The Lake Ladies was written by Paul Gullen and it is a fiction novel which deals with mystery and crime. It is a detective story involving two main characters, Bates and O’Rourke who belong to different generations of detectives. Captain O’Rourke and Bates team up and to solve crimes, but their personal stories are equally as interesting as their professional life.
O’Rourke and Bates meet during a case which could not be solved which happened in Chicago and involved the murder of a female violinist. Bates solves the case because he is a genius as well as a son of a billionaire. O’Rourke is a man who prefers the city life, while Bates likes to spend time in nature as well. The two of them are an interesting couple of partners because of the fact that O’ Rourke is old enough to be Bates’ father. However, Bates is a fascinating young man and his company is alluring for O’Rourke. The age gap between the two of them does not come in the way of their friendship. This book begins in an interesting way by describing the personalities of two people who do not have much in common at first glance. However, it turns out that criminology attracts great minds and connects them. “As for Alfred Bates, he believed that there was nothing more contemporary than crime and that it was the ideal place for any genius to work” (Gullen 7). There is much respect and admiration between Francis O’Rourke and Marston Bates because their lives are dedicated to solving crime.
The weekend getaway which Marston plans with Francis in order to relax and engage in fishing in nature turns into the investigation of another case which reveals a potential serial killer. At first, the two of them visit Maggie, Marston’s mother, but the following morning a local Sheriff comes to let them know about the death of Doris Gaines. She was murdered with a broken oar and sexually abused with it as well. Prior to this, the same thing happened to a female student in Chicago with a wine bottle and the same note quoting Nietzsche and “Beyond Good and Evil” comes up. The killer believes that love is beyond these things, which is why it may be justifiable to murder someone. Bates is intrigued by this case as much as O’Rourke and the two of them begin an immediate investigation especially because Doris was Maggie’s neighbor although the two of them were not close. It also turned out that the student was the niece of a local woman as well, which was not a coincidence.
There is much suspense in the novel and the study of character because the story deals with two brilliant men trying to figure out who is killing the women. Moreover, there is the theme of women being sexually abused which suggests that the killer must be a person who is impotent in numerous ways. This novel is about male supremacy and men who solve crimes. The character of Marston Bates is particularly interesting because he is a good-looking, well-educated genius who is a philanthropist at the same time. People are fascinated by him and by his appearance because he makes them feel safe. He is also an emotionally distant person who needs to find the right girl in order to be properly understood. He is often accused of not being romantically involved, but he is a genius and the world needs more of such people who are capable of making the world a safer place.
Work Cited
Gullen, Paul. The Lake Ladies. Frederick: PublishAmerica, 2012. Print.
