See Jane Run!: A Jane Yeats Mystery

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Abbotsford, B.C.

Still grieving over her lover’s murder six years earlier, crime writer
Jane Yeats drinks, smokes, and broods too much. That the confessed
murderer, Willie Shortt, will live out his natural life in prison
consoles her until DNA evidence rules him out in one alleged murder and
casts doubt on his actual complicity in the death of four other victims,
among them her lover, Pete. Willie, knifed by a fellow inmate before he
can meet with his lawyer, croaks, “I lied,” as he dies, adding
credence to the possibility that he was not a murderer, only a multiple
rapist as originally charged. Jane emerges from her self-destructive
mode to conduct her own investigation, identify Pete’s killer, and
exact revenge in the “an eye for an eye” fashion by executing the
murderer.

After interviewing people associated with the victims Willie confessed
to killing, Jane concludes that three victims were probably killed by an
unknown perpetrator and two, including Pete, by yet another. Her
investigation brings her into conflict with members of the Toronto
police and arouses her suspicions that not only did they mishandle the
original investigation (though they continue to deny that they made any
errors), but someone among their closed ranks might actually be the
killer. Although Brady does not reveal the actual murderer until the
novel’s climax, experienced readers of mysteries will identify the
culprit earlier. Jane’s country-music-devotee/bar-owning mother, a
former newspaper colleague, plus-sized best friend Silver, and various
other interested individuals assist in Jane’s research.

In this third entry in the Jane Yeats mystery series, Brady poses moral
questions about revenge, corruption among the police, and the justice
system. A Harley-riding, tough-talking danger junkie, Jane is a lively
protagonist whose warmth in personal relationships contrasts starkly
with her steely determination to avenge her lover’s death. Well-paced
action; snappy dialogue; a strong-willed, quick-witted heroine;
colourful secondary characters; and a surprising final twist combine to
create an entertaining whodunit.