Dead Connections’ author Charlie Price’s new novel, The Interrogation of Gabriel James, is an intriguing mystery from page one. High school junior Gabriel is a material witness to two murders and in a combination of his interview with local police detectives and his memories of the events that lead up to the murders, we watch spellbound as he quickly gets in way over his head.
What starts as a prairie fire outside his hometown of Billings, Montana, leads quickly to the disappearance of local pets. Next, there’s increased drug pushing going on around town and the town’s homeless and mentally ill population is being harassed and threatened. Closer to Gabe is the cruel hazing that’s plaguing his cross country team’s newest, Native American, star. While all this is going on at the start of the school year, Gabe is mostly focused on his recent break up with his girlfriend and the possibility that shy Raelene Ray might be interested in him. When he starts to make advances towards her, Raelene immediately shuts him down. Wanting to know more, Gabe follows Raelene and her homeschooled brother, Homer, home one night to their secluded compound outside town where he fears something disturbing is going on. By starting to poke around in all of these areas, Gabe inadvertently sets off a chain of events that escalates crimes that are already going on, ultimately leading to murder.
Price’s narrative is fast-paced, succinct, and thrilling. The various mysteries and plot lines are interwoven tightly and lead to a revelation that hits Gabe more personally than anyone expected. Price creates a believable, likeable first person narrator in Gabe, a dark, tension-filled setting, and a cleverly plotted mystery, although sometimes the detectives seem to share a little too much information about the case in front of Gabriel. Despite this, The Interrogation of Gabriel James will hook readers and certainly won’t disappoint.
- Posted by Cori