The Kari AnnAlysis

In the town where I live, there aren’t many unsolved murders. In Boston, however, there are a lot. There are some that were killed in a bathtub, but their bodies were never found. There are some gang bangers, from different cliques that are getting shot by the same gun. And, of course, there are the Prom Night Murders, where couples are found dead, dressed to the nines.

In 2 in the Hat, we follow a couple of detectives who are trying to solve the Prom Night Murders, 10 years after they started. Once again, a couple turns up dead, wired to trees in formal wear. There are too many similarities to make it the work of a copy cat, but they end up needing someone who doesn’t know a whole lot about the case to lend them a hand. Turns out though, that hand may also have the answers to the other murders.

I got this book from the Kelley and Hallcompany. I was really impressed with how creative the murders were that Yessayan wrote about. I always feel so morbid when I feel like that, but it’s the kind of creative writing every author wants to be able to pull off. I imagine Yessayan’s time as an ADA probably helped with this.

There were a couple of things about this book that I had a hard time with. First, each chapter is from the standpoint of a different character. There are a lot of players in this book, including the two detectives, the ADA, two convicted felons who now try to get gang bangers off the street, the Prom Night Killer, you get the point. For the first few chapters, I had a hard time deciphering who all of these guys were. The longer I read with them, the easier it was, but it took a while.

I am always a fan of the murder mystery. It keeps my mind ticking, trying to figure out through the twists and turns who the killers are. I wish in this book, the killer would have been kept under wraps for a little longer. The ADA figures out who the Prom Night Killers is about 2/3 the way through, so the suspense is kind of gone from that portion of the plot. I mean, obviously he could be wrong, but the evidence is pretty tight. There are a couple of twists through the last 1/3, but I like waiting until the last little bit to know who my killer is going to be.

I will definitely keep my eye out for more Yessayan books in the future! I give 2 in the Hat 3 bookmarks.