Drawing Conclusions

December 1, 2014
A freegan and a cop make an oddly effective sleuthing team. Even though she's a talented artist, free-spirited CeCe Prentice is the black sheep of her wealthy family. Her father, Dr. William Prentice, is the founder of Sound View Laboratories on Long Island's ritzy north shore. CeCe lives nearby with her brother's best friend, Charlie, clothing designer Becky, and Jonathan and Trina, who specialize in organic farming. Arriving home from a trip on which her freegan friends have gathered discarded food to eat, she finds the police waiting to tell her that her twin brother, Theodore, is dead. CeCe has never lived up to her father's strict standards. Her neglected mother is an alcoholic. But Teddy, a DNA specialist, was the perfect son. CeCe is immediately attracted to Detective DeRosa, who reminds her of Teddy. When CeCe is poisoned by scavenged eggs and then kidnapped on the way to the funeral and almost killed by a mysterious limousine driver, Teddy's death seems even more suspicious. Then his former girlfriend commits suicide, Becky suddenly moves out, and DeRosa flies to Italy to follow up on clues he won't reveal. CeCe's remarkable talents as a sketch artist, which have already helped DeRosa, will reveal a startling secret and a motive for murder. Verne's mystery is a winner, with plenty of twists and turns, an intriguing heroine and an ending that shocks in more ways than one.

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December 1, 2014

Estranged from her wealthy parents, freegan CeCe Prentice lives off the grid with her roommates in her inherited old harbor master's home on the North Shore of Long Island. CeCe spends her time dumpster-diving for food, tending to her organic farm, and sketching portraits. Her life is shattered when Det. Frank DeRosa informs her that her twin brother, Teddy, has been killed and that it may be related to his genetics work at their father's company. Then an attempt on CeCe's life is made, and she's determined to help DeRosa find the culprit. Her ability to remember faces and sketch them accurately may even help crack the case. VERDICT CeCe and her unusual lifestyle make for an attractive protagonist, and handsome, intelligent Frank is an alluring detective. That helps sustain the strange turns the crime takes involving DNA and genetics in this exciting series debut.

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