Tunnel Vision

The sequel to Nickel Plated (2011) finds former foster child and sometime pot dealer Nickel again turning to private investigation to make ends meet. Hired to watch over high school student June after new publicity regarding her aunt's murder spooks her mother, Nickel instead gets drawn into probing the original crime with Betty, June's best friend. Narrated in alternating chapters by Nickel, Betty, and the diary entries of the victim, this crime novel spreads itself too thin. The first half builds up potential suspects, a sense of menace, and rich character background that hints at deeper themes; but this excellent plot structure is quickly dissipated in the disappointing and rushed second half. Excessive focus is centered on one relationship at the expense of more promising and less-explored narratives, and this is an example where the novel would have benefitted from another 50 to 75 pages to devote to dropped story and character arcs. Here's hoping that Davis (The Fort) will bring these figures back in another work, as he has created an environment that has the capacity for many intriguing plots to come.