Missing Persons

A Kate Conway Mystery

Clare O’Donohue

Plume

ISBN: 978-0-452-29706-7

280 pp., $15.00

Reviewed by Dorothy Francis

Pick out an easy chair and schedule several uninterrupted reading sessions before you open the cover of Missing Persons by Clare O’Donohue. You’ll want to continue reading this unusual and fast-paced mystery novel until you reach the end. And then, you may want to go back and read special spine-chilling and poignant parts of it again.

The author, a freelance television writer and producer, writes about what she knows about. Readers reap that zing of reality from every sentence and every chapter—beginning to end. The characters are well-drawn. You might meet any of them in your own hometown. The intriguing plot twists from the red-herrings to the revealing of the villain will hold you spellbound.

The story begins by showing Crime TV producer Kate Conway’s job that requires gaining the trust of unsuspecting interviewees in order to capture their story on camera, preferably while they cry on cue. But during her work on a case, Kate’s soon to be ex-husband, Frank, turns up dead from unknown causes. Kate finds herself on the other side of questioning when authorities suspect she caused Frank’s death.

Trying to squelch her fears and frustrations, Kate throws herself into work on the TV story of Theresa Moretti, a seemingly angelic young woman who disappeared a year ago. But was Theresa as angelic as people thought? As Kate begins to try to learn more about Theresa, Kate finds a dead bird wrapped as a gift on her doorstep, someone enters her home while she’s away, and Theresa’s body is found. To add to all this, Kate’s ex-husband’s mistress appears, wanting to be Kate’s friend.

Kate realizes she needs to work fast before another body turns up—her own.

If you want to know more, you’ll have to read the book. Lock your doors. Take the phone off the hook.

I highly recommend this book.

Copyright 2011 Dorothy Francis

Senseless

Mary Burton

ISBN: 978-1-4201-1019-7

Zebra Books, Kensington Publishing Corp.

Reviewed by Marlene Pyle

Eva Rayburn has just been released from prison after ten years. She was convicted of a murder she isn’t sure she committed. She’d been celebrating the end of her freshman year of college with her sorority sisters, but the party turned into a terrible nightmare.

When the others had gone out to get more wine, Eva was left alone in the house until one of the other girls’ boyfriend showed up. Eva had never felt comfortable around Josiah, always sensing violence and anger that lurked just beneath his charming exterior, and unfortunately she’d been right. Josiah had brutally raped her that night, and then he was killed in a sudden blaze that overtook the sorority house. Eva herself had barely escaped.

Eva had blacked out and remembers little about that awful night. She told her story to the police, but . Josiah came from a wealthy and powerful family and no had believed her. The fire had been set deliberately and Eva had been blamed.

Now, she just wants to start over. She isn’t looking for revenge. She just wants a chance to have a normal life. She’s working two jobs and trying to go back to school. But soon after her release, her former sorority sisters, who all testified against her at the trial, are murdered one by one. The police aren’t sure if Eva is a suspect or the next victim.

This thriller will keep you guessing until the surprise ending. It does get a little confusing as the story draws to its conclusion. Some of the pieces did not fit perfectly in my opinion, but the characters are well-drawn and the plot moves quickly. This is a mystery that will satisfy any suspense lover.

Copyright ©2011 Marlene Pyle

Disclosure of Material Connection

I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.

Set the Night on Fire

Libby Fischer Hellmann

ISBN: 978-0-9840676-5-7

Allium Press of Chicago

346 pages

Reviewed by Marlene Pyle

They say first impressions count for a lot, but sometimes they can be misleading. Such was the case with this novel. The opening chapters left me slightly confused. It starts out in the present, but the real story takes place in Chicago forty years ago. We are quickly introduced to a fairly large cast of characters, but their relationship to one another is unclear.

The main character is Dar Gantner, recently released from prison for his part in a political bombing in the late 1960’s in which three people were killed. Gantner, then in this early 20’s was convicted and has spent the last four decades behind bars. Upon his release, his first calls are to a woman he calls Rain and a man named Teddy. It appears that he has had no contact with these people during his incarceration, and he knows little about their current lives.

At his first meeting with Rain, he asks a lot of questions about people named Alix, Casey and Payton, but again, his relationship to them is not explained. It does not seem as though he has ever been romantically involved with Rain, nor is there any family connection, and the two do not give the impression of having been particularly close friends. The reader is left wondering why Dar has contacted this woman and why she has agreed to see him.

By chapter two, things were still vague. More minor characters are introduced and I was beginning to think this was never going to come together to form a cohesive story. But in chapter three, things started to fall into place and make sense, and from then on, the story is gripping.

Dar is not an innocent man. He was responsible for the bombing, but he didn’t act alone. His partners however, were never arrested. One of them, Teddy, has risen to political prominence and the other is dead. Besides Dar, there are only two other people alive who know the truth. One of them is Rain. Shortly after she meets with Dar, she is killed. It seems Teddy wants to be sure the secret is kept.

The last member of the group is Casey. It isn’t long before he dies in a fire. His grown daughter, Lila, is suspicious and she may have too much information. Dar has never met Lila. He seeks her out in order to protect her, but he too has secrets.

This novel offers a glimpse of the turbulent political climate of the 60’s and of people who were willing to do whatever it took to enact change, even if that meant going too far. Their actions are deplorable, but the reader is so drawn into their lives, and their motivations that it almost seems the logical thing to do. Hellman has made the era real and understandable with a blend of history, politics and fiction. Despite a slow start, her novel is an engrossing and deeply moving story.

Disclaimer: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.

Copyright 2010 Marlene Pyle