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AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY is the third book of the Suz Figueroa series. The book is slightly more appealing than the average mystery; yet, is a solid addition to this genre. D'Amato combines the police procedural with an intense thriller, which pushes the traditional genres for a successful hybrid. Suz Figueroa and her partner, Norm Benn's, apprehend one of two robbers. Unbeknownst to Suz, the second criminal takes up residency in her attic. Although the reader is aware of this fact, Suz and the entire household is unaware of the danger living above their heads. Due to a major case of food poisoning at a banquet, Suz and Benn's are forced to take on detectives' cases as well as their normal workload. They find themselves caught up in a series of murdered homeless people who seemed to have nothing in common beyond almost superficial similarities. As the story progresses, the suspense increases as the 'uninvited' guest takes advance of Suze's absence to plan his attack on her family. Will Suz succeed in her chance as a detective? Will she be able to save her family? These questions remain until the final pages. While presenting an entertaining story, D'Amato also introduces a commentary on the homeless problem and psychopaths. To a lesser extent, she also discusses the organization of the police department and the steps that must be accomplished by the police to successfully solve a crime. Although the homeless and psychopaths seem unrelated, they are connected by Suze's caseload. The strongest point in her argument on these topics is that the homeless are not necessarily psychopaths or mentally disturbed or unstable. D'Amato's discussion on psychopaths is mostly up-to-date according to current psychological studies on the subject. Her arguments between the characters are not always constructed logically about this topic; however, the statements need to be read in-depth to see the fallacy committed, i.e. it's not noticeable until one stops to think about the topic. D'Amato provides a lot of information about all three topics that can begin to get tedious to an informed reader. Luckily, it can be skimmed, if the suspense of what the resolution is is too strong, without truly losing an understanding of the plot. D'Amato has written a strong addition to the mystery genre with AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. The book is not earth shattering nor will it provide another way of viewing the world; however, will provide an enjoyable read about the psychological makeup of many criminals. If light entertainment is your focus then this book is one to read.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, November 2002
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