Backlash

August 1, 2011
Det. Chief Insp. Monica Paniatowski is still fighting for respect in a man's world in Spencer's entertaining fourth police procedural set in 1970s Whitebridge (after March 2011's Echoes of the Dead). When Monika's former boss, Chief Supt. Tom Kershaw, is involved in an auto accident and informs the responding officers in a panic that his wife, Elaine, is missing, Monika is amazed at the overzealous police response. She and Kershaw have a rocky history that's evident from her initial handling of the case, which appears to be a kidnapping and could be a career maker or a career breaker. When prostitute Grace Meade also disappears, Monika finds enough similarities to widen the investigation, though she's warned to concentrate on finding Elaine. Solid ensemble police work narrows the search, including an unusual contribution with a kinky angle from Det. Sgt. Kate Meadows, while some subtle misdirection keeps the reader guessing.

September 15, 2011

DCI Monika Paniatowski (Echoes of the Dead, 2011, etc.) is saddled with yet another case that threatens to end her career.

To a man, the Whitebridge police think of Thomas Kershaw as a good bobby. And that includes Monika. But as a woman, she's found the Chief Superintendent a bad boss ever since he failed to stem the tide of obscene pictures sent to her anonymously when she was just a sergeant. Her uncomfortable history with Kershaw complicates her assignment of finding his wife, who disappeared from their stately Victorian home while recuperating from a bout of flu. Nearly deranged by fear that his beloved Elaine will be harmed, Kershaw interferes repeatedly with the investigation, sending staffers to read files of his old cases; viewing the body of a young woman found dead after a similar disappearance; and interviewing a former sex offender who may have information about Elaine's whereabouts. But Monika finds it hard to set limits with Kershaw because of both his men's loyalty and her own antipathy, which makes her seem hopelessly prejudiced against a devoted husband's frantic efforts to recover his wife. Her previous affair with Chief Constable George Baxter, now happily married, doesn't help her either, since Baxter wants desperately to avoid being seen as soft on his former lover. So Baxter pushes Monika to find Elaine at all costs, even at the expense of other cases, like the death of prostitute Grace Meade, whose body was shoved into a toilet stall on the moor. Monika resists, putting her job in peril, because she knows that only a detached perspective will help her solve the case.

Spencer's apparent determination to make Monika an even greater maverick than her predecessor Charlie Woodend threatens to make this appealing series formulaic and predictable.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

October 1, 2011

DCI Monika Paniatowski (Echoes of the Dead) usually follows the beat of her own drummer, but she's stuck when the chief's wife is missing. We've starred this fine series in the past, so come investigate the fourth entry. [See Prepub Alert, 4/22/11.]

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2011
When Spencer retired her Charlie Woodend character, her fans were no doubt concerned that she could top the series featuring the beloved chief inspector. But Spencer has come up trumps. Woodend's prot'g', DCI Monika Paniatowski, is more complex, more curmudgeonly, and more damaged than Woodend, and she's well on her way to becoming just as brilliant a detective. Her latest case could be her breakthrough, or it could end her career. Chief Superintendent Tom Kershaw is one of Whitebridge's most respected and successful cops. He's solved hundreds of cases and mentored dozens of young bobbies. So when his wife is kidnapped, the entire police force is keen to nab the culprit. Then a teenage prostitute is murdered, and Monika finds herself resenting the fact that this poor girl's case is virtually ignored so that the cops can focus on finding Mrs. Kershaw. When Monika decides to concentrate on the prostitute's murder, she draws the wrath of her superiors and colleagues. But when she discovers a possible link between the two cases, she realizes this could be the key not only to solving both cases but also to saving her career. Spencer's deft writing and skilled plotting combine with an intriguing mix of all-too-human characters and a shocker ending to make for another outstanding entry in this excellent series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)