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Cold Case Squad

by Edna Buchanan

Cold Case Squad by Edna Buchanan once again features Miami, Florida – a city constantly pushing for the top spot in crime ratings along with its political corruption and other negative shenanigans in high places. Choosing to live in Vermont as I do, I'm hardly a fan of Florida with its humidity, bugs and creepy crawlies added to that state's well-known type of politics – but hey – who am I to criticize? Anyhow, Edna Buchanan brings every one of Florida's unpleasant aspects to the attention of each reader – accomplishing this fact with all the aplomb of the seasoned writer that she is. And Cold Case Squad is no exception.

The novel begins with a Prologue in two parts, setting the scene for the major plot to follow. In Part One, a strip club operator is murdered by two men who then proceed to rob him of the huge amounts of cash stored in his safe; stored there because it was all obtained illegally in the first place. When his nubile girlfriend emerges from the bathroom during the money grabbing, she is also shot and killed. The man known as Buddy doesn't want any witnesses.

In Part Two a children's birthday party is in progress, complete with balloons, a hired clown, a cake and the usual number of over-excited, screaming children, all around age eight. Someone is videotaping the entire event. Then across the street there's an explosion and the garage goes up in flames. It's only later it becomes known that the husband, one Charles Terrell, was working on his car in that garage at the time. The burned corpse is identified as the husband.

The real story begins when April Terrell comes to the Miami Police Headquarters to ask them to re-open the case as a homicide. She thought she actually saw her deceased husband while she and her children were on vacation. Sergeant Craig Burch has some distracting personal problems, however. His wife Connie has kicked him out and his kids hang up the phone when he calls – but that's not the worst of it. Connie also keeps playing some very mean and dirty tricks on Sgt. Burch – to the extent that he must keep his present location a secret.

Sergeant Burch's immediate superior is Lieutenant Riley, a woman – and she emerges from her office just in time to hear April's request. Lt. Riley puts Burch on the Terrell case and assigns his other teammates, Stone and Nazario, to finish looking for a serial killer who murders old women. Burch is far from pleased, sure that April is simply seeing ghosts.

The more Burch discovers, however, the more involved he becomes, and the sub-plot running alongside involving Stone's search for the serial killer becomes just as intriguing. Both men go through a number of complicated situations until both killers are apprehended – one after almost fatally wounding Burch. Winding up in the hospital has its rewards for the Sergeant in spite of it all. It seems his wife really loves him and is frantic over his possible non-recuperation.

Edna Buchanan brings Miami and the Florida environs realistically alive, including its dense Cuban population. Other authors using Florida as the setting of their mystery novels only seem to touch on aspects native and indigenous to this state, but Edna Buchanan describes everything in detail, pulling no punches when it comes to any of Florida's more negative and unpleasant traits. Ms. Buchanan is also a master at describing the beauty to be found there. Cold Case Squad is a fine accomplishment.

Alan Paul Curtis

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