Book Review: Clean Cut

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Clean Cut     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Theresa Monsour
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Paris Murphy # 1
Putnam, Feb 2003, $23.95, 304 pp.

He is one of the most esteemed plastic surgeons in the Twin Cities and is connected, through his relatives, to the people in power of St. Paul. Dr. A. Romann Michaels is married to a high society woman and has two beautiful daughters. After having a fight with his wife, he leaves his country cabin and returns to the city. He does what he does best when the buzzing in his head becomes too loud find a longhaired prostitute to rape, kill and cut off her hair as his trophy.

St. Paul homicide detective Paris Murphy doesn’t realize at first that she is dealing with a serial rapist killer when she is assigned the case of the murdered prostitute. The case doesn’t begin to take shape for her until a Catholic priest is almost murdered in the confession booth, holding the prostitute’s cross in his hand. As the death toll mounts, Paris and Michaels are involved in a cat and mouse game that will only end when one of them is dead.

This is Theresa Monsour’s debut novel but nobody reading this exciting police procedural would ever believes it. The characters are well developed to the point where the reader ever understands even the killer’s motivation. CLEAN CUT is fast-paced and the plot is believable but the heroine is the star of this work. She is determined to find a way to bring the antagonist in so justice can be served even if it means putting her life on the line. She is courageous and spunky.

Harriet Klausner

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