DON’T TELL A SOUL
David Rosenfelt
St. Martin’s Minotaur
Mystery
ISBN: 9780312373955

When a successful writer detours from the formula that has established his popularity, readers may examine the pioneering new title with a mixture of anticipation and worry. DON’T TELL A SOUL is David Rosenfelt’s first venture into what can best be called a stand-alone mystery, a thriller that does not feature criminal defense attorney Andy Carpenter. In that series Rosenfelt presents an engaging cast of characters in a fast-paced, witty and well-written courtroom mystery that is enjoyable and easy to read.

While DON’T TELL A SOUL shares some of the attributes of the Andy Carpenter series, it is not quite up to the standard that those novels have established. Although well written, inventive and fast-paced, it seems to run into a brick wall somewhere around its closing 50 pages. It is still a quality work of fiction --- wonderful for vacation reading --- but its conclusion is somewhat too abrupt, spoiling what began as an engaging and complex mystery.

Tim Wallace, a successful New York businessman, and his wife Maggie are sharing a quiet, romantic journey down the Hudson River on Tim’s boat. For Maggie it is her first voyage on the vessel, acquired by Tim during his bachelor days. What begins as an idyllic afternoon ends in tragedy as the boat explodes, killing Maggie. Through a quirk of fate that will change his life, Tim escapes death only because he had jumped into the water to retrieve Maggie’s hat. His escape seems too fortuitous for police officers, who focus their attention on Tim as Maggie’s killer. But suspicion is not hard evidence, and no charges are brought against him.

Several months later, on New Year’s Eve, Tim’s friends encourage him to end his mourning period and join them at a local tavern to celebrate the new year. While at the bar, a man sits next to him and the ensuing conversation makes his life even more foreboding. “Can you keep a secret? A really big one?” Before Tim can respond, the stranger confesses to a month-old murder and even offers him specific details. As he walks away the stranger warns him, “Now it’s your problem.”

The conversation, duly reported to law enforcement, changes Tim in their eyes from a man who they think murdered his wife to a serial killer who they believe may be a terrorist plotting destruction to the government of the United States. While he professes his innocence, piece by piece and bit by bit evidence mounts against him. Tim is forced to become a fugitive as he searches to discover how and why someone is framing him for a crime he did not commit.

DON’T TELL A SOUL has a wide range of the standard characters who readers might expect in a mystery novel of this nature: the relentless police detective, certain that a guilty man is going free, the cynical criminal defense lawyer for whom guilt or innocence is not a consideration, and finally the romantic interest for Wallace, who attempts to help him overcome the tragedy that has befallen him and in so doing creates danger for her own well-being. While they are predictable, Rosenfelt has the ability to move their lives and the plot along with snappy dialogue and many byzantine plot twists.

Perhaps it is unfair to compare DON’T TELL A SOUL to the Andy Carpenter series. Rosenfelt’s stand-alone effort is worth reading and establishes him as a mystery stylist who readers can enjoy, whether the character is an old friend or a new acquaintance.

    --- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman

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