Well, this is my third Ellory and alternating chapters with a stream of consciousness insight is definitely his signature style. This one would rank third of those I've finished, putting Anniversary Man first, A Quiet Belief in Angels second, and then A Simple Act of Violence.
ASAOV is overloaded with CIA intrigue from the Nicaragua/Oliver North drug financing era. In this mystery, the commentary chapters are from the major suspect in a string of murders in Washington DC. Perpetuating the bomb-fogging and misdirection of the CIA, John Robey is clearly guilty of killing his fellow agent and girlfriend. The others, well, you're not so sure. The detective, Miller, is coming back from an internal affairs investigation, cynical and unsure of whether he wants to continue as a cop. The frustration of these murders and the innumerable dead ends and interference from the FBI, judiciary, etc., don't seem to tip him one way or another by the end of the book.
Ellory is British and it is amazing how right on he is in describing DC, middle America and NYC. This is the last of his books in our library network, so back to Llosa and Madame Bovary.
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