2003-09-20 Good mystery spoiled by factual errors

However, this book is full of factual errors. Other reviewers have pointed out some of these errors, but the one I spotted has to do with the church the accused wife's parents are active in and have worked for, Science Of Mind. The parents and therefore the authors have the church completely confused with Christian Science. Science Of Mind or Religious Science was founded by Ernest Holmes in Los Angeles, not Mary Baker Eddy in Boston. The church, although it, like Christian Science, has practioners does not discourage members from seeking medical treatment (many SOM ministers have their medical doctors, have been in the hospital, undergone surgery, etc.). And Science Of Mind like Christian Science does not believe in Hell and yet the wife's mother tells her daughter that she will burn in Hell because of the life she's led.

Okay, the above doesn't even have a heavy bearing on the story, but all of these errors about the church along with the geographical and other factual errors are presented as fact in the book. So how is one to trust these authors' legal knowledge? Indeed, there seem to me to be several large holes in the legalistic details of the story although I admittedly am no lawyer.

Again, the story itself is engrossing although the denouement had too many unrelated and coincidental elements to please me. So while the story itself is too good to give a one or two star rating, there's too much almost sloppy writing to give it four or five stars. If you're looking for a mystery that's fast and light reading and aren't bothered by factual errors & dubious legality, you'll likely enjoy it.