Book Review: Resolve

Resolve by J. J. Hensley

I got ahold of Resolve by J. J. Hensley this summer and adored it, and since at the moment he seems to be something of a local author for the city of Pittsburgh, I thought I’d take the opportunity to endorse his book wider afield because I think it deserves it. My hometown librarian recommended the book. Apparently Hensley came in once upon a time to do some promotional things and sign the library copy of the book.

Resolve is centered on a murder that takes place during the Pittsburgh Marathon. The narrator, Cyprus Keller (yeah, that’s his name), admits that he knows that a murder will take place during the run because he’s going to commit it. The mystery for the reader is figuring out who the victim is going to be, what Keller’s reasons are, and how he’s going to accomplish it in the middle of a very public event. (Speaking of the setting, I have family members who live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so I can tell you that all of the descriptions are authentic. I even have an uncle who runs the Pittsburgh Marathon, so while I know nothing about running as a sport, I still read this book fondly.)

When the book begins, readers find that Keller was a former Baltimore police officer but is currently teaching Criminology at a second-rate Pittsburgh college. When one of his students is murdered, he is understandably shaken. Then when her possible killer attacks him, he decides to take the law into his own hands and do a bit of investigation—and once he comes to a conclusion, vigilante justice. (Hensley is drawing on his own experience as an ex-police officer and former Secret Service agent. He also includes anecdotal experiences from his own life in the form of character Brent Lancaster.)

Hensley’s writing is clever with elements of noir humor and very accurate scenic descriptions. And while exercise is not my bag, it almost made me wish it was. I established several theories about who Keller’s victim would be as I was reading the book, and every one of my theories was wrong. Looking back now, it seems obvious, but Hensley uses misdirection so skillfully that I could hardly believe I had forgotten these all-important single lines. (That’s not a spoiler, just read closely.)

Resolve brings up very important questions about justice, responsibility, and conscience. Can the vigilante live with himself afterwards? Does knowing you are in the right make up for murder? How is this similar to capital punishment and the death penalty? As a character, Cyprus Keller makes it clear that he has no guilt for what he plans to do, apparently very comfortable with the idea of killing a man. And as a reader, I support him completely: if you’re going to have a revenge novel, you want to see the right sort of villain be put down. But it’s interesting that once Cyprus has resolved to commit the crime, he experiences no hesitation about what he feels he must do.

Does that make Cyprus any better than his victim? I don’t know, but that’s part of what makes it so interesting: readers question their own morality by examining Keller’s. I still recommend this book, even to readers who aren’t big on running, for the mystery. Hensley also has a sequel, Measure Twice, in the works.

Brynn Callahan

Book Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue

Cycling On

On October 21st, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, the third book in the The Raven Cycle Series by Maggie Stiefvater hit bookstores – and my Kindle. In the third installment of the four book series, Blue and her Raven boys continue their search for Glendower, the long-dead Welsh King.

The book begins with Blue’s mother, missing in the underground cave for three months searching for her long lost lover (Blue’s father.) She has left nothing but a cryptic note to hint at where she went or when she will be back. While waiting anxiously for her mother to return, Blue continues to work with the boys to find Glendower, hoping the entire time to find her mother as well. Adam is learning how to control his new connection to Cabeswater, the forest on the ley line that they believe will lead them to Glendower. Ronan is attempting to get rid of the man who ordered his father’s death: the man that is now the new Latin teacher at the boys’ high school. Blue and Gansey’s relationship is progressing at night through quiet phone calls and late-night drives, away from the eyes of their friends. As the story’s plot thickens, the gang finds a way through the caves. But there is much more in there than they expect.

The book is fast paced and interesting. It twists and turns with every chapter, making it extremely unpredictable. The relationships between the characters both as a group and one on one are extremely well-done. All the characters relate to each other differently while simultaneously relying on the group wholeheartedly. As Blue says, “They were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another.” The scenes between Blue and Gansey are filled with subtle tension that leads their relationship to a much more heart-pounding and engrossing place than was present in any of the relationships within the first two novels. Meanwhile, Adam and Ronan’s relationship is also progressing in unexpected ways.

Blue Lilly, Lilly Blue is definitely a page turner. The series seems to get better with every book and I personally can’t wait to see how it ends.

By: Caitlin Muchow