Emily Gallo has a way with words in Murder at the Columbarium. She takes the most controversial topics of our time and makes them mundane. It is fantastic!
- Title: Murder at the Columbarium
- Author: Emily Gallo
- Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on September 21, 2018
- Genre: Crime Mystery
- Pages: 388
- Format: eARC
- Rating: 5/5
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Jed’s quiet life as caretaker of the San Francisco Columbarium is turned upside down when he comes upon a dead woman’s body and a crying baby just inside the gate. His search for answers thrusts him into a world of corruption, bigotry and drug trafficking and he becomes one of the principal suspects.
Goodreads
My Review of Murder at the Columbarium:
In Murder at the Columbarium, we open into Jed going to work at the Columbarium, just as he has every day for who knows how long. However, instead of a quiet day working his rounds, he sees a dead body and a live infant lying next to it. Unknown to Jed, his life will never be the same again.
I loved this novel. I love mysteries, and this one did not disappoint me in the slightest. The well put together story with perfect timing and excitement at just the right places is excellent. However, Gallo brings us topics such as HIV, transgender, and gay into the world in the most unexpected way.
Each time Gallo drops a bombshell into a sentence that just flows into the next sentence without taking a breath. It is the most refreshing thing I have ever seen.
I am tired of LGBTQIAP issues being “bombshells” when they don’t need to be. I want to live in Gallo’s San Francisco because these issues are not issues at all. The characters are neighbors, friends, loved ones, and so much more. They are just people, and I hate that I have to bring this up at all, and the only reason I am is so that readers and other authors could learn from this.
Now then, there is one thing that I didn’t quite understand. I never could figure out why Jed was a viable suspect in the murder, other than the fact that the woman was murdered within the locked gate. None of the additional evidence pointed at him, yet there is a lot of energy spent in the book trying to make it seem as if Jed were the number one suspect.
Of course, that small annoyance does not change my mind that everyone should read this book. The mystery is fantastic. A large part of the book takes place on a pot farm. Once again, just like it is the most normal thing in the world.
I am honored to award Murder at the Columbarium a full 5 out of 5 stars. I will be reading more of Gallo’s work, and I suggest you all do the same.
Thank you to the author and her publicist for gifting me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
