Book Review: Shadows Of Sin

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Shadows Of Sin     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Rochelle Majer Krich
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Jessie Drake # 5
Morrow, Oct 2001, $25.00, 352 pp.

In Century City, California, at the office of respected plastic surgeon Dr. Bushnell, a patient pulls out a gun and kills the receptionist, the nurse, and the physician. The police believe that this was a premeditated crime of passion because one of the bullets was fired directly into the man's scrotum.

As in any such crime suspicion falls directly on the immediate family. Homicide detective Jessie Drake and her partner Phil quickly focus on Dr. Bushnell's adopted son Ethan. The college student has been missing and it becomes obvious that he is on the run from the police, his biological family as well as his adopted one. By the time Jessie finds and arrests him, she is no longer sure that he is guilty of the crime. She thinks he's protecting somebody close to him and she intends to prove it.

This is a very complex and juicy police procedural starring a likable and independent protagonist who believes in both the law and justice. The author humanizes Jessie by showing her interactions with her dysfunctional family as well as her tentative steps towards embracing her Jewish hritage. Rochelle Krich is a gifted storyteller who knows how to capture the interest of her audience.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner