Restoration heights

by

Will Medearis

Restoration Heights is a mystery novel that is of interest to anyone who has ever wanted to help someone.  In his debut mystery novel Wil Medearis introduces us to Reddick, a young white artist turned detective in a historical black Brooklyn neighbourhood.  Reddick’s imagination leads him in many directions when he decides against everyone’s advice to help a young woman he believes has been kidnapped and possibly murdered.

Reddick is an unfulfilled artist who works crating and moving other people’s art and hanging it on other’s people’s walls.  One night, while taking out the garbage, he is approached by a young woman who makes a pass at him and then quickly disappears.  The next day while working in the mansion of one of the richest families in the world he realizes that the same girl is the fiancé of his client’s son.  When he sets off the alarm the family tells him there is nothing to worry about.  Regardless, Reddick just can’t stop thinking about the young woman and the search begins.  He is basically taken down two paths one where he mingles with the rich who insist he doesn’t belong and the other where he wallows in the underbelly of criminal society, which threatens to cause him harm.   All the time he is asking himself “Where is the girl?”

I really enjoyed the protagonist in the story.  Reddick truly wants to help but he is an inexperience detective.  When he bounces ideas off his friends they all say, “Stop this or you will get yourself killed!”  He goes down many tracks and has to backtrack many times when his basic assumptions prove wrong.  He is not brilliant or exceptionally tough.  He just wants to help.  He could be anyone of us.  What’s not to love about this guy?

The story is exceptional.  We are introduced to the clash of the world of artists who are just getting by and the world of real estate, which threatens their existence.  Has their been a crime?  Who is the criminal?  Shouldn’t the police be called?  All these questions come up continuously and few of them are answered until the end of the book.   I highly recommend this book to those that love a good story with lots of interesting characters and strong character development.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for providing me with a copy of this excellent book in exchange for a fair review.