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The Savior
People are dying in The Pit. The poorest section of California's Dunhill County seems to have a love affair with tragedy, yet lately, more and more unfortunate souls are slipping through the cracks. Dr. Kendra Hamilton got herself off the mean streets. Her mother, Violet, wasn't so lucky--she's the latest fatality on The Pit's ever-growing roster of shattered lives. And although she knows Violet was living on the edge, Kendra is convinced her death was no accident. Someone is preying on society's forgotten people. . .and Kendra intends to find the killer. All she has to do is get the police--one stubborn detective in particular--to take her seriously. In her quest for justice, Kendra will risk everything. Now, as the investigation reveals a trail of corruption and shocking betrayal, she stumbles upon a world in which the lines between duty and desire, benevolence and madness, living--and merely surviving--are irrevocably blurred. And where a cold-blooded psychopath is determined to turn life on the wrong side of the tracks into a death sentence. . .
- GenresMystery
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Faye Snowden
12 books64 followersFaye Snowden is the author of noir mysteries, poems and several short stories. Her novels include Spiral of Guilt, The Savior, Fatal Justice, and A Killing Fire, a dark, southern gothic tale featuring homicide detective Raven Burns. A Killing Fire is first in a four-part series. The sequel, A Killing Rain, is underway.
Faye’s short story, One Bullet. One Vote was selected as one of the best American mystery and suspense stories of 2021 by editors Steph Cha and Alafair Burke. The story will be anthologized along with many other talented authors in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021.
Faye has a master’s in English Literature. She has been awarded writing fellowships from Djerassi and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime (SinC) where she serves as Board Secretary for SinC National.
She has participated on many writing panels, appeared as a guest lecture in several university writing classes, and taught information technology courses at the university level. Today, Faye works and writes from her home in Northern California.
Faye’s short story, One Bullet. One Vote was selected as one of the best American mystery and suspense stories of 2021 by editors Steph Cha and Alafair Burke. The story will be anthologized along with many other talented authors in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021.
Faye has a master’s in English Literature. She has been awarded writing fellowships from Djerassi and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime (SinC) where she serves as Board Secretary for SinC National.
She has participated on many writing panels, appeared as a guest lecture in several university writing classes, and taught information technology courses at the university level. Today, Faye works and writes from her home in Northern California.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 13, 2009
The Savior is a story of three troubled childhood acquaintances, children of drug abusers, who have grown up but are still dealing with baggage from their impoverished and dysfunctional pasts. Suave and debonair, Rich Marvel is now a detective in the newly formed homicide division. He is doing all the "right things" to escape his humble beginning and elevate his social status. He's determined to solidify his position and career by "marrying up," that is, becoming the fiancé of a gorgeous socialite who happens to be the daughter of a local judge.
Kendra Hamilton is a dedicated, goodwill physician who operates the free clinic in the worst area of town. She escapes the streets via education when a local philanthropist funded her studies through medical school. When she learns of her mother's death, she immediately suspects foul play and insists that it is investigated as a homicide. Kendra calls upon her benefactor to use his influence to pull strings in City Hall, thereby angering Detective Marvel for going over his head to investigate a seemingly insignificant drug overdose case as a homicide. Tensions rise and memories are relived when the investigation takes Rich back to the old neighborhood that he so desperately wants to escape and forget. When Kendra's suspicions of murder seem valid, a list of suspects is formed. There is no surprise when the neighborhood's biggest drug dealer, Raymond Smalls, is brought in for questioning. However the plot thickens when Raymond is romantically linked to Kendra, romance also blossoms between Rich and Kendra leading to jealousy between Rich and Ray, and a link is established between the victim and cold case files involving the Chief of Police and pregnant, missing, teenaged runaways.
The novel was well written with steady pacing. The author handled dialogue well and developed sturdy, but flawed characters with interesting pasts. However, the story seemed a bit elongated, especially when it was obvious (to me) who the culprit was within the first 50 or so pages of the 369 page book. Discovering the culprit's motive was the only impetus for me to keep reading. So the passages following the detective's reasoning skills as he zeroes in on the killer were not that "illuminating" as they should have been. There were aspects that were a bit predictable and overplayed as with the love/hate relationship Rich had with the victim's daughter-turned-suspect, Kendra. Nonetheless, the solid writing along with the handling of the drama and suspense combine to make The Savior a decent offering.
Kendra Hamilton is a dedicated, goodwill physician who operates the free clinic in the worst area of town. She escapes the streets via education when a local philanthropist funded her studies through medical school. When she learns of her mother's death, she immediately suspects foul play and insists that it is investigated as a homicide. Kendra calls upon her benefactor to use his influence to pull strings in City Hall, thereby angering Detective Marvel for going over his head to investigate a seemingly insignificant drug overdose case as a homicide. Tensions rise and memories are relived when the investigation takes Rich back to the old neighborhood that he so desperately wants to escape and forget. When Kendra's suspicions of murder seem valid, a list of suspects is formed. There is no surprise when the neighborhood's biggest drug dealer, Raymond Smalls, is brought in for questioning. However the plot thickens when Raymond is romantically linked to Kendra, romance also blossoms between Rich and Kendra leading to jealousy between Rich and Ray, and a link is established between the victim and cold case files involving the Chief of Police and pregnant, missing, teenaged runaways.
