Book Review: The Abbey by Chris Culver

We have a guest post today from Tammy T., one of my favorite people!  Tammy is a fellow book lover and she has a wicked sense of humor.  Most days, she’s the one who keeps me sane…

I just finished reading The Abbey by Chris Culver, and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.  It was not what I expected, based on the description given in my e-reader, and I was prepared for it to be an okay read.  I decided to give it a try anyway and am so glad that I did.

Back of the book description:
Ash Rashid is a former homicide detective who can’t stand the thought of handling another death investigation. In another year, he’ll be out of the department completely. That’s the plan, at least, until his niece’s body is found in the guest home of one of his city’s most wealthy citizens. The coroner calls it an overdose, but the case doesn’t add up. Against orders, Ash launches an investigation to find his niece’s murderer, but the longer he searches, the more entangled he becomes in a case that hits increasingly close to home. If he doesn’t solve it fast, his niece won’t be the only family member he has to bury.

It is not often that I can read a book and not ascertain who the true villains of the story are and pretty much know how it will end before I get there.  In The Abbey, Culver manages to tie together Sanguinarianism (drinking of blood), illicit drug trade, dirty officials, biological warfare, and of course love.

The Abbey kept me in the throes of the story line, completely enthralled, and I was actually thrown for a loop by the twists in the plot.  My favorite part about the novel was the multi-layered agendas at work by all of the characters.  Through it all the main character, Ash Rashid, while flawed, remained very human as he struggled with some moral dilemmas, both professionally and personally.  An overall good guy.

I could not put it down and could not believe I read all 572 pages in a matter of days!

Eagerly awaiting the second Ash novel,
Tammy T.

Book Review Notes:
Title: The Abbey
Author: Chris Culver
Subject: Crime Fiction, Thrillers
Published: 2/3/2011
Publisher: Chris Culver
Source: Personal copy