Allie Lindell has been a reporter and obituary writer, and
a stay-home mom in the earlier lively books of the
Allie
Lindell series. As we catch up with her now, she and
her
partner Rae Ann have two kids under four, with the usual
domestic chaos. Then she hears of a dramatic crime in a
gated complex near her home.
The ANNIVERSARY KILLER has struck at Forest Lake, in
Westerville, Ohio, where the wealthy prefer to live. The
security measures didn't stop one man being murdered a
year
ago, and now his business partner, Mickey Callahan, has
been abducted - but found alive - and his house burnt
down.
Allie and a journalist pal Sandy stand watching the blaze
and a neighbour wonders if Mickey's Irish Setter dog had
been found. Nobody knows. Allie is a fierce animal lover
and she decides to follow this track, while Sandy promises
to get her childcare expenses covered by their paper. And
we're off.
Allie seems to be addicted to lying and falsely
representing herself on the phone and in person. People
believe her to be an insurance agent or dog care worker,
telling her anything she wants to know, and she keeps a
stash of false IDs. She doesn't always get it right, as
when she goes to investigate someone on a racetrack while
wearing white shoes and smart clothes, attracting instant
mirth. Business debt and insurance fraud may be the
motives. The fact that a homeless man was found dead too,
just exacerbates the problem of pinning the crimes on
Mickey Callahan. If he's guilty. Sniffing around a stable
too many gets Allie into serious danger.
The constant child-minding scenes will be familiar to many
parents but is an unusual interjection in what would
otherwise resemble a Sue Grafton thriller. Allie's
relationship is not going well but her partner Rae Ann is
still there to support her through a family tragedy. I
was
pleased to see greater depth to the characters in this
third book, while the contrasts - bar, bookies and kiddie
park - keep the reader off-balance and striving to find
some consistent resolution.
Alexandra Allred has returned
to her theme of women at work in what might be a male-
dominated world, revealing by turns the generosity of
strangers and the malice of close friends. ANNIVERSARY
KILLER is a worthy addition to this character-filled
series
portraying the modern struggle for identity.
When a kidnapping, house fire, and murder occur around the
corner from Allie Lindell's house, it's too much for her
to
resist. Despite promises to stay away from murder and
mayhem, a missing Irish setter named Chester puts Allie on
the hunt.
Almost a year to the day, Mickey Callahan's business
partner
was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head and
nothing but questions surrounding his murder. Now, Mickey
Callahan is convinced that the same people are out to get
him. After a sloppy kidnapping attempt, no one takes him
seriously until the body count begins to add up.
The Allie Lindell saga returns with the third book in the
series and more drama than ever as Allie continues the
struggle to hold on to herself without giving up on her
partner and love, maintain a relationship with her police
officer sister and best friend, and keep up with her
caper-loving neighbor who insists on going along on every
stakeout.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy