Duplicity

February 20, 2017
Haseldine’s absorbing if unrealistic sequel to 2016’s The Last Time She Saw Him finds crime reporter Julia Gooden living in Rochester Hills, a Detroit suburb, with her husband, ADA David Tanner, after a separation. While working the Detroit beat, Julia is assigned, against all the rules, to a case in which David is the prosecutor. Mob boss Nick Rossi has been caught on camera in a hotel suite making payoffs to a former Detroit mayor. Julia wants to reveal the identity of a key witness before Rossi goes to trial, but David warns her that if she does so, the witness is sure to be killed. Julia doesn’t betray David’s trust, but that doesn’t prevent a bomber from blowing up the courthouse, killing the witness and injuring David. Never mind the story’s improbabilities; what matters are the duplicities practiced by the characters, not least Julia herself, who pretends she doesn’t feel a thing anymore for her handsome, charismatic, save-the-day ex-boyfriend, Det. Raymond Navarro, who figures prominently at the thrilling climax. Agent: Priya Doraswamy, Lotus Lane Literary.

January 15, 2017
A Detroit crime reporter is still haunted by a 30-year-old mystery in her own family.Julia Gooden's already dysfunctional family was split apart when her 9-year-old brother vanished and was never found, feeding her paranoia over the safety of her own two sons. Julia has split up with her husband, David Tanner, a prosecutor for the district attorney's office, but is now pursuing a trial plan to get back together with him. When Julia's interest in the real story about Detroit's reputed crime boss, Nick Rossi, conflicts with David's latest case, she goes to other sources, like her former boyfriend police Detective Raymond Navarro and his partner, Leroy Russell, to get some dirt on Rossi's upcoming trial. Julia cannot winkle the identity of a new witness out of David, but plenty of other people know it's Sammy Biggs, and plans have been made to prevent him from testifying. When a bomb goes off as Julia and Navarro approach the courthouse, her first thought is for her son Logan, who's on a class trip to the courthouse. Biggs and several other people are killed and David is severely injured, but Logan escapes unharmed. As her husband clings to life in the hospital, Julia, already paranoid about her family's safety, resolves to find out what happened. Working her sources hard, she comes up with some information she wasn't prepared to hear, including some about her husband's love affairs. With Navarro's help, Julia starts to untangle a complex series of crimes. Now if only she lives to file the story... Haseldine (The Last Time She Saw Him, 2016) uses her experience as a crime reporter to bring authenticity to this exciting and gritty tale, though it has perhaps a few too many complications for a smooth flow.

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February 1, 2017

Detroit crime reporter Julia Gooden returns in this sophomore novel from Haseldine (The Last Time She Saw Him). Still haunted by her brother's long-ago disappearance and recovering from a series of agonizing ordeals that shook her family, Julia's now covering the criminal trial of Nick Rossi. Her husband, David, an assistant district attorney, is at the helm of the case in which Rossi is charged with bribery and drug trafficking. At home, the couple struggle to save their marriage in the wake of an affair; their relationship is dicey at best. Meanwhile, Julia--independent, driven, and stubborn--doggedly pursues the Rossi case with the help of her ex, the affable Det. Raymond Navarro. When a bomb explodes at the courthouse, injuring her husband and literally killing the case against Rossi, Julia is thrown into another whirlwind of red herrings, political ambition, revenge, and danger. VERDICT Haseldine has a gift for atmosphere, setting, and suspense, and the many twists and turns will keep readers guessing. This will appeal to fans of the author's first work, and those who appreciate crime-driven thrillers.--Erin Entrada Kelly, Haverford, PA

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