Martha Grimes

"The Winds of Change: A Richard Jury Novel" By Martha Grimes Signet: 2005


I have not read a Martha Grimes book for sometime and was not going to however as mentioned before I really don't have much choice here in Korea. In this instance, I am glad I did. I really enjoyed this book although some parts made me uncomfortable because the subject matter concerned the sexual exploitation of children and the author wrote about it convincingly.

Jury as a homicide detective is called to investigate the death of a child who was shot in the back. He begins a trail that leads to a cold case of a missing girl in another town. Soon other people are brought into the puzzle which includes Brian Macalvie of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Melrose Plant. Grimes does an excellent job describing the characters including children in a very convincing way. Murder is a terrible crime but the sexual abuse of children is the murder of their souls. Clues pile up but seem random until Jury begins to make sense of the mystery and solves it in the end although he risks everything including his own career to save those who are still alive and suffering.

In society, there exists a class of criminals who feel that they are doing children a service by introducing them to the so-called pleasures of sex and they will pay very handsomely to do so. Then there are those who work hard to defend the innocents from their depraved and sick behaviors. Unfortunately, those with money often win more than those who can protect the young. It is a constant battle to save the children and some will break the law to do it. "The Winds of Change" portrays this conflicts realistically.

I have every intention of reading Grimes again if this book is any indication of the quality and well plotted thoroughness of her writing. I don't remember why I stopped, but this book keep me reading well into the night.