I’d Know You Anywhere
Laura Lippman
William Morrow Paperbacks,
ISBN 978-0062070753
Trade Paperback
Eliza Benedict and her family have recently moved back to the United States after living several years in England. The move was brought about by Eliza’s husband’s employment. The children are just adjusting to the move. Eliza’s daughter Isobel (Iso) and her son Albie are in new schools and attempting to get used to life in the states after being gone so long.
Eliza’s ordinary life is suddenly interrupted when she receives a letter from Walter Bowman, a death row inmate. Walter had spotted Eliza’s picture in a magazine and his letter states “I’d know you anywhere”. Walter had kidnapped Eliza when she was only 15 years old. Walter held Eliza hostage for40 days before she was finally released. This is a part of Eliza’s life that she hasn’t shared with her children.
Eliza’s full name was Elizabeth Hortense Lerner prior to her marriage. After her abduction, her parents moved and she entered a new school under the name of Eliza. Only her parents, her sister Vonnie and Eliza’s husband are aware of the past circumstances until a woman who has taken up Walter’s cause finds Eliza and encourages her to talk to Walter. Eliza finally decides after discussing the matter with her husband that she will speak with Walter. She installs a new telephone line and instructs Walter that the only hours she will be willing to answer the phone is during the time her children are away at school. Walter wants Eliza to visit him on death row. Eliza isn’t the only girl he kidnapped but she is the one who lived. He indicates if she will only visit him, he will reveal information to her about the other that he has previously refused to discuss.
The story of the kidnapping is told in flashbacks. It seems there were many times Eliza had the opportunity to escape but fear that Walter would carry out his threats to harm Eliza’s family held her back. Eliza remembers the many days she was held by Walter and her methods of coping with a horrible situation.
This is a book that I very much enjoyed and would highly recommend.
Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid, June 2011.
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The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes
Marcus Sakey
Dutton, June 2011
ISBN 978-0525952114
Hardcover
The story begins with Daniel Hayes washed up on the beach, half dead and thousands of miles away from home. Daniel is alone except for a car parked on the beach and abandoned. Of course, Daniel has no idea that he is Daniel Hayes. He has amnesia and no idea of how he arrived in the water off the coast of Maine. The car is a BMW. The registration says Daniel Hayes. The clothes in the trunk happen to fit. The gun in the glove compartment is a big surprise. With no other options, he starts driving the BMW headed across the country. The registration says California so that is his destination. Is he Daniel Hayes or someone that just washed up on the beach and lucked into a good car with clothes, cash, maps and even a nice Rolex watch. He wonders how he knew the watch was a Rolex and was surprised he liked the taste of the whiskey left in the car. With no other options available at the moment, he decides he will be Daniel Hayes – at least until he finds out something different.
As he tries to retrace his life, he finds many surprises. He has a wife but she is dead. Or is she dead? That is just another story he needs to unravel. As Daniel struggles to make sense of his life, he finds himself right in the middle of a situation that is extremely dangerous but not one that he fully understands.
The struggles Daniel goes through to regain his memory and understand his life that went before he wound up half dead on a beach in Maine is a thriller that keeps the reader on edge up to the very last page.
Marcus Sakey’s previous novels have been very successful and this one is sure to be a winner.
Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid, June 2011.
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A Bitter Truth
A Bess Crawford Mystery
Charles Todd
William Morrow and Company, August 2011
ISBN No. 978-0062015709
Hardcover
Bess Crawford is a nurse currently stationed in France. When she is granted leave to return to England for the Christmas holidays she welcomes the break from the war zone and looks forward to visiting her family. Bess shares an apartment with some other nurses and it is not uncommon for her to have the place to herself since her roommates all have assignments. Upon arriving at her apartment building, Bess finds a young woman huddled in the doorway. The woman is well dressed and appears to be bruised as well as suffering from the cold. Her clothing is not designed to keep her warm. Bess convinces the woman to take refuge in her apartment.
The young woman finally confides in Bess that her name is Lydia Ellis and she resides in Sussex. She had quarreled with her husband, Captain Roger Ellis, and Captain Ellis had struck her. Eventually after hearing bits and pieces of Lydia’s story Bess convinced her to return to her home in Sussex and attempt to work out her problems. Lydia’s husband was home on compassionate leave due to the illness of his brother Alan. Alan had recently passed away.
