Stalking Susan

If a book ever called out to be turned into a movie, it's this one. Bernadette Dunne excels as the narrator of this engaging novel about a television reporter who investigates a series of murders of women named Susan, which take place every year on a specific day. Dunne's faithful performance captures the back-stabbing intrigue of the newsroom, the political wrangling of police and politicians in a major city, and a love of dogs. She makes listeners want to know these people, some of them anyway, with an energetic performance that just sucks you in. When she lends voice to male roles, she does it so subtly the listener will scarcely remember the gender difference. And it's great that the ending is a shocker. M.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 19, 2008
Kramer's impressive debut, a thriller, introduces Riley Spartz, a Twin Cities investigative TV journalist. Riley's favorite source, a former Minneapolis homicide detective, suspects a serial killer is behind two cold murder cases of women named Susan strangled on November 19 one year apart. Still grieving for her late patrolman husband, Riley relishes the distraction of a possible hot story. After discovering that a raincoat links the two victims, one a 26-year-old waitress, the other a teen prostitute, Riley unearths other cases that may fit the pattern, including the apparently solved murder of a former Miss Duluth and the suspicious suicide of a terminally ill woman. Kramer, a freelance television producer, delivers more than another ho-hum remix of a 48 Hours
episode thanks to a snappy subplot—Riley's exposure of a bad veterinarian doing scam pet cremations. Readers will look forward to seeing a lot more of the appealing Riley, who cares about justice as much as snagging at least a 40 audience share.

Starred review from December 15, 2008
Drawing on her experience as a TV news producer, Kramer has crafted an engrossing and suspenseful debut thriller focusing on investigative reporter Riley Spartz and full of memorable characters and convincing insight into broadcast journalism. Bernadette Dunne, whose Audie® Award-nominated reading of Elizabeth Cohen's The House on Beartown Road was a Best Audiobook of 2004 (LJ 6/1/04), skillfully captures the story's personalities and emotions while maintaining pace and tension. A compelling and addictive production; highly recommended for public libraries. [Audio clip available through library.booksontape.comLJ 7/08.Ed.]Melody A. Moxley, Rowan P.L., Salisbury, NC

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