The second book in the Junction Chronicles,
A Murder of Crows by
David Rotenberg continues
the story of Decker Roberts, acting professor and discerner of truths.
Decker is a synaesthete – a person who has with the rare sensory ability
to perceive if someone is telling a truth. Though A Murder of Crows
does bring Decker’s story further, you can still read this book without
having read The Placebo Effect, the first novel in this series.
I
enjoyed this novel for its story line as well as the main character.
I’m a fan of Decker’s wit and his true-to-life persona. The author knows
his characters well and writes them with consistency. They are not all
good or all bad but a mixture of both. I know I’m reading a good book
when a likeable main character admits to an unlikable trait.
The
story has twists and turns and enough suspense that I wanted to keep
reading to find out what happens. In this second novel, there are more
explanations of the synesthete ability and what happens when someone is
using it - though it could be I just picked up more on the effects of
using this sensory ability in this book than I did in the first,
nevertheless, it rounds out the story and leaves the reader with the
impression that more will be revealed in the next novel.
A
Murder of Crows is a polished, well-written novel that explores what
happens when a person is born with a gift that can be used for both good
and evil. I like to think that if I had this special gift, I would use
it only for good, but the temptation to serve one’s heart desire must be
great. Decker faces this dilemma and more in this great series. I
highly recommend it for anyone who likes a mix of genres. Give it a try!