"Downfall", by Mark Rubinstein

It this book a fiction, a mystery, a psychological thriller or maybe it is a police procedural drama who knows? One thing is “Downfall” gives us a bit of everything and it does it relatively well.

The story in a few words:

Rick Shepherd, a doctor, on his way to his office, finds police cars and ambulance are blocking his way...a passerby was shot and murdered at the front of his office....In the evening, on while watching the local news, Rick noticed, the deceased looked identical to him...was this a mistake in identity? But when two days later his father, also a physician is shot dead in the exact same way...A coincidence? Detective Art Nager and Liz Callaghan are assigned to the case...and an investigation is launched......

My thoughts:

Set in New York City 1983 this mystery has some excellent characters but most are stereotypes at best and filled with old clichés. The story can be confusing at times it is all over the place. The action repeats and turns in circles many times....The pacing of the plot movement was not as engaging as I would have liked. I prefer things to get going much faster. The psychological tension was at a minimum, hang up phone calls that is it although the author shows Rick’s anguish over his relationship with his father and his paranoia being the next target quite well. I guess I would too in his shoes.

Don’t get me wrong the story is not bad at all but it seemed to plod along too much for me and over all did not grab my full attention, But we do have an unexpected twist at the end but apart from that nothing really surprising or of shock value happens.

Overall “Downfall” is a fairly good mystery but nothing to write home about.

I received a copy of this book from Oceanview Publishing for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.