Country: USA/Canada
Genre: Crime/Mystery
Pages: 352
Order THE NEXT ONE TO FALL here
Other Hilary Davidson Books Reviewed:
The Damage Done (2010)
"Trista grew up in foster homes. She didn't have anyone she considered family."
Charlie's words made my heart sink. Drug addicts came from all strata of society, but people who had family and friends they could trust had a real chance of getting their lives back one day. Someone who was all alone in the world had nothing to anchor herself to. I was acutely aware of that as I went through my days now. It wasn't the same thing as loneliness; it was more like an emptiness that could never be quenched. Even when I was with other people, it gnawed at me.
Books I usually like are dark, violent and feature a male lead undergoing existential questioning. If he finds the answers in a morally neutral philosophy, all the better. That's why I like Dennis Lehane, Chuck Palahniuk, Anthony Neil Smith, Roger Smith and Tom Piccirilli so much. It's tough to imagine a character or a book, who gets my motor running without these variables. Hilary Davidson did it a second time with the sequel to Lily Moore's adventures, THE NEXT ONE TO FALL. While it's not exactly noir and it has a female lead, but it's a twisted little mystery with once again, a memorable cast of characters. But THE NEXT ONE TO FALL stands out from its predecessor (and from most new publications, really) by going deep into its sharp and thorough approach to its main character's psychology, travel-writer extraordinaire Lily Moore.
If you don't want a mild spoiler of THE DAMAGE DONE, stop reading this review here. But this being a series, I have no choice but to mention it...
THE NEXT ONE TO FALL picks up three months after the events of THE DAMAGE DONE and Lily is not doing well. That's why her best friend Jesse convinces her to travel to Peru with him, a country he visited already and wants to share with Lily. But wherever she is on the planet, drama is chasing down Lily. At Machu Picchu ruins, she overhears a couple arguing, before finding the woman hurt and delirious at the bottom of the stairs. She talks about her boyfriend, who gave her a spiked drink. Says he would be in prison if it wasn't for his father. Lily discovers track marks on the woman's arms and is immediately brought to the memory of her sister Claudia, who also was a drug addict. Then Lily goes in all-out emotional mode and takes on herself to do justice to this woman.
The reason why I gave a spoiler warning, is because it's a central idea in THE NEXT ONE TO FALL, that Lily has difficulty to cope with her sister's death. It's literally the motor of the story. While Lily is clearly morning, the extreme emotional reaction to Trista Deen's death shows that her "big sister" protective instincts didn't die with Claudia and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the most beautiful, humane subtext buried in a novel of mourning, death and betrayal? Davidson keeps Claudia "alive" through Lily's mind and reactions to the events, throughout the novel and therefore exposes how it really is possible to transcend death, through memory, empathy and compassion. I found it quite uplifting and a bit tragic to follow Lily as she digs herself deeper and deeper into this story she shouldn't have been involved with at the start. I don't think I've read a mystery before, where the plot revolves around a character who's legitimately trying to be human so that aspect kinda blew me away.
"Say hi to the peanut gallery for me." Bruxton sighed. "By the way, you know what pisses me off about amateur sleuths? You think everything is a movie."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Look, I've never been to Peru, but even I know it's not all cocaine and llamas."
There is something you need to know about THE NEXT ONE TO FALL, before picking it up. I liked it, but it might be a pet peeve for some. Hilary Davidson has a background as a travel writer and it rather shows in the novel. There are exquisite descriptions of locals and historical background given. It slows down the novel a little and by the sheer volume it takes, make the storyline a little simpler than THE DAMAGE DONE, but I thought Davidson made it work. I saw it as a "tourism mystery" and it made me nostalgic for my old Agatha Christie paperback, which were always set in exotic locales. It was a nice, vigorous change of pace from the dark and dreary streets of New York. If you've traveled before, you'll almost get that same exhilarating feeling from reading THE NEXT ONE TO FALL, than from walking the streets of a strange, new locale.
Hilary Davidson is a tremendous writer and she's got something special going on with the Lily Moore series. Her amateur sleuth is based on original concepts and tremendous insight on difficult families. It's really hard not grow attached to her. She's got amazing character, great values and she's way too emotional for her own good. I was glad to see Officer Bruxton was back for a cameo and kudos to Hilary Davidson for not giving Lily a love interest. Another bold challenge at the boring clichés. I could've used some Tariq Lawrence, but that's just my inner crime fiction nerd talking. THE NEXT ONE TO FALL is a standout addition in the Lily Moore series. It's one of the most original crime books I've read. If you're looking for a change of pace, this is a vivifying read.
FOUR STARS