Title:  Smell of Death

Author:  F. M. Meredith

Publisher:  Tigress Press

Reviewer: Jeff Edwards – AAA Member

Smell of Death is a tightly woven tapestry of romance, human tragedy, and murder

Officer Stacey Wilbur has problems. As a single parent and the only female officer assigned to the Rocky Bluff Police Department, her life is quite complicated enough. When she suddenly finds herself dealing with two murders, a kidnapped child, and a pair of clumsy burglars, things begin to get out of control. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, she’s beginning to fall for one of the detectives in her squad.

Author F. M. Meredith has been compared to Joseph Wambaugh, and I can definitely see the connection. The cops of her fictional Rocky Bluff PD have lives that extend beyond the chase and the crime scene. They struggle to raise their children, deal with leaky faucets, and pay their mortgages. They have hopes, loves, fears, and nightmares. They come across like real people, with real lives.

The police work in Smell of Death is not fancy, or even particularly high-tech. There’s no CSI magic to be found here. There are no courtroom theatrics, and no hyper-intuitive detectives. Just hard working cops doing the sort of methodical spadework that probably solves most real life crimes.

Fans of Hill Street Blues will find this book right up their alley. F. M. Meredith has crafted a smoothly compelling police drama, peopled by convincing characters.

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