When a young barker at a seaside amusement park is found dead with a steak knife plunged into his gut, Senior Detective Tessa Vance is called to investigate. Assigned to an unfamiliar Homicide division and having to win the trust of a new partner, Tessa soon discovers a grisly trail of bodies with nothing in common except for a series of gruesome clues left behind by a ruthlessly clever killer.
Tessa knows the deaths form a hideous pattern. But once she and her partner decipher its shocking secret, they find themselves in a race against time--fast approaching a deadline set by a cunning, murderous mind. . . .
Jennifer June Rowe is an Australian author. Her crime fiction for adults is published under her own name, while her children's fiction is published under the pseudonyms Emily Rodda and Mary-Anne Dickinson. She is well known for the children's fantasy series Deltora Quest, Rowan of Rin, Fairy Realm and Teen Power Inc., and recently the Rondo trilogy.
Rowe was born in Sydney, Australia, and raised with two younger brothers on Sydney's North Shore. Her father was Jim Oswin, the founding general manager of ATN7 in Sydney, and was responsible for classic 1960s TV shows such as My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? and The Mavis Bramston Show. She attended the Abbotsleigh School for Girls on the upper North Shore of Sydney.
She attained her Master of Arts in English Literature at the University of Sydney in 1973. Her first job was assistant editor at Paul Hamlyn publishing. She later worked at Angus and Robertson Publishers where she remained for fourteen years as Editor, Senior Editor, Managing Director, Deputy Publisher and finally Publisher. During this time she began writing children's books under the pseudonym Emily Rodda.
Typical detective fare, but well executed and as always had me guessing until very late in the game.
Then again at the end.
And then again.
"If your aunt had balls, she'd be your uncle" is one of the many gems this book wrought and it was rapidly narrated with depth of character throughout and a b-line plot that was exceptional.
Jennifer Rowe really impressed me with how she constructed a murder mystery in this book. It was well crafted, implementing twists and turns, as well as the tension between the detectives working the case. the only issue I have personally, is that there was almost an annoying amount of thought processes from Tessa, one of the lead homocide detectives. We're reading the story from her view, and the thoughts she has can be at times... tiring. Can we say counseling? Always aruging with herself, second guessing... In a way it adds to the story line, but I felt the story had way too much of it. Overall, a wonderful book. Congratulations, Rowe.