Release Date: January 20/2015
Acquired: Print ARC sent by publisher
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Indigo/Book Depository
An explosive psychological thriller from New York Times bestselling author James Grippando in which Miami’s top prosecutor becomes a prime suspect when his wife’s disappearance may have a chilling connection to the vicious murders of beautiful women in the Florida Everglades.
Unbelievable was the word for her. Samantha Vine was unbelievably beautiful. It was unbelievable that she’d married me. Even more unbelievable that she was gone...
Samantha died too soon. Abe Beckham’s new wife, Angelina, feels like Samantha never left. Through it all, Abe has managed to remain a star prosecutor at the Miami State Attorney’s Office. But his personal life is a mess, and it’s about to get worse.
When a woman’s body is discovered dumped in the Everglades, Abe is called upon to stay on top of the investigation. The FBI is tracking a killer in South Florida they call “Cutter” because his brutal methods harken back to Florida’s dark past, when machete-wielding men cut sugarcane by hand in the blazing sun.
But when the feds discover that Abe had a brief encounter with the victim after Samantha’s death, and when Angelina goes missing, the respected attorney finds himself in the hot seat. Suspicion surrounds him. His closest friends, family, professional colleagues, and the media no longer trust his motives. Was Angelina right? Was their marriage failing because he loved Samantha too much? Or was there another woman, and did Abe have a dark side that simply wanted his new but very unhappy wife gone?
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Cane and Abe is such a cleverly deceiving name for a novel. For those familiar with Catholicism, Cain and Abel were apparently the offspring of the first humans, Adam and Eve. The brothers had a hostile relationship, and Cain eventually murders his brother. I mistakenly thought this narrative would involve two warring brothers in modern time, though the actual story wasn't too far off. There was definitely conflict, but not enough time was spent drawing readers in on an emotional level. Cane and Abe was yet another book that suffered from an abundance of technical and legal jargon-which is definitely many a readers forte, it's just never been mine.
Abe Beckham, top prosecutor in the city, has been a part of an on-going investigation to catch a serial killer who's been aptly named "Cutter". The victims, four total, were found with large machete gashes and black ash covering their bodies. As the book opens, we're introduced to a fifth body, Tyla Tomkins, who bares none of Cutter's usual marks, but-and here's the first non spoiler twist-is directly linked to Abe Beckham himself. As if suspicions surrounding the prosecutor aren't high enough, Abe's wife Angelina mysteriously vanishes, leaving her husband as the prime suspect behind her disappearance.
To reiterate, this book definitely would have worked as a whole for many readers. With a combination of intense factual detail (scenery, politics, legalities, police procedure, structural history, world history), and some raw human interaction, Cane and Abe has the makings of a great detective thriller. However, I went into this book looking for a psychological thriller, and all of those added effects just got in the way of me considering it as such. Many people have compared this narrative to Gone Girl, and I can definitely see where they got that, though when it comes to writing style, James Grippando and Gillian Flynn are ice cream and hot sauce (Gillian Flynn being hot sauce). Grippando just couldn't keep a firm grasp on the emotional part of my being-I was too busy trying to keep the facts straight. He laid out the groundwork, but then just kept laying it out, like he was trying to be sure of it himself.
I wasn't in awe by the conclusion of Cane and Abe, but I definitely knew a hell of a lot more about the sugar industry after I closed the book, and that's what I'll keep with me.
Recommended for Fans of: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Police Procedure, Detective fiction, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay.
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Thank-you to Trish from TLC Book Tours for hosting this tour, and to Harper Collins for sending me a print copy to review! CLICK HERE to follow the rest of the tour.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book for the tour.
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