I can't say enough good things about Suzanne Jenkins', The Greeks of
Beaubien Street. This book is an adorable look into a
multi-generational Greek-American family based in Detroit, specifically,
Greek town, centered around the main character, Jill, a city homicide
detective. My favorite theme in this book is the locality. Jenkins does
an amazing job describing the culture, area, and characters that
convince the readers they could drive to the streets and buildings
referenced throughout the story and knock on a door only to find Jill's
beloved father, Gus, greeting them with a warm sandwich to replenish
them after their long drive. I believe anyone reading this book will
come away with a sense of the Detroit area that includes local pride,
history, and depth.
While this book is a detective story that
includes a well-written murder investigation, more-so it is an
investigation into the life of a dedicated local woman with strong roots
to the community and even stronger ties to her large, deeply cultural
family. I enjoyed Jill's volley between work and family. At times she
uses work as an escape from the rigors of her family traditions that
demand her to be a proper Greek girl who seeks marriage and children,
while, at others, she breaks from work responsibilities to eat with her
father surrounded by familiar sights, sounds, and smells of childhood in
his food shop and reminisce about days and times gone by.
Jill's
character offers many delightful sides, but one in particular grabs at a
different sense, the psychic one. As Jill investigates her murder
case, she reveals a certain prescience into the life of the victim and
those involved in the case surrounding the victim. While her gift is
not specific nor controllable, Jill does use it to guide her
investigations with an insight an precision her peers cannot match. Her
reputation as a just detective has granted her a level of elasticity in
using this sense with the other investigators along with her superiors
in the police department. Her family also accepts her career choice and
recognizes her need to practice her gift while giving back to the
community and culture that has embraced her people with a totality and
ferocity that only Detroiters can manage.
I think this book is a
great read for adult and mature teen readers who enjoy a book with
interchangeable story lines, heart-warming characters and imaginative
settings. I look forward to reading more from Suzanne Jenkins and give
The Greeks of Beaubien Street.
Nikki M
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