It is rare that I read fiction written by Christians published by Christian publishers. But in the case of J Mark Bertrand I'm happy to make an exception. This is an excellent book - as good as any Michael Connelly. ( )

It is rare that I read fiction written by Christians published by Christian publishers. But in the case of J Mark Bertrand I'm happy to make an exception. This is an excellent book - as good as any Michael Connelly. ( )

Roland has a chip on his shoulder. Still devastated by the death of Jessica, his daughter, in an accident committed by a drunk driver, he has made a legal form of revenge his mission. If someone gets off, or fails to intervene when something bad is happening, March works out a way to discover some dirt or malfeasance for which they could be punished. His job suffers as a result. He’s also lost whatever faith he had. “ If the Almighty was gonna sit back and let it all happen, somebody had to step up. There’s no such thing in my book as an innocent bystander.” Charlotte, his wife, enlists their renters, overtly religious types, to pull him back into the fold, with little success.

“Carter, listen to me. You mean well, I realize that. But there’s no magic formula or platitude they taught you in seminary that’s going to turn me into one of you. It’s not gonna happen. You have no idea what I’ve seen and what I’ve done. Trust me, if you did, you’d be like me, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” “I don’t think I’m deceiving myself.” … “People don’t. That’s the whole point. But they go on believing what they’ve been told, they keep voting and buying and praying, they live good lives surrounded by good people in a good world where everything is good. And they think when it’s not good, that’s the aberration. That’s the exception to the rule. But underneath, Carter, if you could turn this city upside down, you’d see it’s all rot down there, all corruption.”

Despite some platitudinous religious overtones (ones that were much less evident in the first book of the series,) there’s a good mystery. A woman has been found floating in a swimming pool, cut up in a rather bizarre pattern and the murder scene has been choreographed to closely resemble the murder scene in a case March had closed and about which a book had been written. The photographs in the book of the floating body were identical to the ones of the current case.

As I noted in my review of the first Roland March, I was puzzled by the Christian label attached to it. March has a very cynical view of the world and has little time for the religious, but perhaps some form of over-the-top redemption will take place later in the series. That would tune me out for sure. In the meantime it’s a good series although this one can tend to be a bit confusing mixing up characters. And what’s with the overuse of present tense? ( )

This second book in the Roland March Mystery Series could easily stand alone. The author does an excellent job of developing characters, while dropping a few hints to who the murderer is. Roland March is a homicide detective who solved a case ten years ago. The murderer went to prison and both were in a book about the case. Roland is called away from his wife’s office Christmas party to investigate another homicide. The scene is hauntingly like the old murder case and Roland and others wonder if the wrong person was convicted. Or is there a copycat killer or even a serial killer on the loose? During the course of the book, Roland has to deal with his past, the time and stress his job puts on his marriage and his daughter’s death ten years ago. He has completely given up on God and cannot understand his wife’s new-found religion. Roland wants to protect his family and friends, salvage his reputation and put the murderer in jail. What will he have to sacrifice to do this? Rating: 4 —V ( )

For a man on the right side of the law, peace seems to elude Roland March at every turn in J. Mark Bertrand’s latest offering, Pattern of Wounds. This second book in the series delves deeper into the motivations and musings of homicide detective Roland March and his greatest enemy—himself.

Life as a homicide detective comes with its own brand of turmoil in trying to catch a killer while treading the bumpy road of office politics. His dreams are haunted by the evil that he hunts down every day. Past traumas threaten to tear apart any beauty he may find in his present relationships. And now a past slam-dunk conviction is threatened by new evidence. Can March hold it all together long enough to decipher the message in the pattern of wounds?

Bertrand weaves a gripping suspense story that keeps readers turning through pages long into the night while making them sympathize with the main character, even against their better judgment. Sharp dialogue, believable police work, and insights into interpersonal relationships make this read both enjoyable and authentic. Suspenseful plotting and carefully weaving in tidbits of backstory and motivation for the main characters allows the readers to slowly develop a rapport and deep feelings for Detective March. While the reader might not agree with March’s tactics, Bertrand serves to make this unlikely hero so very, very human.

Fans of police drama, suspense, and mystery are sure to enjoy Bertrand’s second, even more powerful book, in this series.