Rockford, Illinois, homicide detective Mary Catherine Riggio is having a rotten time. Not long after her boyfriend proposes marriage, he’s murdered. Soon after that, MC’s cousin Tommy is also killed. And then there’s the mysterious death of a young computer whiz, whose killer apparently made off with his computer after breaking his neck. Can MC and her partner, Kitt Lundgren, solve the kid’s murder, and can MC find out who’s responsible for the deaths of her cousin and fiancé? Readers of this follow-up to 2006’s Copycat will likely see the plot twists and surprising revelations coming long before the characters do, but that’s OK. The two leads are a likable pair, each with her own personal foibles, and the dramatic element of MC’s unexpected loss of her fiancé gives the novel an emotional layer that will keep readers interested, even if the story itself is rather predictable. This solid-enough mystery suffers from the lack of any real surprises, but it will appeal to the author’s fans, who will appreciate the continuing development of the lead character. --David Pitt
Description:
Rockford, Illinois, homicide detective Mary Catherine Riggio is having a rotten time. Not long after her boyfriend proposes marriage, he’s murdered. Soon after that, MC’s cousin Tommy is also killed. And then there’s the mysterious death of a young computer whiz, whose killer apparently made off with his computer after breaking his neck. Can MC and her partner, Kitt Lundgren, solve the kid’s murder, and can MC find out who’s responsible for the deaths of her cousin and fiancé? Readers of this follow-up to 2006’s Copycat will likely see the plot twists and surprising revelations coming long before the characters do, but that’s OK. The two leads are a likable pair, each with her own personal foibles, and the dramatic element of MC’s unexpected loss of her fiancé gives the novel an emotional layer that will keep readers interested, even if the story itself is rather predictable. This solid-enough mystery suffers from the lack of any real surprises, but it will appeal to the author’s fans, who will appreciate the continuing development of the lead character. --David Pitt