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BURNED IN BALTIMORE by Louise Titchener Hard Shell Word Factory, June 2003 152 pages $10.95 ISBN: 0759930813 Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Toni Credella is a brave young woman trying hard to make it on her own. She has some things to overcome. First, Toni is learning disabled with severe dyslexia, such that she can barely read. Secondly, she had married a police officer who abused her, and when Tony was forced to kill him or die herself all but a few cops, and almost everyone else she knew in Baltimore considered her a murderer instead of a victim.

As the book opens Toni, is babysitting her sisterıs children for the weekend. She hopes this good deed will begin to heal the rupture in their relationship that followed her husbandıs death‹her sister is married to a Baltimore cop. 

Credella would like to become an interior decorator, but in order to earn money to live on she has apprenticed to an old private investigator.  She is practicing her decorating craft by rehabbing an old abandoned house in a not great neighborhood.  While watching the kids she suffers a break in at her home, a drive by shooting that incapacitates her neighbor and that is just the beginning of her problems. As things escalate, and as she sees how these frightening things absolutely overwhelm the little girl who is her neighborıs foster child, she determines to find out the who, why, what, when and where of these seemingly isolated events.

A good bit of action, a drop of romance (two men interested in her), and a very likeable heroine make for a good novel. I had read the first book in this series and knew I already like the protagonist; however, there is nothing that occurred in Buried in Baltimore that would impair the pleasure of reading Burned in Baltimore.

Titchener uses the well known plot device of having seemingly unrelated occurrences converge to reveal a common conclusion.

In this novel the author uses her protagonistıs learning disability to demonstrate how such a seemingly unseen problem can affect just about every part of life. She shows quite clearly that even hidden disabilities can cripple the spirit and destroy self-confidence. Titchener also demonstrates how determination and courage can help one transcend problems. 

The story moves quite quickly and the author is able to convince the reader that it is possible for an amateur to get involved in these difficult situations. The dialog is well written and the action proceeds smoothly.  Titchenerıs female characters are well drawn and believable, her men could use some work. I would recommend this book. There is another excellent Baltimore author on the mystery scene.