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Title: Procedure does not equal plot
Review: Thirty years ago Julian Symons wrote of police procedurals that "A fair degree of realism is possible, but it cannot be pushed too far for fear that the book might be as dull as the actual days of a policeman." Donald Harstad's latest is dull not necessarily because of too much procedure--I am a huge fan of procedure-- but because he and his editor have assumed that procedural realism will cover up plot weakness. The last 120 pages of the book are superfluous and little more than an extended chase for a known killer. With Hollywood offering such lucrative options on books, one can hardly blame writers for offering up stories that will appeal to film producer's literary agents. But do all readers have to suffer through pages and pages of chase scenes? Why not just ship the manuscript directly to Paramount?
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