Sympathy Between Humans

Sarah Pribek #2

by Jodi Compton

Jodi Compton’s debut, The 37th Hour, was hailed as “compelling” (San Francisco Chronicle), “intelligent” (New York Times Book Review), and “the debut of a world-class mystery writer” (Denver Post). Now Compton delivers a new novel featuring Detective Sarah Pribek, one of the most singular and complex characters in suspense fiction today.

On the streets of Minneapolis, Sarah has worked everything from vice to missing persons. But six months after the death of a small-town criminal in rural Minnesota, Sarah is still protecting the identity of a killer. And now a zealous D.A.’s investigator has come to town, determined to make an arrest. With her ex-partner half a world away and her husband in prison, only Sarah remains to face the consequences of last fall. Surrounded by colleagues who know her to be the suspect in a murder, Sarah keeps her demons at bay by involving herself in the troubles of strangers. Seventeen-year-old Aidan Hennessy was banished from his family by his father. Now Aidan’s twin sister is desperately searching for the brother she hasn’t seen in years. Although the case is out of Sarah’s jurisdiction, she sees a reflection of herself in the troubled, damaged family, and agrees to investigate.

As she probes into their tangled history, Sarah begins to realize that the mystery of the Hennessys runs deeper than it appears. Then Sarah’s lieutenant gives her a simpler assignment: Track down a doctor rumored to be practicing medicine without a license in a housing project. But in Cicero Ruiz, Sarah finds a tough, wounded survivor whose moral code challenges her own ideas about justice…and whose hard-won life would be destroyed by an arrest.

Now juggling two very different cases, both requiring a delicate balancing act between professional honor and personal feelings, Sarah soon has even more at stake. Caught up in a cat-and-mouse game with the investigator who wants to end her career, crossing one ethical line after another, Sarah increasingly fears that a misstep on her part will end not only in her disgrace, but in the death of one of those she has promised herself to protect.
With its fascinating heroine and its brilliantly interwoven mysteries, Sympathy Between Humans is storytelling at its finest from one of the most original and daring writers in suspense fiction today.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Detective, Suspense, Police, Crime, Womens

384 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

Jodi Compton is the author of the Sarah Pribek trilogy -- The 37th Hour, Sympathy Between Humans and Redball -- about a Minneapolis missing-persons detective, set in the early 2000s. Jodi's other two novels, Hailey's War and Thieves Get Rich, Saints Get Shot, revolve around a younger independent investigator, Hailey Cain. Jodi currently lives in Bend, Oregon.

Reviews

[Linda]

Jodi Compton has toned up her plotting skills in Sympathy Between Humans, the sequel to her debut novel, The 37th Hour. In 37th, protagonist Detective Sarah Pribeck embarked on a search for her missing husband, only two months after their marriage. It becomes evident that his disappearance is connected to the murder of her partner's daughter. Although the murderer got off on a technicality, his later death in an arson fire remains an open case. As Sympathy Between Humans opens, her husband has been imprisoned for his part in that investigation, and her partner, brokenhearted, has taken herself off to Europe. Now Sarah is struggling to adjust to life without the two most important individuals in her life, and, although she knows who wreaked vengeance on the murderer, she keeps that knowledge to herself, even when it seems that she's now the prime suspect.

Delving into her work to help keep her loneliness at bay, Sarah is approached by a teenage girl, asking her to find her missing twin brother, Aiden Hennessy. As her investigation progresses, she becomes increasingly perplexed by the circumstances of the Hennessy family, which, in surprising ways, remind Sarah of her own disjointed upbringing. She's also assigned to investigate a doctor practicing without a license. Juggling her loneliness, her memories, her status as a suspect, and these two cases challenge Sarah's beliefs and principles.

Author Compton's strength lies in her ability to create multidimensional characters who grapple with problems familiar to us all. The lines between legal and moral right, wrong, and justice are often blurry, and one of Sympathy's main themes deals with that complexity. Where is there room for compassion? What exactly is justice? There is no black or white, and Sarah must find a way to do her job without compromising her belief system. Ms. Compton skillfully brings these cases to satisfying, though not "happily ever after" conclusions, while leaving her readers eager to discover where Sarah goes next.

[Charlene]

I''m glad I read this book. Sarah Pribek is a complex character. As a law enforcement officer, she struggles to make choices between lawful and right/wrong. Sometimes, she made what I considered wrong choices, although her inner conflict about the decisions was well displayed.

She is alone and the connections she makes (or tries to make) in this book show her search for completion and a way out of isolation.

If there's a third book, I will read it. Not easy reads, but worth the time. I should not have read the end just before bedtime. I lay awake for quite a long time thinking about the story.

[Lynne]

Some of the narrative was a bit long and involved.

