A Year in Fear: A Rookie Detective’s First 12 Months by Harry Gossett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As it says on the 4th star “I really liked it.” This unusual detective book is written in a style reminiscent of the best of the old pulp fiction novels. The main character, Frieda, is one tough cookie, and contrary to what the title would have you believe, seems fearless. I say it’s unusual because it’s written in episodes, almost like a collection of short stories rather than a novel. Each case comes on suddenly and is wrapped up quickly by our heroine, often cleverly. There’s no time for suspense here – just non-stop action. I chuckled several times at the original approach she used. I especially liked the goose episode. You’ll know it when you see it. It’s a bit raunchy for my taste with some graphic descriptions of sex crimes and some strong language, but nothing beyond an R rating.