Review of Proof Positive by Philip Margolin

I read Proof Positive to fulfill a mystery book requirement. It's been a very long time since I've read a mystery; the last one was very likely a Sherlock Holmes story. I chose Philip Margolin because he lives in Portland and I know my mom (and avid mystery reader) likes his books.

The story takes place in Portland and centers around a series of murders. Amanda Jaffe, a character used before by Margolin, is a defense attorney who is hired by a local rabbi to defend his mentally ill and homeless son who has been arrested for murder.

I didn't hate the book but I didn't love it either. The concept of a corrupt forensic scientist is creative, although the character went from good to unbelievably horrible a little too quickly. It drove me crazy that Margolin spends half a chapter developing a character only to kill him/her. I read a lot of books and it's hard enough to remember the main character's name, let alone a minor one who dies 10 pages after being introduced. I also thought it was pretty poorly written and that surprised me. But what surprised me the most is that it was very similar to some of the thrillers I have read. I lean towards political thrillers but I have read a few cop thrillers and this wasn't that different. It has made me start thinking about the difference between a mystery and a thriller. To me, a thriller can have elements of a mystery but must have a fast-moving plot with many twists and turns. I also find that there is clear evil and clear good, with little gray. A mystery can be less plot driven, move more slowly and be more descriptive. Proof Positive is a whirlwind of a read, with little character development and tons of action. The library catalogs Proof Positive as general fiction. This makes me think that I made a mistake and the book falls into the thriller category and not mystery. What do you all think?