Customer Reviews

A Murderous Innocence (Five Star First Edition Mystery)

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In Oleksiw's fifth book of this series, two drug-related deaths draw Police Chief Joe Silva into the shady underworld of Mellingham. When his investigation crosses paths with teens of the town, one of whom is his live-in girlfriend's son, it becomes personal for Joe. Once again, Oleksiw has depicted small town life in New England with a clear eye to the contrast between traditions and worldliness, and all that is encompassed therein, both good and bad. Her characters are real and you know them; they live down the street. The plot is real; you read about it in the newspapers, and the idea that it could happen in your town, maybe with your own children terrifies you. Beautifully written, A Murderous Innocence keeps the reader guessing through twists and turns until the final chilling outcome.

Most of the townsfolk of Mellingham attended the funeral of Ron Faroli, a former drug user. Not long afterward, Ron's friend, also a member of the Mellingham Community Center, Miles Stine's falls out of a third floor window. Chief of Police Joe Silva feels the coincidence is too much to ignore though the evidence points towards an accident.

Other former addict pals of Ron and Miles are nervous that they will be next. Meanwhile Joe tries to keep everyone calm as he makes inquiries. He especially is concerned with the parents of the recently deceased as George Faroli and Edna Stine are popular life residents. However, as he digs deeper into the Stine death, Joe begins thinking it is a homicide by someone who knew the second victim, but wonders who would want him dead and why, the answer of which remains elusive as the ties between the deaths lead nowhere.

Police procedural fans will enjoy A MURDEROUS INNOCENCE as Joe struggles with a homicide investigation in which the evidence seems more like a coincidental accident caused by drugs; still he persists because the twin deaths nag at his mind. The townsfolk know one another so they prefer that Joe stop digging and accept the deaths as an accident as they cannot accept one of them as a killer. Thus Joe has his work cut out for him while readers obtain a strong mystery.

Harriet Klausner