We Were Killers Once / Becky Masterman

Freshly released from prison after more than 30 years, Jerry Beaufort is on a mission to prevent his involvement in two famous murder cases from ever coming to light thanks to advances in forensic science. His path crosses that of Brigid Quinn, a former FBI agent turned private investigator whose husband Carlo, in his previous career as a priest, may have come into possession of a piece of crucial evidence regarding these crimes.

This is a novel of multiple obsessions: Jerry's unreasonable preoccupation with clues that may not even exist and his zeroing in on Brigid as the enemy that must be eliminated at all costs; Brigid's life-long fixation on Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and her hang-ups about Carlo's first wife; and, more crucially, the destructive obsession that these two warped, self-involved individuals develop for each other.

I found this novel tedious for two main reasons. Firstly, its descriptions of obsessive — and thus repetitive — behaviour failed to hold my interest. Secondly, there's only so long my disbelief could remain suspended as, over and over again, every single piece of information or material resource Jerry needed practically fell into his lap. Add to this stilted conversations, doubtful leaps in logic, and one of the most contrived intrigues I've ever read, and you'll understand my relief at this book being so short.

I was provided with a free electronic copy of this book through NetGalley by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: **