The Birth of Anna by Edwin J McBride is a riveting crime fiction story about the violent events involving expecting parents, Michael and Michelle Armstrong. The book also follows the investigations into the abduction and murder of several girls occurring in Braxton City, which leave its residents living in fear.

As events unfold, we follow the detective assigned to the case, Paul Anderson, and several other characters that are related to each other and to the two main storylines in the narrative. Though in the beginning the connections are not apparent,  they become increasingly clear by the end of the story, and this revelation, to me, was very compelling. Having multiple characters’ viewpoints in the story was an interesting way to unveil the mystery at the heart of this story. The characters are interesting and well developed, but I felt that they sometimes delivered long expositions about their lives.

The author certainly knows how to end a chapter to make you want to read more, and the switch in point of views in each chapter ensures readers are engaged throughout the story and get a more holistic view of events. While I enjoyed the story, I felt that the beginning of the chapters sometimes had long sections of narrative where information is given rather than shown. In either case, I felt that the storyline was coherent and had a consistently high level of intrigue.

I really enjoyed the slow burn style that is used at the beginning of the story, but when the revelations start happening and connections are made the pace of the story really picks up and by that time I was completely enthralled with the book.

The Birth of Anna is a gripping crime fiction story that has elements of a psychological thriller mixed with a gritty detective mystery which delivers a provocative story that is immensely entertaining. This is an emotional rollercoaster that is perfect for readers who enjoy compelling drama and do not mind reading about dark by authentic aspects of life.

Pages: 240 | ASIN: B083N88XD5