Karen has been reading Murder At The Columbarium by Emily Gallo
This book focuses on the Columbarium’s caretaker Jed and how his life changes when finding a murdered young woman on the premises.
With “Murder at the Columbarium”, Emily Gallo has created a well-elaborated and intriguing story about Jed and his friends. The story comprises a variety of characters with sufficient depth, interesting turns, food for thought, and a great flow. I was drawn into the story right away, close to Jed, his wife, their friends; captivated by what this story had to offer. I had a great time reading “Murder at the Columbarium”. It is a memorable story; I enjoyed reading about Jed who is warm-hearted and determined.
This is for you if you like steady-paced mysteries, stories that let you follow along and inspire your own train of thoughts, as well as books you would like to read again because their stories are unforgettable.
Recommended.
Jed’s quiet life as caretaker of the San Francisco Columbarium is turned upside down when he comes upon a dead woman’s body and a crying baby just inside the gate. His search for answers thrusts him into a world of corruption, bigotry and drug trafficking and he becomes one of the principal suspects.
Murder At The Columbarium is a relaxed paced contemporary mystery which is set in San Francisco.
Jed is the caretaker of the Columbarium which is a building with niches where funeral urns are stored. One morning he finds the body of a Pakistani woman inside the gates, and beside her a baby.
While the police investigate the murder, Jed takes it upon himself to also do some sleuthing.
The reader is easily enveloped into Jed’s multi-racial world and the story smoothly incorporates HIV, racialism, Parkinson’s disease, and several elements from the LGBTQ community lifestyle. The author wrote these parts without preaching to her audience, which I appreciated.
I liked Jed’s dedication to his caretaking job, especially the moments when he took time to sing to the ‘occupants’ during his daily rounds. He was a very likeable character and went out of his way to help others.
I understand that this book has some characters from a previous book, but I didn’t feel that I missed anything by not reading it.
Overall a pleasant amateur sleuth style mystery which expressed the current multi-culture of the American city in a natural and very readable format.
Jed’s quiet life as caretaker of the San Francisco Columbarium is turned upside down when he comes upon a dead woman’s body and a crying baby just inside the gate. His search for answers thrusts him into a world of corruption, bigotry and drug trafficking and he becomes one of the principal suspects.
Sean has been reading Murder At The Columbarium by Emily Gallo
Summary:
This is an interesting whodunnit story, which has a number of other threads running through it.
Main Characters:
Jed Gibbons: Sixty-something African-American, curator of a Columbarium (a building where funeral urns are stored).
Monica: His wife, positively diagnosed with HIV.
Minor Characters:
Dutch: Sixty-something grower of legal weed.
Juniper: Dutch’s live-in companion, and overseer of his farming operations.
Malcolm: Long-time friend of Jed and Monica.
Tony: Another friend, roughly the same age as Jed, who covers for him at the Columbarium when he needs to travel to investigate.
Plot:
Jed arrives at work, and discovers the body of a Pakistani woman on the grounds, along with her still-breathing little baby girl. He immediately calls the police, and the novel is up and running.
Jed is of course a person of interest, and he quickly gets sucked into the police investigation process, initially to prove his innocence, then fired by his desire to foster the little girl, that he and Monica name Aja.
While the murder investigation gathers pace in the novel, normal life also goes on, and we get an insight into the relationships and world that Jed and Monica have. They are particularly close to Malcolm and his partner Savali, who is undergoing gender transition. They are struggling to cope with the impending closure of the old folks home they are running, and the need to place their residents. This has no direct impact on the investigation, but the threads are neatly pulled together by the end.
As a result of Jed’s amateur work, he is led to weed-farmers Dutch and Juniper, who become good friends, even though they run a personal risk. His work also unearths less savoury characters, and Jed relies on the police and FBI for support.
Throughout all this, we see the tensions rise between Jed and Monica over Aja, their shared hopes and dreams, and the practicality of two sixty-somethings raising an infant.
What I Liked:
It is more than a simple whodunnit. We get a real sense of people at a point in time, their lives, and how they deal with change and stress.
The multiplicity of topics raised – racism (both direct and indirect), importance of family, different moral viewpoints on cultural issues, etc.
The plotline was excellent, with some surprising twists, and there was some strong character development in Jed and Monica.
What I Didn’t Like:
There was obviously a preceding book, as there are references to events that happened previously, and characters who are mentioned but not “seen. This did throw the story for me a little, because I couldn’t see where those characters/events helped this novel.
There were a couple of scenes that were too domestic, in that the conversation was desultory, and nothing happened to move the story along.
Overall:
I found it a pleasant read, well-structured and reasonably paced. There are a lot of sub-issues addressed, but there is no high moral ground taken. The issues are raised as being normal, and treated by the characters in that way, with pros and cons. It will please fans of the amateur detective genre, as it hits all the touchpoints. Definitely recommend.
Jed’s quiet life as caretaker of the San Francisco Columbarium is turned upside down when he comes upon a dead woman’s body and a crying baby just inside the gate. His search for answers thrusts him into a world of corruption, bigotry and drug trafficking and he becomes one of the principal suspects.
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Rosie Amber 