"The Body in the Record Room" by Joe Barone

It's interesting when an author takes his or her past and incorporates it into a riveting story. New mystery writer Joe Barone does just this in "The Body in the Record Room," his first book. The child of a medical doctor, Barone grew up on the grounds of the Nevada, Missouri State Hospital and lived among people that are very similar to characters and the setting of the book which is the early 1950's. The mystery surrounds the finding of a body in the record room by a resident of the mental hospital who calls himself 'Roy Rogers.' Roy is a bright man with a fascination for the record room of the institution. He suspects that the body he finds is connected to a murder that happened in the mid 1920's and he sets out to find the answer. What Barone does is change your image of the mentally ill. There are people who surprise you with their intellect but also their frailties. The intertwining of characters and motivation will surprise you as you see how often the mentally ill are taken advantage of by people seemingly in a position to help them including Catholic clergy. I found I chose this book because it was a first for Barone and I had a personal fondness for the memory of Roy Rogers and the thread that carries throughout the book. I think Barone has potential in his cast of characters and hope he will continue to write more books. Check out the publisher website for more information about Barone and also his blog which is full of great mystery suggestions. This book is available for loan through CWMARS system.