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It can be very interesting to read a well known (and well respected) author's first attempts in a genre. GIRL MISSING (originally entitled PEGGY SUE GOT MURDERED) was written in 1994. In a preface, Gerritsen explains how she came to write romance, then how she grew into the crime fiction genre. In this novel, the crime fiction is secondary to the romance angle, but the book still makes an interesting, if not as edgy, a read. Kat Novak is a medical examiner. The book begins with a body being brought in for her attentions, albeit nearly an hour before her official starting time. This corpse shows no obvious cause of death, but the young woman is clutching a matchbook in which is written a telephone number. Kat rings the number, which turns out to belong to Adam Quantrell, a wealthy businessman. He is very anxious to view the body, but is obviously relieved when he sees the girl. She is not his stepdaughter, who has gone missing. This corpse is not the only overdose coming to Kat's notice. There is another girl but also a boy who is still alive. Temporarily. It is obvious that all three are victims of too high a dose of some kind of recreational drug, but analysis fails to identify it. Strangely (coincidentally?) enough, Quantrell owns a drug company, one which has a research arm and which has a new drug in test production. Of course, the drug is the one that has caused the mysterious deaths - but there is great security in force with all new drugs, so how is it possible that Zestron-L is being hawked on the street? In comparison with Gerritsen's later work, this novel is rather light weight. That is not a condemnation, since all authors have to start somewhere and GIRL MISSING is a promising beginning. In keeping with the weight of the plotting, the characterisation, too, is somewhat light but, again, it shows promise. One part that amused me and made me wonder if it reflected the author's own feelings is where Kat explains why she chose the path of being a medical examiner: 'Found out I couldn't stand being around sick people.' She shook her head and laughed 'Imagine that.' 'So you chose the morgue.' 'It's quiet. It's contained.' Even though I didn't enjoy this early work anywhere near as much as Tess Gerritsen's later novels, I have no hesitation in recommending it, not only as a curiosity, but also as a fairly interesting read.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, May 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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