[Marilyn F]

Found this in general to be the best kind of mystery, a story with a mystery in it rather than just a mystery story (though I thought she killed off too many people toward then end :-) )

[Noelia]

Este libro me ha atrapado de principio a fin. La verdad es que es adictivo y la trama se mantiene intrigante durante todo el libro. Si es verdad que me habría gustado que se le diese más importancia a la trama de la muerte de Royce Stewart porque imaginé que iba a ser el foco principal de la historia, que al final terminó siendo la desaparición de Aidan. Sin contar eso es un auténtico librazo y la verdad que ha habido muchos plot twists (como la verdadera identidad de Aidan, su muerte, la muerte de Cícero) que no me esperaba para nada y que te mantienen enganchada a la historia. Maravilla y súper recomendado, espero leer más a la autora.

[Sam]

Não gostei. A personagem principal, detetive Pribek parece ter muito potencial, mas é pouco desenvolvida ao longo da história, é como se a autora estivesse com dó de saber que teria que gastar muito mais papel se fosse desenvolver os personagens. Esse livro é um romance e não um conto em que se deve ser minucioso com as palavras, muito pelo contrário. Apenas um personagem pareceu instigante, o Cisco. Achei interessante a ideia de intercalar casos diferentes, assim nós ficamos mais próximos da personagem, mas é impossível ser próximo de alguém que não se abre para você, certo?

[Jacki Peterson]

I have read Sympathy Between Humans and The 37th Hour. Jodi Compton is one of the best crime/mystery writers I have read. I look forward to reading all future novels by Jodi Compton.
She’s absolutely brilliant!

[Randy]

Good Book with a strange twist at the end. I liked that.

[Alejandro]

Enjoyed the book as Sarah pieces together observations to unravel mysteries while struggling with right, wrong and what's best.

[Paschalis]

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[Ashley]

I think it was the perfect follow up to The 37th Hour and it flows so good. Great story and a great book!

[Wisterious Woman]

Sympathy Between Humans was a good title for this book. One of the things I appreciated is that it can be read without having read the first book. There are hints about what has happened in the past without spending half the book retelling you all the details of Sarah's life.

I liked Sympathy Between Humans much better than 37th hour. Even though Sarah continues to wade into some unethical behavior for someone who is expected to uphold the law, she doesn't stoop to vigilantism. The reader can understand why some situations aren't just black and white. You feel that it is okay for 'the law' to look the other way when there are shades of grey in a particular situation. That is where we can sympathize with the hardships that the various characters are challenged by.

Her husband Shilo didn't interest me at all in the previous book so I am glad he just stayed in prison throughout this book. I also liked the fact that we didn't have to read about her ex-partner since she absconded to Europe at the end of The 37th Hour. The new characters in Sympathy Between Humans were complex and I felt Sarah's compassion for them. She is driven to do her job as a sheriff but also help people when she can. The book isn't all about getting the bad guys. There were a few twists and turns so I was surprised when I guessed wrong about the mystery surrounding the family situation she gets involved in.

One thing that is interesting to note is that the author must have had fun with a baby name book. Must of the character's have unusual names--one's that aren't on the top of the chart for this year's most popular names. The author isn't profuse in her descriptions of people and places but you get a general idea what someone looks like. If you like cop stories with a great deal of action than this isn't what you are looking for. It has a fairly slow pace and you switch between cases from chapter to chapter. The ending is bittersweet which makes the story seem more real.

[Karschtl]

Although I read the first book of this series only 18 months ago, I only remembered the rough storyline. But not exactly why Sarah and her husband fell out. It's not explained in this book either, and it's not necessarily important for the story, I was just curious.
Anyway, here Sarah is confronted with actually 3 cases at one:
1. the investigation of her own role in the death of Shorty (which took place in the first book)
2. finding Aidan Hennessy (a 17 year old runaway)
3. stopping a doctor from practicing without a license

The first case wasn't as interesting to me as the other two. In both cases Sarah tries to do what's best and makes decision that are not always by the rules. The morale she has to learn: sometimes its better to play by the rules, even though it doesn't look that way at first sight.
Actually I liked this approach of the author, to present us with a protagonist that is not only good but tries to use common sense but fails in doing so. Life's a process of constant learning from mistakes.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

Compton's second police procedural reintroduces the emotionally unstable Sarah Pribek and advances the storyline from The 37th Hour. Once again, Compton delivers a compelling plot and fully-realized characters with convincing problems of the mind and heart__as one character notes, "the mathematics of the human psyche." Disarmingly complex, the novel asks tough questions about law and morality; Sarah, for better or for worse, takes matters into her own hands when the law does not deliver justice. Only the Detroit Free Press cited an unbelievable missing child case and challenged the idea that permeates the novel__that breaking the law is bad only if the intentions are, too. Loose ends may bother some readers, but there will be more to come from this intelligent author and her protagonist.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Ann]

Sympathy Between Humans, Jodi Compton's second novel with main character, Hennepin County Sheriff's Detective Sarah Pribek, is a stunning and powerful story. I didn't imagine that Compton could deliver as edgy and intense a book to match the first, The 37th Hour, but I was wrong - Sympathy Between Humans does it again.
Sarah is unequaled in her zeal to do her job and is a loner who lives under the shadow of her husband's actions and her own, striving to survive the upheaval of having both her partner in the sheriff's office and her husband gone, out of reach and out of touch. Intricate in the subtle weaving together of different investigations, poignant in the revelations Sarah finds about her own life as she investigates a missing person case and the case of a person practicing medicine without a license, Sympathy Between Humans is hard to put down. 9+ of 10. I highly recommend both books, read them in order.