The novel was well written with steady pacing. The author handled dialogue well and developed sturdy, but flawed characters with interesting pasts. However, the story seemed a bit elongated, especially when it was obvious (to me) who the culprit was within the first 50 or so pages of the 369 page book. Discovering the culprit's motive was the only impetus for me to keep reading. So the passages following the detective's reasoning skills as he zeroes in on the killer were not that "illuminating" as they should have been. There were aspects that were a bit predictable and overplayed as with the love/hate relationship Rich had with the victim's daughter-turned-suspect, Kendra. Nonetheless, the solid writing along with the handling of the drama and suspense combine to make The Savior a decent offering.
May 27, 2012
The Savior by Faye Snowden follows Detective Richard T. Marvel as he is forced to investigate the potential homicide of the mother of Dr. Kendra Hamilton. At first, the case seems to be a clear cut death due to drug overdose, but as Kendra presses the issue for the police to further investigate the matter, evidence begins to reveal that a murderer may be on the loose. As Marvel searches for suspects and motives, tensions build between him and Kendra, making Marvel's job an even tougher task.
Although The Savior was grammatically and poetically, a well written book, the story was long and dry. The synopsis on the back of the book paints a picture of a woman (Dr. Kendra Hamilton) who is risking everything to find her mother's killer. The synopsis does not mention Detective Marvel at all. However, upon reading the book, Marvel seems to be the true main character and the book is primarily written following his life and his investigation, not Kendra. This was confusing and deceptive to the reader. In addition, the author spent too much time developing the characters and describing scenes than telling the actual story. Although character development is appreciated, too much can take away from the storyline, which is what happened in this book. Reading this book was a struggle for the first half of it. Toward the end, the pace picked up and the story became more exciting as we finally get to see the true meat of the novel unfold. Overall, the book had some interesting moments, an exciting ending, but a very dull and slow start.
Although The Savior was grammatically and poetically, a well written book, the story was long and dry. The synopsis on the back of the book paints a picture of a woman (Dr. Kendra Hamilton) who is risking everything to find her mother's killer. The synopsis does not mention Detective Marvel at all. However, upon reading the book, Marvel seems to be the true main character and the book is primarily written following his life and his investigation, not Kendra. This was confusing and deceptive to the reader. In addition, the author spent too much time developing the characters and describing scenes than telling the actual story. Although character development is appreciated, too much can take away from the storyline, which is what happened in this book. Reading this book was a struggle for the first half of it. Toward the end, the pace picked up and the story became more exciting as we finally get to see the true meat of the novel unfold. Overall, the book had some interesting moments, an exciting ending, but a very dull and slow start.
September 10, 2012
Very, very slow.
I lost interest in it a couple times while reading it, and came back to it weeks later and had to re-read a couple chapters to remind myself who all the characters were.
Violates S.S Van Dine's 3rd commandment of Detective/Murder Mystery; "There must be no love interest. The business in hand is to bring a criminal to the bar of justice, not to bring a lovelorn couple to the hymeneal altar."
I'd like to add that the love sub-plot added nothing of value to the story or the mystery.
Also violates Father Knox's 6th Commandment of Detective/Murder Mystery; "No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right."
That said, I'd like to take a moment to talk about the positive aspects of this work.
I loved the urban setting of the story and the ending was thrilling.
As a Mystery I'd like to state the difficulty in figuring out "who-dun-it" before it's directly stated; Beginner.
Figuring out the "how-dun-it" before it's directly stated; Beginner/Intermediate.
Figuring out the "why-dun-it" before it's directly stated; Intermediate.
Pretty good for beginners in the Mystery Genre who also want a bit of romance with their mystery.
I lost interest in it a couple times while reading it, and came back to it weeks later and had to re-read a couple chapters to remind myself who all the characters were.
Violates S.S Van Dine's 3rd commandment of Detective/Murder Mystery; "There must be no love interest. The business in hand is to bring a criminal to the bar of justice, not to bring a lovelorn couple to the hymeneal altar."
I'd like to add that the love sub-plot added nothing of value to the story or the mystery.
Also violates Father Knox's 6th Commandment of Detective/Murder Mystery; "No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right."
That said, I'd like to take a moment to talk about the positive aspects of this work.
I loved the urban setting of the story and the ending was thrilling.
As a Mystery I'd like to state the difficulty in figuring out "who-dun-it" before it's directly stated; Beginner.
Figuring out the "how-dun-it" before it's directly stated; Beginner/Intermediate.
Figuring out the "why-dun-it" before it's directly stated; Intermediate.
Pretty good for beginners in the Mystery Genre who also want a bit of romance with their mystery.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews