Andrew Rosenheim: Stillriver

Reviewed by VINCENT REID

Michael goes back to his Michigan hometown for the first time in many years. It's not because he's visiting family. His father has been brutally killed. After the first few pages it seems obvious this is a standard thriller.

The cops aren't up to the case as there hasn't been a homicide in the county for 20 years. So it's up to Michael to figure out who would murder his unprepossessing father. Suddenly there's an unexpected twist.

From out of nowhere, Rosenheim starts writing a romance novel. Michael has carried a candle for Cassie, his first love, for many years. Cue chapter after chapter of flashbacks that track their relationship from the first time they held hands through to the predictable parting of the ways.

Why would Rosenheim write a romance novel? It's so he can paint a picture of commitment. Not the commitment of Michael and Cassie to each other, but the ties of family, and how these invisible bonds are stronger than the mightiest of desires.

Cassie tends her ailing father at the cost of going to university. Michael and his father barely know each others names, let alone have a functional relationship.

Fast forward to the present and Michael is an empty shell, devoid of emotion and barely capable of the most basic of feelings. Cassie is now a single parent with few job prospects and two children.

Murder mystery-romance isn't as common as your garden-variety genre blends, such as western-comedies or sci-fi-horror. Perhaps this is why we have separate chapters for each storyline?

It would be exceptionally hard to integrate the two plots. The eloquence and craftsmanship of the writing would suggest Rosenheim is up to the task, so some other reason must exist. It's not for us to find out until the final pages, but by then Rosenheim's work is done.

This isn't a novel that sets out to change your life, but it might make you want to go and visit your parents when you have the spare time.

Random House, $34.95

* Vincent Reid is a research fellow in psychology at the University of Auckland.