Steven F. Havill’s RACE FOR THE DYING is less of a mystery and more of a character novel, about the life of a doctor sent to the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest in the 1890s. Dr. Thomas Parks arrives in the fictional town of Port McKinney, Wash., ready to start his new life as a medical practitioner. He is assured that the clinic where he is to work is state-of-the-art, and his salary is frankly astronomical.
Shortly after arrival, he suffers a horrible accident, which temporarily confines him to a wheelchair. In this damaged state, he slowly begins to understand that not all is what in seems in Port McKinney: that the practice has its sketchy aspects, that the clinic is nothing more than a way station to a real hospital 30 miles away, and that some of the town’s residents certainly could be described as notorious.
What separates this from your average mystery is that there’s no whodunit or detective aspect. We are solidly in Dr. Parks’ corner from the outset, and we tumble to the danger right along with him. Sometimes, we grasp at the same straws of rationalization that he does, and sometimes we realize we’re in dangerous waters well over our heads.
I tore through this book, thoroughly enjoying the character of Parks and the somewhat less well-drawn surrounding characters. Even though it’s not a classic detective tale, the story is fully involving, action is well-described, and the setting of Port McKinney and its inhabitants would make a very suitable environ for any potential sequel. Note that this book is not a part of Havill’s Posadas County mystery series, nor of his Sheriff Bill Gastner series. It’s a new direction, and a good one. —Mark Rose
Related posts:
