Borrowed Time

April 29, 2019
Clark’s fine sequel to 2018’s Broken Places finds Chicago PI Cassandra Raines still reeling from personal losses and thus reluctant to listen when an unusual case comes her way: Jung Byson, who delivers sandwiches for her favorite food haunt, says the recent suicide of a friend, Tim Ayers, was actually murder. The disgraced son of a prominent family, Tim was found floating in Lake Michigan, miles from his drifting yacht. Under pressure from the family’s attorneys, the police quickly closed the case. When Cass expresses little interest, Jung takes matters into his own hands and stirs up a hornet’s nest of trouble. Determined to protect Jung and dig a little deeper into what happened to Tim, Cass uncovers a murky froth of lies, greed, and depravity neither she nor Jung expected. The delivery of a particularly gruesome present to Cass’s door raises the stakes. Evocative descriptions of the city add color to the action. Cass is a worthy addition to the pantheon of Chicago sleuths. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency.