LitPick Review
The story starts with an insight to Sidney Turner's childhood. Sid, as he was often called, grew up sticking to himself and not relating well with others. He was full of himself, considering himself better than anyone else. After high school, he decided to join the Marines. A few years later, he became a Houston police officer after the necessary training. In the course of his duty, he and his partner, Ralph Connor, encountered two burglars, Willie and Jackie. He trailed Jackie, and due to his lack of empathy, he took rash actions. Jackie, Willie, and Latricia, while having been drunk at a house party, agreed to a deal by Jawan Wilson which involved robbing businesses of their computer gadgets. Thinking it through and planning for their first ever burglary, they weren't comfortable with the idea but managed to push through with their plan. Willie and Jackie entered the office while Latricia played her role by keeping the car running so as to ensure a smooth escape. While still in the act, the police on patrol, Sid and Ralph, came upon them and a series of actions by both parties resulted in Jackie becoming a casualty. The fatal incident and the revelation of Madame X, who was the disguised accomplice, led to the black society being upset as they thought of the incident as a case of racism by the police. A series of investigations were done to ascertain the truth about what really happened that night.
Opinion:
The author, David Rountree, has a unique but beautiful writing style which is worthy of commendation as the storyline was captivating and intriguing. The characters were well-developed, but I didn't take a particular liking to any of the characters. I was upset at the way Sidney Turner lived, always considering himself superior and would do whatever he could to get what he wanted. He was a great actor, capable of living a double life. I wondered if something could have been done to correct his behavior as a child so as to stop him from becoming the emotionless person he became. What I dislike about the story is the fact that it didn't flow perfectly. I found it a bit difficult to understand some portions and had to reread those parts to understand them better. I got confused a couple of times especially when a chapter was talking about the lives of three different characters who weren't related to what's going on at that particular point and also there was a part where the date of an event wasn't adding up perhaps due to a typo. However, Psycho in Blue is an interesting and insightful book having suspense and action, in addition to surprising discoveries. Lovers of crime thrillers will find it a good read.
