|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Private Investigator, Jeri Howard, formerly of the Oakland, California, secretarial profession, really has a nice life, and it's one she's pretty happy with. True, her ex-husband, a local homicide detective, gets on her case sometimes, but Jeri seems to find the competition stimulating. Her friend, Cassie, an attorney, introduces Jeri to a man named Rob Lawter. Lawter appears to have been threatened because he's been doing some research on questionable activities at the giant food-processing firm where he works as a paralegal. Jeri agrees to look into things after Lawter gives her the go-ahead in a few days. She deposits the check Lawter writes against her anticipated expenses, once Lawter is ready to proceed. The next thing Ms. Howard knows, her ex calls to tell her Lawter is dead, having gone out his fifth floor apartment window, an apparent suicide. Case closed. But Jeri Howard, cast in the ethical mode of the classic inquisitive detective, decides to pursue her own inquiry, because she feels she owes Lawter service for the check she's already cashed. Her decision brings her into contact with several interesting characters and a couple who are clones of people we have all met at one time or other. Since she has legal and secretarial skills, Howard is able to secure an undercover job at the same food company where Lawter worked. What follows is a lot of crisp, believable dialogue, sharp scenes that build tension and keep the story moving, and some pithy insights into several current social conditions. Author Dawson builds up the story through these scenes and without degenerating into random and gratuitous violence, maintains suspense and thus reader attention. This one is recommended. INNER PASSAGES A SUPERIOR MYSTERY http://www.Minnesotacrimewave.org
Reviewed by Carl Brookins, November 2002
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
