot is laggard. I tried to speed up my reading pace in vain. It was a sluggish page turner for me.

M. R. Hall carried out the whole story ingeniously. However, it seemed to me that he failed to sustain the speed which was in the first half of the story. Apart from that, his tale is painstakingly elaborative.

In my point of view, this is not a bad book of its kind, but this is not the best book either.

If you want more of Jenny Cooper there are more novels with her as a protagonist.

I highly recommend this book to the people who love intricate scene by scene narration, crime admirers and to all the fans of M. R. Hall.

Happy reading!!!

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