Blauner, Peter: Slipping into Darkness

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Julian Vega looked good for the crime. His prints were on the murder weapon, and as the super's son he had a key to the apartment. Besides, he and the victim had a history. But twenty years later another murder throws Julian's 1983 conviction into doubt. In Slipping into Darkness Peter Blauner tells the story of the two crimes that bookend Julian's period of incarceration. Impressively, Blauner manages to make both Julian and the policeman who put him behind bars sympathetic figures. Neither is the bad guy, though both are flawed, the one emerging from and the other approaching the darkness of the book's title. The mystery of the murders is an interesting one, though I had an inkling of whodunit long before it was revealed. I'm left with a few questions--for example, Blauner mentions the scars on Julian's chin several times; were they significant in some way I missed?--but was generally impressed by how well the story hung together. Definitely worth the read. (But keep your eyes open for an unintentionally funny sex scene on page 250 [hardcover version].)