Review of Murder in the Marshland

[khaulah]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Murder in the Marshland" by Donald Steven Collins.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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A 36-year-old man's body is discovered in a swamp with a gunshot wound to his head and a mysterious note in his back pocket. At first, the note seems to hold the answer, but it leads to a dead end. The investigation is classified as a cold case. Five years later, cold case squad detectives Steve Danski and Gregory Litchfield are tasked with unraveling the case and apprehending the murderer.

The novel's structure is that of classic crime fiction: a group of witnesses and plausible suspects. The detectives interrogate several suspects to reconstruct the crime and chase down a series of red herrings. This work, like the best of crime fiction, is filled with distorted perceptions and the author's ability to throw the reader off course, both directly and by allowing the reader to draw incorrect conclusions from what some of the witnesses say or imply.

The whodunit is well-crafted and could easily stand alone as a police procedural. The two important characters in the story are the detectives Danski and Litchfield. I'm not familiar with the characters or their initial introduction. However, there is enough background information about them that I was able to get a sense of both their professional and personal lives without the personal aspect detracting from the book's major focus. The reader is caught up in the investigation of the victim's death as the detectives pursue the few leads that have them re-interviewing family members and acquaintances.

Regardless of how exciting the mystery is, basic police procedural that unfolds in a sequential manner might prove to be as tiresome as police work itself. Murder in the Marshland is a detailed yet fast-paced police procedural that keeps the reader speculating. The setup of the story is intriguing. However, if you go into this anticipating adventure and murder after murder, you'll be in for a disappointment. The characters aren't exactly good or horrible; they're merely average.

I wouldn't describe the story as a particularly engaging experience, but it piqued my interest enough that I continued reading to find out who the perpetrator was. Donald Steven Collins' vivid and succinct writing style deserves the credit for this. The author's experience in law enforcement lends credibility to the police procedural. I came across nine grammatical errors in the text. One more round of editing should take care of this. As a result of this and the negative points mentioned above, I rate Murder in the Marshland 3 out of 4 stars.

Murder in the Marshland will be fascinating for anyone who enjoys murder mysteries, specifically those featuring police officers.

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Murder in the Marshland
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[Itz Savaga]

I love crime fiction stories, and this sounds really interesting. I would love to read this story. Great review.

[Aisha Yakub]

I like reading murder mystery, so I think I'd enjoy reading this. Great review.

[khaulah]

I love crime fiction stories, and this sounds really interesting. I would love to read this story. Great review.

Thank you so much @Limitless_66 !

[khaulah]

I like reading murder mystery, so I think I'd enjoy reading this. Great review.

Thank you @Raymond N !

[Patty Allread]

Regardless of how exciting the mystery is, basic police procedural that unfolds in a sequential manner might prove to be as tiresome as police work itself.

I wonder if the descriptions of police procedures felt tiresome because the book was about a cold case. Maybe the author was trying to be more meticulous in outlining how the investigation was done.

[Bea Polaski]

I read Murder in the Marshland and really enjoyed it. I loved the detective work that went into solving a cold case - so many "leads" that looked promising; but so many things change over the 5 years since the murder was committed. I have read other books in this Danski and Litchfield series by Donald Steven Collins and I have come to enjoy the dynamics of the two detectives work relationship. Good solid detective work solved a 5 year old cold case.

[Amy Luman]

While I do enjoy murder mysteries and detective stories, I do not enjoy beginning a series in the middle without the benefit of adequate background information. I did that on accident last time and it just happened to be a standalone. I got lucky!

[Ruth Frances A]

This review seems to demonstrate the usual ingredients for a murder story. The policeman with no formal background interests me. This is because even during most investigations, the focus seems to be more on solving the problem. I like this.

[khaulah]

I wonder if the descriptions of police procedures felt tiresome because the book was about a cold case. Maybe the author was trying to be more meticulous in outlining how the investigation was done.

Yes, the investigation was definitely meticulous. People who love reading detailed police procedures will absolutely enjoy the story.

[khaulah]

I read Murder in the Marshland and really enjoyed it. I loved the detective work that went into solving a cold case - so many "leads" that looked promising; but so many things change over the 5 years since the murder was committed. I have read other books in this Danski and Litchfield series by Donald Steven Collins and I have come to enjoy the dynamics of the two detectives work relationship. Good solid detective work solved a 5 year old cold case.

It's great you enjoyed it. I see your point.

[khaulah]

While I do enjoy murder mysteries and detective stories, I do not enjoy beginning a series in the middle without the benefit of adequate background information. I did that on accident last time and it just happened to be a standalone. I got lucky!

Thanks for stopping by!

[khaulah]

This review seems to demonstrate the usual ingredients for a murder story. The policeman with no formal background interests me. This is because even during most investigations, the focus seems to be more on solving the problem. I like this.

Thanks for stopping by!

[Alice Fu]

Thank you for writing this review, I'm not really sure I will read this book since I get distracted easily, but I'm glad I read this review.

[VanComWp]

I really love stories like these. Hopefully, this story will fire up my mind to continue my onhold mystery/thriller story.