Review: Ragged Lake by Ron Corbett

Ragged Lake by Ron Corbett — October 2017 — ECW Press

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion of the book whatsoever.

You know that feeling when you watch a movie and realize all of the most exciting parts were in the trailer? That's what I felt like after reading Ragged Lake by Ron Corbett. The synopsis promised a "richly atmospheric mystery with sweeping backdrops," and I unfortunately didn't get that from the novel. I was surprised that I didn't enjoy this read because I usually love everything that ECW Press publishes. But this one just wasn't for me.

The first couple of chapters are promising. Corbett establishes a spooky, wintery setting that totally reminded me of Twin Peaks, especially with the murder mystery element. From the first few chapters, you get a true sense of how sequestered this village is and how the looming storm only worsens that feeling of isolation. As I got a sense of the sparse setting and its hard-edged characters, I was also getting Fargo vibes, which heightened my expectations of the book. I was briefly hooked for the first few chapters, but the narrative unfortunately spiraled and didn't really pick back up.

My main problem with the narrative is that it relied heavily on flashbacks. One of the victims kept a detailed diary before she was murdered, which felt convenient to me. The journal didn't read in a conversational tone like an actual diary would. It read more like a real book with detailed quotes and conversations. It sounds like I'm nitpicking, but the journal entries are quite substantial. I wanted to follow Yakabuski's narrative more as he solves the murder, but I kept getting pulled out of it because of the long journal entries.

I also want to address the way some of the characters talk about First Nations people. I understand that I read from an uncorrected galley and some of these elements may change by the time the book is published this fall. But I did not want to write a review without addressing them. I am not a First Nations person, so I can't claim whether or not the representation offered by this book is good or harmful. But I do want to point out that a few characters use a term that many would consider a racial slur, and they aren't called out for doing so. I was also really put off by the fact that one of the police officers makes a comment about a Cree woman's good looks after he discovers her body. I understand these remarks are meant to illustrate what the characters talk like and they're meant to establish this particular setting, but the comment feels unnecessary to the overall plot. Sexualizing a dead woman's body is not okay. It's disturbing, even in fiction.

This might just be a case of my taste not aligning with this kind of book. I like reading crime and murder mysteries, but this was too slow paced for me and I didn't find myself rooting for the protagonist in any way. If you like stories with an incremental build where you don't have to get too emotionally invested in the story or its characters, then Ragged Lake might be for you.