Vertigo 42 by Martha Grimes: Sort of a Book Review

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It took me a long time to read this book. The chapters were very short which made it easier for me to walk away from the book after just one chapter. So I think I am changing my stance on short chaptered books. There is a downside. Synopsis: [/i]Richard Jury meets Tom Williamson at Vertigo 42, a champagne bar at the top of Tower 42 in London's financial district. Tom is convinced his wife, Tess, was murdered 17 years ago when she fell from a flight of steps in their garden. At the time the fall was deemed an accident, a result of vertigo, but the inquest remains an open verdict. Jury agrees to reexamine the case.[i] [/i]At the same house, five years before, Tess hosted a party for 6 children, one of whom was found dead at the bottom of a drained pool. Jury seeks out the five surviving party guests, now adults, hoping they can shed light on Tess' death.[i] [/i]Then, an elegantly dressed woman falls to her death from an old tower... another death follows soon after. Four deaths - two in the past, two in the present - keep Richard Jury on a fast track between London, Northamptonshire, and the Devon countryside as he tries to work out whether the deaths were accident, suicide or murder.[i] In reading the story I had the feeling the deaths of the present were connected to the deaths of the past, otherwise why include them. There were a lot of characters in the book, some seemed unnecessary to the plot. And because I didn't read the book all in one (or two or three) sittings, I did become confused. But not so much that I couldn't figure out what was going on. The dots were connecting. In the end I just didn't understand WHY whodunnit. Perhaps it was because I was cramming to finish this book late at night and fell asleep while doing so. I could go back and read through the last couple of chapters again and might become more enlightened. I have not forgotten any of the investigation; I just don't understand the reasoning behind the murders. If I have to go back and read it again (because I was up late reading the last few chapters last night), then I'm not sure the author has done her job properly. I should also point out that this is an [/b]ARC - Advanced Readers Copy[b] which means it is an uncorrected proof and the final product (released this month - June 2016) may be different. I enjoyed the main characters and would read this author again. But because of the plethora of characters, including some unnecessary, I gave this book 4 stars (which in Goodreads terms mean "I liked it very much").