In a Family Way

May 15, 2005
Bay Area filmmaker Bill Damen is in the process of opening his own business, Damen Camerawork and Investigations, when his cousin Chris' young daughter, Margaret, disappears and is later found murdered. Chris, the heir apparent to his father's construction business, asks Bill to investigate. Was Margaret killed to keep the circumstances surrounding her birth a secret? Or was she killed by Indonesian gang members to scare the family away from a lucrative overseas construction project? Or did her own parents murder her because of her crippling medical bills? As Bill works the case, he comes to rely on his new assistant, the smart, flamboyant, and mysterious Clem, who adds considerable zest to this third installment in an increasingly entertaining series. Details of assisted reproduction and embryonic engineering frame the story, and fast pacing, lively characters, and a vivid sense of place keep the reader turning the pages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)