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The Silence of the White City    by Eva Garcia Saenz Amazon.com order for
Silence of the White City
by Eva Garcia Saenz
Order:  USA  Can
Vintage, 2020 (2020)
Softcover, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Carrol Wolverton

The Bees Did It ...

I have never been to Spain, but I feel after reading this novel that I have been. The landmarks and history of monuments and historic places bring this novel alive. A murder mystery by definition, it is really much more. The book is a tour of history and culture.

The culprit is well hidden and acts innocent. He actually tries to help the police trying to solve the strange crimes happening in the area. Residents are terrified and don't sleep well at night. As might be suspected, the lead detective has his own problems also, which multiply as the novel unfolds. Angry bees are the murder weapons of choice, taped into the mouths of victims. The real killer is much harder to find.

Why kill a bunch of innocent people? Why go to the trouble of setting up elaborate scenarios in such beautiful and historic areas? The bad guy turns out to have loads of hatred and unresolved childhood issues, and blames family and those who wronged him. Though taped up bees in the mouth do the stinging and killing, underneath lies an even far more insidious culprit who outsmarts law enforcement for a long time.

The story is fairly prosaic. There are the underlying romances, family issues, thwarted desires, and hard-to-solve clues. It's the descriptions of locations and scenery that bring this book to life and make it a wonderful, culture filled area to visit by book and maybe later, in person!

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