When a former CIA operative and private investigator Mari Ellwyn starts digging into the blackmail case of a federal appellate judge, she becomes targeted by a van following her, threatening notes in her mailbox, and a breach of her home. Teaming up with seasoned investigator and former detective, Derek Abernathy, the crime-savvy pair begin looking into the wrongful death of a mentally-ill college student, Sophie Michaud, as well as two journalists – one dead, one missing, who were writing a story on the dead college student with allegations of her connection to the federal judge. The two investigators must uncover the truth about Sophie Michaud before her killer makes them their next target. But more importantly, Mari needs to find her missing father and reconcile her broken past and family.
When a former CIA operative and private investigator Mari Ellwyn starts digging into the blackmail case of a federal appellate judge, she becomes targeted by a van following her, threatening notes in her mailbox, and a breach of her home. Teaming up with seasoned investigator and former detective, Derek Abernathy, the crime-savvy pair begin looking into the wrongful death of a mentally-ill college student, Sophie Michaud, as well as two journalists – one dead, one missing, who were writing a story on the dead college student with allegations of her connection to the federal judge. The two investigators must uncover the truth about Sophie Michaud before her killer makes them their next target. But more importantly, Mari needs to find her missing father and reconcile her broken past and family.
Nothing good ever happened on a day you spilled black coffee on a white silk shirt. I jerked upright at 7:55 a.m. having missed a seven o’clock meeting with a prospective buyer, still plagued with the thought of the dark gray van tailing me again last night. Sure, I could tell myself fairy tales about how prosaic gray was for an automobile color, or how Ocean Park was a suburban neighborhood with lots of kids that required transport. But that was no soccer mom in the van.
The first note arrived with uncanny speed, almost too soon when you consider how many steps are involved in investigating a murder. I mean, I’d barely scratched the surface when I came home and found an index card in my mailbox. Handwritten in tall thin letters with a fine, red Sharpie, “STOP”. And back then, I’d barely started. I thought it was some kind of joke instigated by my senile neighbor who digs up objects from her front yard and delivers them to our front porches.
By the time I’d taken the judge’s first two blackmail notes to the forensics team I contract work out to, a second card arrived—this time in a plain, white business envelope, no return address, same message. This told me two things: whomever was threatening Appellate Court Judge Conrad McClaren was somehow threatened by my investigating the matter, and that finding the “who” and “why” now held more significance than I thought. But there was a third reason, one I’d barely even acknowledged to myself, about why I had to find these answers. The fate of my family and my heart depended on it.
Mari E. That's what she wants to be known by when she's a private investigator; researching in messy buns and hoodies. But Marissa Ellwyn lives in another world of high end art dealing, designer labels, and the upper echelon of class.
This book is a fast-paced detective mystery where we see Mari's two worlds collide. She starts out looking for a person who is blackmailing a federal judge and finds herself sorting through a tangled web of loose ends. Her father disappeared a year ago after Mari encountered a traumatic injury from a notorious drug lord. Somehow, she knows if she can put all of the pieces together she can find her father.
Mari is definitely my favorite character in this book. She is witty, smart, and keeps her cool in stressful situations. But more than that, she's a well rounded character who asks for help when she needs it and handles her problems. It's nice to see a strong female character that doesn't follow the same "I'm one of the boys" mentalities. She has a background, inner demons she fights with, and (from my impression) balances masculine and feminine energies well.
She brings Derek into the investigation - a former LAPD officer who also has some demons to face regarding a case gone wrong - as her backup and partner. His character matches Mari well, giving her another brain to bounce ideas off of and aide her in her investigation.
The character I would have liked to see more of was Duga. He seems like a secondary/supporting character but his presence in the book was like a warm hug from your dad. He's protective and caring. He's a really big part of Mari's life but I kept wondering when he was coming back in the picture.
The chapters are short which helps the story feel more fast-paced. I whipped through this book in just a few days. The author's style of writing was on point with how I imagined Mari would actually talk, in other words, it felt like real-life dialogue. I didn't find any flat or boring sub-plots in this book. Also, the author did a great job of not over-explaining anything so the reader can come to their own conclusion at the same time the characters reach theirs.
Overall, I feel this was a great read for anyone that enjoys mysteries.