Missing Mark

May 4, 2009
A for-sale ad for a never worn wedding dress sparks Minneapolis TV reporter Riley Spartz to chase an intriguing story in Kramer's slick sequel to 2008's Stalking Susan
. Wealthy Madeleine Post's comedian fiancé, Mark Lefevre, didn't show up for their lavish White Bear Lake wedding and hasn't been seen since. Is Mark, who looks like Groucho Marx, a runaway groom or a crime victim? A few days after Riley interviews Mark's mother, Jean, the mother apparently shoots herself in the head, though the suicide note found at the scene is, oddly, in Mark's handwriting. Riley's discovery of Madeleine's rare disease—prosopagnosia (the inability to recognize faces), which also afflicts Madeleine's mother—adds a neat twist. Meanwhile, Riley is also under pressure to pursue a big story about the theft of Big Mouth Billy Bass, the Minnesota record largemouth bass, from a mall aquarium. Kramer makes the most of a clever, if far-fetched, idea in this fun mystery thriller.

June 1, 2009
TV investigative reporter Riley Spartz has an instinct about stories, and the unexplained disappearance of a groom-to-be gets her juices flowing.

Sidelined for months after her first stab at crime-solving (Stalking Susan, 2008), Spartz now faces the all-important May sweeps period without the kind of attention-grabbing story that could secure her position at Minneapolis's Channel 3. Worse, her cold-blooded boss wants to demote her from serious investigations to spot news, the kind of brainless accident reporting Spartz believed she left behind. Stuck for a story, she finds herself looking into the sale of a never-worn wedding dress and is compelled by the mystery of why a struggling comedian would ditch one of the Twin Cities' wealthiest heiresses. But while the seemingly jilted bride wants to find out what happened to her missing love, her mother's reluctance may have more to do with guilt than with a highbrow desire to stay out of the spotlight. The author keeps the pace hopping, despite the apparently noncriminal nature of the misdeed, and provides plenty of clues (Spartz's inability to see even fairly obvious ones is the book's main weak point). A subplot on meth addiction adds a more serious note. The real draw continues to be the backstage view of the TV-news business offered by producer Kramer, who nails everything from the interaction between on-air talent and producers to all the showbiz hustle that goes into grabbing ratings, even when the story doesn't justify the fuss. There's nothing new happening here, but Spartz is engaging, and Kramer gives her just enough guts and ambition.

Nicely done, if not groundbreaking, with a likable heroine in an intriguing profession.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 15, 2009
"For Sale: Wedding dress. Never worn." This classified ad piques the curiosity of investigative reporter Riley Spartz in this sequel to "Stalking Susan". She delves deeper, hoping the story will boost network ratings during the May sweeps, but her relentless quest for a feature report on the runaway groom ensnares her in a missing-persons case fraught with deceit, mystery, and danger. Is the groom who left his socialite fiance at the altar in hiding, reconciled with a past lover, or murdered? Riley's interviews with members of the wedding party uncover a multitude of secrets, causing the situation to spiral out of control. Meanwhile, competing assignments find Riley exposing a meth operation that hits close to home and involved in a high-profile search for a famous missing fish. Readers who can tolerate a slow start will be rewarded as the book progresses. Once it picks up momentum, it never stops, and the twists and turns keep the adrenalin racing. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 3/1/09.]Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2009
Just months after a close call with a killer (Stalking Susan, 2008), brassy Minneapolis TV reporter Riley Spartz is sniffing out stories for sweeps month when a classified adFOR SALE: WEDDING DRESS. NEVER WORNcatches her eye. Looking for the story behind the ad, she learns that the groom never made it to the altar and has not been seen for several months since. She senses foul play and a potential scoop but is distracted by an attack on the Mall of America aquarium that results in the death of some sea creatures and the disappearance of the states most famous fish, a bass called Billy Big Mouth. Rileys animal-loving boss wants her to pursue the bass story, but she cant stay away from the wedding dress. Issues of class, complications of a rare medical condition, and elements of romance add to the interest of this sequel, which has a surprising final twist and a neatly satisfying ending. Kramer has a winning series here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)