In Focus

For this month’s book club book we read Dart by Phil Rustad.

This book is different than the ordinary murder mysteries. The investigators know who committed the crimes, but they were trying to figure out how it was done and find the evidence.

This aspect was interesting as the Minnesota investigator, Dan, travels across the U.S. tracking murders that are connected. The people getting murdered were connected to a court case where the killers got off with no jail time. The shooter’s motive was clearly vengeance, and in my opinion, I felt he was right.

As the case continues, Dan picks up investigators from Atlanta and Arizona to help piece together the information. The main “target” of the investigation is a specialized weapon that only the military has, and figuring out how the shooter got a hold of such a ferocious rifle and dart-like bullet. During all of this they are also trying to match the alias to their suspect.

The story culminates in Duluth in a McGyver style ending with the airforce jets being called in, trapping the investigators on an island requiring a lot of fast thinking and driving. The ending was unlike anything I have ever heard or read. I will leave you to ponder this...could someone get away with murder?

I didn’t mind this book. It wasn’t my all-time favorite, but there was enough action to keep me interested until the end. There is a lot of talk about guns and ballistics, which some people may love. It just wasn’t my thing. But I did enjoy the twist on this murder mystery. Overall, I think it was a good book.

The next book we are reading is the Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradel. This book is a family drama concerning two sisters, Edith and Helen, estranged since their father died in 1967 and left the family farm to Helen. Edith is convinced that her younger sister Helen manipulated their father into changing his will.

We’ll see how this one plays out...