Review: Grave Morality by JC Finch

I received Grave Morality from the author in exchange for an honest review

Genre

Crime Mystery

Publication Date

March 15th, 2012

Publisher

Self-Published

Available At

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Formats

Ebook
Paperback

A mysterious stranger, with access to the shadiest parts of people's lives, seeks to manipulate those with the most to lose into an elaborate game in the name of repenting for their sins. Those drawn into the game are forced into killing their coworkers for a long list of atrocities previously unknown to most others. The murderer hits close to home for teenagers Ronald Persey and George Hart and they're determined to find out who is behind the killings and to stop the one pulling the strings, but will they be able to deal with the consequences that come next?

Review

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars

I liked Grave Morality, the plot was quite intriguing as the murders kept piling up. I was constantly trying to figure out who was the murderer, but JC Finch successfully kept me in the dark, fueling my need to read.

Grave Morality seems to be a plot driven story rather than a character driven story. Which isn't a bad thing, the plot has many intricate layers that get deeper and deeper and more mysterious as the story unfolds. It was a great plot that sucked me in, but I wish that the characters were just as great. At first the many POV's irritated me, but as I kept reading they simply meshed with the story. They were a must in properly shrouding the reader in mystery, but it didn't allow me to connect to the characters. 

I had a simply adoration for Ron and GC, but nothing more than that. I liked the fact that they were so supportive of each other and also the fact that they were in love with each other. It helped the story, but I was still lacking the proper investment into them as characters. I wish that there was more from them because they are two characters that could have pushed the story to unbelievable levels.

There was some unnecessary recapping that seemed to dominate the story, it usually took place without enough space in between the original information and the recapping, making parts come across as repetitive. There was also one inconsistency that I found while reading, it has to do with who was driving a car, but I don't want to give away any of the significant details.

The ending was done in a way that it could end here or be continued, I'd be curious to see how the continuation would pan out if the author was inclined to write one.

I did enjoy this book regardless of the minor drawbacks, and will recommend to anyone who has a love for stories that can successfully keep you guessing. Would I read more from JC Finch? Definitely! The plot and details were well thought-out, and the mystery almost made me forget the non-investment into the characters. Almost. Still, it was a great read!