Investigator Wayne Deetz has the distinction of interrogating the perpetrator of a mass shooting, trying to get the answers about why, how, and possibly with what help. Months after the shooting, Tyson Cooper, whose wife was killed during the event, struggles to move on with his life and begins to question what right the shooter has to live. Deetz's and Cooper's stories are told in alternating chapters, with Deetz diving into the interrogation mere hours after the event and Cooper's starting 10 months later.

I wasn't entirely sure what the core of this story would be—a psychological dive into the mind of a mass killer, a look at the aftermath of his victims? I didn't really see how it could be an action-packed race to stop a terrible event from happening, considering that the synopsis makes it clear the mass shooting has already happened. In the end, though, there was some of that as well as the look at the aftermath of the victims, in the form of more than one person who lost someone that day. I can't really say there was much psychology on the killer's side shown, which is not a problem, partly because it would have made the book much darker than I would prefer and also because it's not really said to be about that. The story starts out pretty slowly and continues that way for more than half of the book. Then suddenly, it's super tense and hurtling toward a major climax. The pacing could have been better, but I'll admit that I was pretty caught up in the book in the last third.

A lot of my problems came in small bits and pieces here and there. I didn't have any issues with the writing style (other than the aforementioned pacing), though there were several places that I'm certain a proofreader should have caught an extra comma here or there, or one spot where a couple of sentences at the beginning of a chapter were literally repeated at the beginning of another, 2 chapters later (this book was self-published, fyi). But for example, why, in a book set in pretty modern times especially, did the author choose to have one of the characters make the distinction that his son's girlfriend was black (but he and his wife have decided they're are okay with it) and that he worried what family and friends might think? Why was there such a large focus on violent video games as the catalyst for the shooter's rampage, when literally a quick search online shows that there really isn't any correlation (maybe unless the perpetrator is already mentally unstable). I have a few other examples that I marked in my notes, but I don't want to unbalance the review.

The Christian angle in this book is overall pretty good. Cooper and his late wife were Christians, but he has decided that God is not what He claims to be in the Bible, if he could let such a wonderful woman as his wife die (actually, I think he's in danger of putting her on a pedestal, unless she really is as perfect as his reminiscences would have us believe). Deetz is an unbeliever but is introduced to Christianity by his son, who attends what sounds like a mega-church. Two different starting points lead to some interesting conversations about God. In the end, I wish I had liked this book more, but I didn't dislike it either. It's clear that plenty of fans of the genre liked it more than I did, so if you're interested, definitely check it out. I have another Creston Mapes book on my shelf, given to me by a friend, so I'll be interested to read another book by this author. ( )

Title: Signs of Life (Signs of Life #1)
Author: Creston Mapes
Pages: 226
Year: 2019
Publisher: Independently published
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Investigator Wayne Deetz has worked for the Portland Police Department for 33 years and is just two years away from retirement when every policeman’s nightmare happens…a mass shooting. He is assigned to the case as the lead detective. His first interview is with the young, 19-year-old shooter, Rogan Sneed. Deetz gets little information from this initial interview but knows he will be spending many long hours on this case. His wife is worried about his health, and he experiences episodes of dizziness, nausea and sweating. His family is precious to him and he worries for their safety amidst this case. He promises his wife he will see a doctor when he has time, but will he wait too long to do that?
Tyson Cooper works the night shift at a manual labor job after having quit his teaching job after the mass shooting that took the love of his life from him. Now, he just exists. He goes nowhere other than work. He has no friends. He quit going to church. He quit living. The one-year anniversary of the shooting is fast approaching, and Tyler is still deeply depressed. He is seeing a psychiatrist but can’t see that it is doing any good. A female co-worker begins to show an interest in friendship with him. He clings to her bright disposition and notices her strong faith in God. However, he longs for revenge and justice for those 21 people killed, including his wife, to be taken out on Rogan Sneed, the shooter. Rogan’s formal sentencing date is to be on the anniversary of the shooting. Will justice be done by the legal system or will Tyson take justice into his own hands?
This first story in the Signs of Life series was a good read but didn’t have the edge-of-your-seat, constant adrenaline rush that this author’s previous novels induce in me. The first half of the book was slow going for me, but readers keep reading as the rest of the book is worth it. The faith message woven into the story was very well done. I really liked the character of Deetz and his sensitive heart, his love for his family and his dedication to his job. The grief, sorrow and anguish felt by Tyson after the tragedy touched my heart. I’ve already ordered the second book in the series and can’t wait for it to arrive!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. ( )