Hollow Crib

March 15, 2016
Two separate police cases may actually be related. Detective Brandon Berger, of Louisiana's Magnolia Parish, may be totally committed to his job, but his admirable loyalty sometimes lands him in his wife's bad graces, as when he forgets their anniversary. While investigating a small-time thief, Berger finds the body of a woman who apparently died of natural causes. His discovery leads to his sharper awareness of an area church, led by the charismatic Father Isaac, whose members believe in faith healing. Berger thinks the church, which takes in an unusual amount of money for a poor area, is more like a cult than a mainstream church. Meantime, a young couple and their baby are camping in the Skybald National Forest. William Chandler and his wife, Claire, hope the trip will help heal the trauma of the accidental death of his father at the park many years ago. They meet a pleasant couple who dote on their baby daughter, Gracie, but are disturbed by a homeless vet hanging around the campsite. Disaster strikes when Claire is pushed in the river, the baby is attacked by a bear, and the whole family suffers a horrific accident as they rush to a hospital. When Chandler awakes in the hospital, he finds himself accused of killing his daughter and the homeless vet. His protestations of innocence fail to sway the detective investigating the case, who's already convinced of his guilt. It will take Chandler himself along with a few coincidences to resolve the mystery. Bourg (But Not Forgotten, 2015), a veteran law enforcement officer, starts off slowly but eventually produces a tense procedural with some interesting twists.

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May 1, 2016

Det. Brandon Berger wants to keep his promise, for once, and treat his wife to an anniversary dinner. Meanwhile, William Chandler is returning to Skybald National Park with his spouse and infant daughter to lay some ghosts to rest. Yet neither man gets his wish: Berger has to investigate the Magnolia Faith Church and its pastor; Chandler is accused of a heinous murder and even his family isn't convinced of his innocence. Through the alternating viewpoints of his protagonists, police veteran Bourg (James 516) delivers a plot that is overly complicated with too little detail in places. If this Southern crime novel is to become a series, the author will have to flesh out his principal characters. VERDICT Louisiana has its share of secrets, and this atmospheric regional mystery, despite its flaws, will remind some of HBO's True Detective.

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