[Cathy]

A great follow-up to "The 37th Hour". Detective Sarah Pribek is being investigated for murder - many law enforcement officials believe she's guilty - one in particular is determined to bring her to justice and others are pleased she took that scumbag out and got away with it. A young woman comes into the sheriff's department wanting help in finding her missing twin brother; as the family is temporarily without a parent, Sarah gets assigned to supervise them. She's also sent out to hunt down a man practicing medicine without a license; she finds him easily enough but doing her job is easier said than done. Good book - I hope Ms. Compton continues to write this series. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that Shiloh was not in it. I'm hoping she's got a book 3 coming out getting back to his story with Sarah.

[Josh]

‘Sympathy Among Humans’ focuses around local cop Sara and her four investigations; runaway teen, illegal practicing doctor, liquor store holdups, and the murder of Shorty (bad guy from the first book). All added a little something to Sara’s character development with the doctor investigation proving particularly entertaining – each of these combined to maintain a solid pacing and easy to follow plot. I can’t help but think would’ve liked this book even more if I’d read the first in the series. While Compton does a good job of establishing back story, the minor character interactions would’ve meant so much more with the added history. 4 stars, a worthy reread.

[Yvonne Mendez]

I enjoyed this book very much, it was a great sequel to 37th Hour and I'm hoping for a third book in the series since I can't believe Sara's and Shiloh's marriage is over, though I'm very glad she was able to keep herself out of jail.

It was interesting to see how, in the middle of all her personal problems, Sara Pribek is still able to concentrate on solving a case that involves a strange family.

The mystery is very good as is the storytelling, I look forward in reading more from Jodi Compton

[Linda]

I "read" this as an unabridged audiobook, read by Marie St. Clair. The reading was excellent.
Characterization was excellent, Sarah Pribek really came to life, she's an intriguing character. Toward the end, I felt things seemed a bit rushed.
I enjoyed this book, but it was a little bit heavy on the "language" and violence; this wouldn't qualify as a "gentle book", but then cop stories aren't usually gentle--it's a rough world out there.

[Aine Dunne]

I liked this book. It's not really a detective story..the fact that the main character is a detective is almost incidental. The detective becomes guardian of a group of children who's father is ill. The story centers around finding our about a missing brother. Interesting read, reasonably well written and a bit of a twist at the end....no nobel prize winner but not bad at all.

[Maryann]

The ramifications of the murder of Shorty, the man who had murdered the daughter of Detective Sarah Pribeck's partner from the first book is still following Sarah around. It effects everything in her professional career, and that causes Sarah's judgement in personal and professional issues to be clouded. Many of the events from the first book shape what happen in the second book.

[Pete Aldin]

This I think is the second in a series. Not having read the first didn't seem to affect my enjoyment of this novel, largely because the author refers back to its events enough for me to understand what's come before.

A slow-paced but enjoyable crime novel. It dealt with issues I hadn't seen in a novel before and kept my interest til the end.

[VMom]

I liked this better than the prequel, The 37th Hour. In fact, I think this book redeemed the ending of the prequel.
I really admire the way Compton draws the characters; they are quite three-dimensional.

[Samantha]

I read this in 2 days before visiting China for the summer.
the ending actually surprised me; and I usually predict plot lines pretty well. kinda made me think back on the book for the next 2 weeks. which for me is a sign of a good book

[Kari]

Much better than the first one. There was real growth in Sarah. It was a great character study. I wish she had given us more closure in the relationship with her husband. It doesn't look like she is continuing the series. That is a shame.

[Sandy]

I am so frustrated that this came out in 2005. Will there be more about Sarah Pribeck? I want more.
Very sad story compounded by choices and consequences that lead into more and more difficulty and heartbreak.
Super good writing and storytelling!

[Derla]

I was glad I had read/listened to her first book as some of the incidences in that book were referred to in this book.

[Frederic]

Fulfills the promise of "The 37th Hour"...Sarah Pribek is a heroic but very believable protagonist...much better than the formulaic,but enjoyable,"Hailey's War"...

[Eunira]

I enjoyed this book better than her first, The 37th Hour. Characters were more developed and the storyline was flowed better.

[Erika]

See review of "The 37th Hour" for my thoughts on this author. (And this book is really good, too. A wonderful second chapter in what I hope will be an ongoing series featuring Sarah Pribek.)