Just finished Breaking Blue by Timothy Egan, and it was pretty good. It’s historical with a true crime/police procedural/character study flavor. Basically the story of the investigation of a very, very old murder case. There’s not much suspense (although there is the occasional surprise)–you know exactly who did it pretty much all along. It’s a question of digging through scant evidence, old/dying witnesses, and fighting the “blue wall” going back decades.

So it’s not your typical murder mystery or true crime story. It would appeal more to people who read books about historical events. I thought the main investigator was a great example of someone who was a good decent person, who did good work and did the right thing, and nevertheless came off as a pretty big pain in the ass. But that you pretty much have to be a big pain in the ass to break the blue wall.