Kathleen George's Pittsburgh police procedurals are among the best in the genre, and Simple, sixth in the series, is no exception. A young, gorgeous paralegal named Cassie Price is murdered, and police immediately arrest Cal, a handyman helping to renovate her house. His mother happens to be the housekeeper for Cassie's boss, Mike Connolly, a charismatic man who's considering running for governor. George lets readers know up front that Cal is innocent, but neither he nor his mother may have the ability to stand up to Connolly's people, who are prepared to put their man in the governor's mansion at all costs.
One of George's signature moves is a heartbreaking central character--or characters--facing hardship after hardship yet persevering without an ounce of self-pity. Cal is that character in Simple: after a bullying incident in childhood, he incurred a serious injury that resulted in blackouts and a delay in processing certain information, which makes him vulnerable under police questioning. But his decency is obvious to readers, who will root hard for him to catch a break. (His poor hardworking mother could also use some relief from feeling she's not doing enough to protect him.)
The cops are good at their jobs, but struggle with messy personal situations. Cassie, bright and idealistic, makes unwise choices due to her naiveté. Connolly can be sleazy and have a conscience. George's characters aren't black or white, right or wrong, smart or foolish. They're complex people living in a world that's anything but simple. --Elyse Dinh-McCrilllis, freelance writer/editor, blogging at Pop Culture Nerd.