Hank Phillippi Ryan has done it again. The author of THE OTHER WOMAN and PRIME TIME is a master at crafting detailed and suspenseful mysteries, and her new book THE WRONG GIRL is her best yet.

Newspaper reporter Jane Ryland and her. . . friend. . . Boston police detective Jake Brogan are both assigned to look into the shooting death of a young woman with two children. At the same time, Jane gets a call from a former coworker saying the woman identified as her former birth mother can't possibly be the right woman. As the body count rises, Jane begins to wonder if she's chasing two big stories -- and if that will make her the killer's next target.

THE WRONG GIRL is fast-paced, thrilling, nerve-wracking, and fun.

Ryan has a knack for creating believable characters. They sound real, act real, and think real, even the one-scene coffee shop clerks. She throws these characters into incredibly well-plotted situations, and ends pretty much every scene with a cliffhanger. It's next to impossible to put the book down, even when you're on your lunch hour.

I must say, I had a couple of questions that no one in the book ever asked, questions that might have moved the investigation along faster. One was answered, eventually, and turned out to be a major point in the plot. The other was sort of answered during a confession, as the case was wrapping up. I kind of wish Jane had thought of those questions, then found a good excuse for not asking them. It's a fairly minor nitpick in an otherwise perfect mystery novel.

THE WRONG GIRL is a terrific read. It has a little bit of bad language and some sexual tension, but nothing explicit or graphic. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery.