Cleverly-twisted drama

Who’s Grace? James R. Coggins. Moody Publishers, 2004. 207 pages.

Who’s Grace? is a novel about a family man and denominational magazine editor named John Smyth who finds himself wrapped up in a murder he claims to have witnessed while on a plane descending into Winnipeg. Set entirely in the Manitoba capital, the plot centres around an RCMP sergeant and a police detective who try to match a murdered body with various missing persons named Grace. As the investigation moves forward, Smyth becomes a suspect and must clear himself of an inquiry he unwittingly set in motion.

The story explores the diverse lifestyles and priorities of people in various social groups. As opposite as they seem on the surface, they are, at their core, very similar. They all want justice. They all want to prove innocence. They all need God’s grace. We get a chance to see the contrasting lives of prostitutes and the downtrodden of Main Street, the pastors and leaders of a denomination, a feminist group upset at the police’s apparent lack of initiative in solving the case, and the investigators as they follow leads that may end up implicating Smyth.

Who’s Grace? is an interesting blend of professional and personal life, combining intelligent and well-researched police drama with the ironic and clever twist of a murder witness becoming a suspect.

The book is the first of a series of murder mysteries featuring John Smyth. Author James Coggins is the former editor of the MB Herald and lives in B.C.

Paul H. Boge is author of The Chicago Healer.