Review of Pancake Money

[Joy Jarvis]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Pancake Money" by Finn Bell.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Pancake Money is excellently written by Finn Bell.

Two detectives open the story; they are Bobby Ress and Pollo Latu. They are investigating the murder of a Catholic priest. The priest has been tortured and has had all of his bones broken. He is then posed in an odd way.

The next day, another Catholic priest is discovered. He too has been tortured with every bone in his body broken. This priest has a wooden stake driven through him. Two odd deaths of people who are both priests make the detectives wonder if this is a warning or a message to someone or a group of people.

The author creates a very believable timeline for the deaths. I really liked how he would tell the day and time of day. This way the reader could follow the investigation as it happened. The many murders that happened during this week were unimaginable. There must be some type of tie-in, some type of commonality.

We learn that there is a tie-in to the two priests that are tortured and murdered. We also learn there is a secret encampment or retreat that the Church uses. Could these things be tied together?

I really liked the background given for the area portrayed in the book. There was a history of the native people and a lifestyle that created interest along the way. This history made it seem plausible that one of the Māori people had committed the murders. But somehow the Māori are a close and closed-off people; that is another way that makes it seem impossible. They stay on their own land and have little to nothing to do with the priests or the church.

The author gave us insight into how the detectives worked well together and how they had good, stable families. I really liked how this book of whodunits was crafted. I found no typos or grammar errors. The writing style kept me intrigued up to the end. And no, I did not have the ending figured out. Because this book is so well written and kept my attention, I give it a 5 out of 5-star rating.

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Pancake Money
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