Lydia begged Bess to return to Sussex with her to Vixen Hill the Ellis family home. Bess agrees although Simon Brandon was not thrilled with the idea. Simon is a long time family friend who had served with Bess’ father and is very protective of Bess. On arrival at Vixen Hill, Bess finds that plans are underway for a memorial service for Alan and family members are gathering. Bess learns of the tragic death of Roger’s young sister years ago, a death from which none of the family seems to have completely recovered.
Soon there is another death to be investigated when a friend of the family who was staying at Vixen Hill is found murdered. Bess is drawn into the investigation and soon learns more about the family than she ever wanted to know. Lydia has heard rumors that her husband had a child with a woman in France and that the child is the image of his dead sister. Lydia begs Bess to look for the child when she returns to France.
Bess makes no promises but when she returns to France, she does make inquiries. Bess confides in a soldier from Australia who takes up the search for the child. In war torn France there are hundreds of orphans and many of the Sisters carrying for them have to move from place to place due to the war.
The story jumps back and forth between the war front and England and there is no lack of excitement on either front. This is a good addition to the Bess Crawford mysteries and there is more than one puzzle to solve.
Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid, September 2011.
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The Boy In the Suitcase
Lene Kaaberbol and Agnette Friis
Soho Crime, November 2011
ISBN 978-1569479810
Hardcover
When Nina Borg, a nurse, agrees to do her friend Karin a favor and pick up a suitcase from a locker in the Copenhagen train station, she thought it would be a simple errand. The errand turned out to be far from simple and extremely dangerous. When Nina opened the suitcase, she found a small boy, naked and drugged. Should she call the police and turn the child over to the authorities? This is the question she kept asking herself but finally determined that the authorities might not do what was in the boy’s best interest.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother, Sigita was frantic. Sigita woke up in a hospital with no idea how she got there but is told that she was found in a drunken state after falling down the steps from her apartment. All Sigita knew was that she did not drink to excess, she has no memory of drinking or falling and her child, Mikas, is gone. A neighbor tells Sigita that the boy’s father had picked him up but when Sigita is finally able to reach Mikas’ father she finds that he knows nothing about where his son might be.
Nina finally finds out where Karin is and goes to meet her. When Nina gets to the cabin where Karin is staying, she finds that Karin has been murdered. There is no clue as to the boy’s identity or why Karin asked Nina to pick up the suitcase. Nina is quick to realize that agreeing to do a favor for a friend has placed both her and the boy in danger.
The story turns into a race against time with Nina trying to find any clue to help her identify the boy and return him to his family while ignoring her own husband and children who are concerned for Nina’s whereabouts.
Sigita who has reported her child’s loss to the authorities goes about her own investigation into his disappearance and is doing everything she can think of to find her son even though she senses that time is running out. Sigita was forced to give up her first baby and now to think of losing her son is too horrible to imagine.
The puzzle of why Mikas was abducted and the purpose behind the abduction is one that remains a secret until the surprise ending of this novel. Finally, it all comes together and makes for a very exciting book.
Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid, November 2011.
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Dark Mind
An Emily Stone Novel
Jennifer Chase
JEC Press, November 2011
ISBN No.978-0982953648
Trade Paperback
This third addition to the Emily Stone series finds Emily and Rick Lopez on the beautiful island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Rick has given up his position as a police officer to join Emily in her undercover operation tracking serial killers with the emphasis on child abductors. Emily was a former police officer.
Rick and Emily are able to rescue a child that was kidnapped by slave brokers. When the police arrive at the scene, the couple meets Sergeant Lani Candena of the local police department.
The couple feel their trip has been successful and decide to stay on the island and enjoy a little vacation time. It isn’t long before they hear rumors of a vicious murder. Rick and Emily go to the scene of the crime and wait for the police to leave. Rick and Emily take a look at the scene. Once again they run up against Sergeant Lani Candena of the of the local police department.
Lani is an ambitious officer and when there is a second murder, he feels sure that he has a serial killer on his hands. The killings are staged in a horrible manner and Emily and Rick are convinced the killer must be a local resident. Lani’s superior officers in the department are more interested in making a profit for themselves in the shady deals they are involved in than finding the killer.
Derek McGraw, an old friend of Rick and Emily, joins the couple on the island. The three of them work on putting the few clues they have been able to put together in an attempt to locate the killer. Sgt. Candena is aware that the trio is very interested in the murders. He eventually convinces the group to work with him in an attempt to hunt down the killer.
The action in Dark Mind is non-stop. Emily is lucky to survive the hunt. This novel can be read as a stand-alone but I would also recommend Compulsion and Dead Game, the two previous Emily Stone novels.
Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid, January 2012.
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