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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Blame the Dead
by Ed Ruggero
Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Blame the Dead
Author: Ed Ruggero
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 18+ (violence, murder, gore, sex, rape mentioned a lot TW)
Publisher: Forge Books
Pages: 336
Amazon Link
Synopsis: The nurses of the US Army's Field Hospitals, mobile units that operate just behind the battle lines, contend with heat, dirt, short-handed staffs, the threat of German counterattack and an ever-present flood of horribly wounded GIs. At the 11th Field Hospital near Palermo, Sicily in the bloody summer of 1943, nurses also live with the threat of violent assault by one of their own--at least until someone shoots Dr. Myers Stephenson in the head.
Enter Eddie Harkins, a tough former Philadelphia beat cop turned Military Police lieutenant, who is first on the scene. Although he has never been a detective, Harkins soon finds himself the lone investigator, either because the Military Police are under-staffed or because someone in power thinks this rank amateur will never get close to the real killer. When the hospital commander tries to derail Harkins' investigation by transferring or harassing key witnesses, it becomes clear to Harkins that the unit is rotten to its core, that the nurses are not safe, and that patients who have survived Nazi bullets are still at risk after they arrive at this place that is supposed to save them.
Harkins fights--and worries that he is losing--multiple battles. He is driven to give hope to nurses who just want to do their life-saving work, to right at least a few of the wrongs around him, and to do penance for sins in his own past. The one bright note for Harkins is a rekindled relationship with Kathleen Donnelly, a nurse from Harkins' old neighborhood; but even that is complicated when Donnelly becomes a victim.
Review: I found the book to be pretty good. It hard a great mystery and the plot kept me interested for most of the book. The book had great character development and action was all over this book! The world building was also masterful and it really felt like you were in the combat during this book.
However, I had some issues with the book. I have a great grandpa who was an MP during WW2 and from researching stuff about him and his job I know that who conducted murders and special cases were a tricky topic. By 1942 they felt that MPs weren’t very well equipped to investigate these crimes effectively so by 1944 the CID was reestablished (which was still around from WW1 but was drastically smaller after that war ended). So I’m not sure if the type of crimes in this book would have still been investigated by an MP. Also, the book is very mature and there is a lot of awful things mentioned in it. Check the recommended age for those details. The book is also very slow paced, especially in the beginning.
Verdict: A great tale, a but mature, but overall really good.
Book: Blame the Dead
Author: Ed Ruggero
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 18+ (violence, murder, gore, sex, rape mentioned a lot TW)
Publisher: Forge Books
Pages: 336
Amazon Link
Synopsis: The nurses of the US Army's Field Hospitals, mobile units that operate just behind the battle lines, contend with heat, dirt, short-handed staffs, the threat of German counterattack and an ever-present flood of horribly wounded GIs. At the 11th Field Hospital near Palermo, Sicily in the bloody summer of 1943, nurses also live with the threat of violent assault by one of their own--at least until someone shoots Dr. Myers Stephenson in the head.
Enter Eddie Harkins, a tough former Philadelphia beat cop turned Military Police lieutenant, who is first on the scene. Although he has never been a detective, Harkins soon finds himself the lone investigator, either because the Military Police are under-staffed or because someone in power thinks this rank amateur will never get close to the real killer. When the hospital commander tries to derail Harkins' investigation by transferring or harassing key witnesses, it becomes clear to Harkins that the unit is rotten to its core, that the nurses are not safe, and that patients who have survived Nazi bullets are still at risk after they arrive at this place that is supposed to save them.
Harkins fights--and worries that he is losing--multiple battles. He is driven to give hope to nurses who just want to do their life-saving work, to right at least a few of the wrongs around him, and to do penance for sins in his own past. The one bright note for Harkins is a rekindled relationship with Kathleen Donnelly, a nurse from Harkins' old neighborhood; but even that is complicated when Donnelly becomes a victim.
Review: I found the book to be pretty good. It hard a great mystery and the plot kept me interested for most of the book. The book had great character development and action was all over this book! The world building was also masterful and it really felt like you were in the combat during this book.
However, I had some issues with the book. I have a great grandpa who was an MP during WW2 and from researching stuff about him and his job I know that who conducted murders and special cases were a tricky topic. By 1942 they felt that MPs weren’t very well equipped to investigate these crimes effectively so by 1944 the CID was reestablished (which was still around from WW1 but was drastically smaller after that war ended). So I’m not sure if the type of crimes in this book would have still been investigated by an MP. Also, the book is very mature and there is a lot of awful things mentioned in it. Check the recommended age for those details. The book is also very slow paced, especially in the beginning.
Verdict: A great tale, a but mature, but overall really good.