By Dhevarajan Devadas

18 years ago, 15-year-old Norma Jean Judd disappeared under unexplained circumstances. Now, her twin brother Bryan Judd is found dead in a hospital incinerator- and it is not accidental.

Over time, rookie Detective Peter Shaw and his more experienced partner Sergeant George Valentine establish that Bryan was no upright citizen and the mystery of his death deepens as the duo chase down possible links to his sister’s disappearance, encounter bodies dumped in a harbour and endure a suspicious power outage. Tension builds as the circle of suspects narrows down to Bryan’s friends and family.

The book is filled with well-placed plot twists and turns that keep the suspense without derailing the story into a confusing tangle. The main characters are properly fleshed out and the solid writing keeps the narrative flowing smoothly.

A sub-plot explores Shaw’s relationship with Valentine, who once worked with Shaw’s father until a disastrous murder case ended the elder Shaw’s career while Valentine was demoted, under suspicion of trying to create evidence to ‘prove’ their case. Shaw and Valentine are still trying to find fresh evidence and get the case reopened, so they can clear the names of the detectives involved.

But some parts of the plot seem a tad implausible with Shaw and Valentine getting lucky once too often. The minor characters also seem somewhat unpleasant and the reader would rather ignore them completely in favour of concentrating wholly on Shaw and Valentine.

Jim Kelly, in his second book on the detective duo, has once again displayed his prowess in penning crime novels that keep the reader glued to the pages till the criminal is caught and justice achieved. The British author, who won the British Crime Writers’ Association’s Dagger in the Library award in 2006 “for giving the most pleasure to readers”, is truly a master of his craft and his latest offering is a treat to all devotees of crime novels.

Title: Death Watch

Author: Jim Kelly

Genre: Crime (Fiction)

Rating 4/5
Book courtesy of Penguin Books Singapore.