Reviews for Law and the mind

The average rating for Law and the mind based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-04-27 00:00:00 Steve Neal One look at the dingy, barely lit street corner on the cover of William Hefferman's novel, A Time Gone By, and you'll know this isn't a book about cuddly cats and amateur sleuths. The bleak ambience continues on the novel's first page with a gloomy rainy night and a dead body. But here's the thing: Hefferman's writing is so elegant that I want to call the novel beautiful. From page one, I was drawn into the story by the style and protagonist's voice as much as the plot and 1945 time period. And then there's the intriguing twist in chapter two. The story leaps forward thirty years, when Chief of Detectives, Jake Downing, is still haunted by events of that night. In 1945, he was a twenty-five-year-old rookie detective, and about to make the biggest mistake of his life. At first, the plot seems straight forward. Jake and his more experienced partner, Jimmy Finn, are assigned to find out who murdered a prominent judge. But they soon realize that powerful higher-ups have already decided how this case will turn out. Things become complicated both professionally and personally for Jake as he begins to fall for the judge's gorgeous young widow, while Jake's pregnant wife waits for him at home. Hefferman does an excellent job of switching back and forth in time while moving the story forward at a carefully measured pace. Like most noir novels, this book depicts people trapped in tough-to-hopeless situations. People motivated by hidden agendas, betrayal, revenge, lust, love, and pure survival. But what really captured me was the emotion driving this novel. Not just violent rage, but guilt, regret, sadness, resignation, and varying degrees of love. Perhaps the best noir crime novels are all about strong emotions and what happens when those emotions override common sense. A Time Gone By demonstrates this in a terrific story with captivating prose.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-01-15 00:00:00 Michael Thurmond Police procedural with strong psychological themes of sexual attraction, loyalty, and honor. Excellent setting--New York with a 30 year gap. Two cops revisit an old crime, driven by the guilt one of them still holds for sleeping with a female suspect while his wife was delivering their baby. Atmospheric, psychological, historic. Writing is good, but felt rushed in parts, with repeated sentences. For example, "He gave a weak smile" several times. Point of view shifts were unannounced but not hard to follow. The shifts from third person (present) to first person (past) were a little tougher. Still, an interesting way to go. The ending and its improbable twist satisfied only partially. A final chapter resolving the love interests is missing.