Sarah Jane by James Sallis

This book follows a woman's rise to sheriff in a small town. She's basically been through it all-- troubled childhood, military service, minimum wage job. When the sheriff disappears, she's accorded a position of power in a field that has the unpleasant tendency to disrespect women. As we learn more about Sarah, we also learn more about the claustrophobic small town she works in.

I wanted to like this way more than I did. I love small town mysteries and unreliable narrators. The trouble was, I just found SARAH JANE, book and heroine, to be really, really boring. I think the problem for me was that this was just a series of info dumps and character-driven story line without much in the way of whodunnitry or plot. Maybe if you have the patience to sit through 200 pages just to learn about the anatomy of small town craziness, you might enjoy this book more than I did. I know some people are content to bask in the ambiance of a book if they like enough, even if nothing happens. Sadly, I am not one of those people and I need something more substantial to satisfy me as a reader, no matter how good the writing is.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review! 

1.5 out of 5 stars