Review by Supergirl1 -- Pancake Money by Finn Bell

[Supergirl1]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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As strange as that sounds, Bobby has got it right. Now, I’m not saying all mental illness is caused by too much pain. That’s a whole different discussion. But what I am saying is that an almost certain consequence of too much pain will be some form of mental illness.

Three stomach-churning murders occur in very quick succession. Signs around the murders indicate they were all carried out by the same person. Bobby Ress and his partner Pollo have their hands full trying to solve this case. What in the world could these slain priests have done to deserve such chilling medieval style deaths? Everyone who has had dealings with these victims before their deaths believes they were righteous, kind men. A local gang leader and a man seen running away from the first murder scene top the suspect list. Bobby is taking psychology lessons where he is learning the relationship between pain and mental illness. Little does he know that very soon he will get a chance to put his classroom knowledge into real-life use.

The opening quote is from this book. I found the psychological analysis of how pain is a definite precursor of mental illness very intriguing. Since it is erroneous to only see things in black and white, I have always wondered what made bad people “bad.” Were they born that way? Are they controlled by a supernatural force? This book helped me find one very logical reason.

Authored by Finn Bell, this story is set in New Zealand. I enjoyed the author’s descriptions of New Zealand’s culture and famous landmarks. An example is Baldwin Street, which at 19 degrees is the steepest street in the world. I checked online and found this to be true. He also adds a bit of Maori folklore which I found interesting. His realistic descriptions of events and places give more life to this tale.

I also love the style used in this book. The descriptions of the detective Bobby, his colleagues, family and other people he relates with in the course of this story are so realistic that by the end of the book, I saw Bobby as quite the smart, friendly and approachable cop. It’s also interesting to note that this story is narrated from Bobby’s viewpoint, but he is such a good storyteller that one would hardly notice. His colleague and partner Pollo felt too good to be true though. It is extremely rare to find people who would willingly give their lives for their friends in real-life.

Pancake Money is a phenomenal read. This fast-paced thriller will stay glued to your hands until the very end of the story. It embodies the saying that a good book is read from the beginning, but understood from the end. The ending of this story gives an “aha” feeling as everything comes together and the lightbulb comes on in your head. The suspense and twists were just great. I found it hard to put this book down once I started reading it. The editing was practically spotless. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to everyone who loves crime related thrillers.

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Pancake Money
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