David Pearson’s The Ferry Port Mystery is a plain narration of a police investigation of a double murder in a quiet Irish countryside. Introducing Vikki Kirkby, an Irish policewoman transferred to a punishment posting in the town of Wexford; the storyline follows her adjusting to the new space and marking her ground in a male-dominated ‘Garda’ (Police force).
The back cover premise for this mystery is strong and carries much potential with a strong female lead and an intriguing murder to solve.
There is a double murder of a middle aged couple which the local Garda are eager to write off as a murder-suicide. Yet the exiled Vikki stands tall on her opinion, asserts her place and leads the enquiry.
I was highly expectant to enjoy a sneak peek into the Irish Police world and understand their methods of investigations, forensic analysis and how they dealt with the concept of gender discrimination while of course satiating my curiosity – who killed the couple?
It had everything a mystery lover would die to acquaint oneself with.
The novel keeps the action real. There is no over-exaggeration of the crime nor any over-the-top investigation. David Pearson tries to capture the essence of working inside a police office in its raw form.
Starting from the discovery of the crime, the initial crime scene detection, to the board-room meetings and suspect interviews, the story follows every action in detailed narration. We not only see the highs, but the entire journey of Vikki Kirkby as she stumbles and falls yet in the end, rises to claim her fallen reputation.
Yet the writing style falls short in making this a page turner.
The absence of an engaging writing, singular plot elements and exciting twists or surprises turned this compelling premise into a plain police procedural story. The author details every conversation (even the non-essential ones!), every action and reaction – to the point of even chronicling how a character starts a tractor!
“The driver walked over to the tractor unit, opened the door, climbed in and started the engine”.
Referring to an article by Jerry Jenkins, I share his assertion that it is essential to use narrative to stimulate the reader’s imagination. One should ‘show’ the story through descriptive words and actions instead of directly ‘telling’ how the reader should interpret the scene.
Give some credit to the imagination of a reader!
As soon as she arrived at the station, even before she got into her office, Ciara Nestor caught her attention.
“Sorry, boss, can I have a word?”, Nestor said.
“Yes, of course, Ciara. Just give me a chance to get my jacket off,” she said, shrugging off her rain-soaked coat.
“I need to show you something on my own PC, boss,” Nestor said, clearly finding it difficult to contain her enthusiasm.
Kirkby realised her colleague must have something important to show her, so she went back out to Nestor’s desk without a delay.
Unfortunately, in the end, this mystery turns out to be a plain, sordid affair!
