Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Silence of the White City.

I love mysteries, especially when it features a serial killer, so I was excited when my request was approved.

Inspector Unai López de Ayala is still grieving the loss of his wife and unborn child when a series of ritualistic murders in his town of Vitoria begin to occur, similar to the ones that shocked the town 20 years ago.

The problem is, the murderer is already in prison.

As Ayala and his loyal partner find themselves faced with a growing body count, the Inspector finds himself attracted to his new superior, dealing with conflicting feelings and juggling the bizarre murder cases whose origin began a few decades ago.

First, I loved the descriptions of Vitoria and the Basque country, its traditions, rituals, and myths; it really set the tone and mood of the story.

Second, there was decent character development, though at times it read as rather rushed.

I neither liked nor disliked Inspector Ayala. He was competent and dedicated, but I felt the romance with his superior was contrived and unnecessary.

I did like his relationships with his grandfather and his brother, two characters I would like to know more about in future books.

Third, the mystery wasn't bad; it wasn't great.

The Silence of the White City is an archetype of its genre:

Ayala's role in investigating the case becomes more complicated when the murderer, who may or may not be innocent, establishes a sort of Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling-like type of relationship with him.

Ayala is a troubled man, having lost his beloved wife in a terrible car accident, of which he blames himself for, though he was not the driver.

He doesn't play by the rules, he's a canny profiler and sometimes does things off the book, not quite following procedures.

In a small town, everyone seems to know everyone else, related in some small way, including knowledge of family drama and secrets.

The chapter flashbacks provided exposition, but it also told the reader who the villain is, which I don't like.

As a mystery lover, I prefer to be kept in the dark as to the identity of the killer, solving the case alongside with the detectives/hero/heroine, piecing together the clues and interviewing witnesses and suspects to see if I can figure out whodunit. I almost usually can.

This isn't just a story about a serial killer; its about sibling relationships, betrayal and revenge, the latter a motive I can always get on board with.

There is a final twist I didn't see coming, and you can choose to suspend disbelief for it or not.

I chose to believe in this final piece slotting into the puzzle because I was at the end of the book and it tied up the loose end (so to speak) of the relationship between Ayala and his superior.

The writing was okay, though I think the unevenness was due to the translation than to the author's ability to write.

I might check out the next book in the series.