''Time Release'' is a

crime novel Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a profession ...

by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

writer Martin J. Smith (1956-) set in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. It tells the story of a killer who used pain relief capsules, as well as other techniques, to set off a series of poisonings. It also focuses on repressed memories and if, when and how they will come out. The protagonist is psychologist and memory expert Jim Christensen who tries to solve the case. ''Time Release'' was a finalist for the 1998

Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original The Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original, established in 1986, is an annual award presented as part of the Anthony Awards on behalf of Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is a professional organization of mystery an ...

Reception

Calling the book "a good creepy debut thriller", ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' said "Downing makes a fine tortured character though the equally traumatized Christensen isn't as likable and is also plagued by Smith's many meanderings into his personal life." The ''

Missoula Independent ''The Missoula Independent'' was a free weekly alternative newspaper in Missoula, Montana, United States. It was acquired by Lee Enterprises, owner of the daily ''Missoulian'', in 2017. On September 11, 2018, Lee Enterprises shut down the ''Inde ...

''s Christopher Weir wrote that "Smith's prose reveals an increasingly rare commodity in popular fiction: finesse. The plot is intricate, but never confusing."

Sources

''Contemporary Authors Online''. The Gale Group, 2006. PEN (Permanent Entry Number): 0000132047.

References

External links

Martin J. Smith website
1997 American novels American crime novels Novels set in Pittsburgh {{1990s-crime-novel-stub