Title: Deadly Distrust
Author: Mary Schaller
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1664142107
Pages: 252
Genre: Science Fiction / Mysteries
Reviewed by: Alyssa Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
The act of mystery propels us ever forward as human beings. The need to work our minds and uncover hidden truths and long-lost secrets is a practice as old as time itself. In our modern age, one of the most tried and true mysteries around is also one of the saddest, which is that of the murder mystery. The tragic death of a human being far too often comes at the hands of another, and the mystery it unravels forces us all to examine the events which make up a person’s life.
In author Mary Schaller’s Deadly Distrust, the murder mystery genre comes into full swing. In the late 1970’s, two nurses move in together and become fast friends. Over the course of several months, as their friendship grows and their goals in school become greater, one of the women tragically passes away. After a shocking battle in the hospital, it is determined her death was not an accident, but instead the result of foul play. Investigators must turn over every leaf in the nurse’s life, from friends and family to colleagues and lovers as a web of drugs, sexual identity, and abuse comes full circle.
The author did an amazing job of crafting a narrative which felt realistic and suspenseful. The exploration of themes like sexual identity and the Me-Too movement that has become so prevalent in our society in recent years helped open up the hidden abuses and twisted viewpoints people hide behind in plain sight. The relationship that blooms between the victim’s brother and her roommate as they work together to solve the crime is engaging, and the shocking brutality of the violence in this work is chilling to read. Yet the exploration of that violence also helps to showcase the hatred and chilling nature of mankind’s darkest selves, helping to secure both the entertaining nature of the plot and the impactful movement of the themes of this narrative.
This is the perfect read for those who enjoy murder mysteries, especially those that involve period-driven settings and shocking twists and turns in the narrative. The author’s exploration of subtle yet important plot devices such as the world of mushrooms and the various uses different mushroom species was fascinating to behold, and a great way of elevating the overall plot.
Harrowing, captivating, and engaging, author Mary Schaller’s Deadly Distrust is a must-read novel for all fans of murder mystery plots. While some of the dialogue could get a bit pointed at times, the overall narrative is thought-provoking and shocking in its delivery, and the themes were important and added much needed context to the overall mystery. From sexual identity and violence perpetrated by those in power, to the hidden truths that many marriages and relationships hide from the world, this is a fast-paced book that readers won’t be able to put down.