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Kate Gillespie #1
Every Move She Makes
Gruesome slasher murders are spreading terror in San Francisco. The pressure is on the police force to track down the killer before another young woman is found, throat cut, body abandoned. Homicide Inspector Kate Gillespie is picked to lead the search with her partner, old-timer Sam Scolari. This is the case that could make Kate's career. But the next victim stops her in her tracks--Sam's ex-wife. All evidence points to him. He goes underground, leaving Kate alone to prove his innocence, or his guilt. Kate has to find the killer before the cops find Sam. Complicating matters is Mike "Torrid" Torrance, the sexiest Internal Affairs officer ever to carry a badge. He's watching Kate, an assignment that brings them far closer than they expected. Without a partner she can trust . . . with a killer and a cop watching her every move . . . can Kate find the truth before it's too late?
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1999
2 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 21, 2021
It is a mystery how I even came by this book. I found it on my to-be-read shelf. Maybe one of you guys recommended it to me. I don't even know how long it's been on the shelf, but I picked it up the other night and what a treat! This is a nice meaty story about San Francisco Homicide Detective Kate Gillespie. Her partner disappears just after his wife turns up as the latest victim of a serial slasher killer. It's a very good story with good characters. Burcell appears to have one other book that doesn't sound as interesting and is out of print. I hope she's working on another one like this one.
November 26, 2017
Totally worked for me, right from the first word.
Loved the surrounding characters - ex husband and new interest.
Liked the police details, the realism of not knowing who to trust and the angst of knowing you can't trust your own partner.
I felt for the partner.
I liked this one enough (and I had to order it used from Amazon) that I've already ordered and am ready to read the second one.
Loved the surrounding characters - ex husband and new interest.
Liked the police details, the realism of not knowing who to trust and the angst of knowing you can't trust your own partner.
I felt for the partner.
I liked this one enough (and I had to order it used from Amazon) that I've already ordered and am ready to read the second one.
March 13, 2018
More. Love this author, I've found another fav. I kept me page turning & staying up too late reading, LOL.
May 23, 2021
First book with inspector Gillespie is probably the best in the series.
December 26, 2010
Synopsis: San Francisco homicide detective Kate Gillespie's plans for spending the weekend with her ex-spouse DA Investigator Reid Bettencourt abruptly end when the department pages her. Instead of being in Napa, she and her partner Sam Scoleri begin a gruesome murder investigation. Apparently the SoMa slasher has struck again. At the same time as the investigation starts, Sam has marital problems that started when his wife, Dr. Patricia Mead-Scoleri, a morgue pathologist, caught him with a clerk.
When Patricia does the autopsy, Sam calls in sick as if he needs to avoid his spouse. When Patricia is killed, Sam vanishes into the city's underground. To her shock, Kate realizes the evidence points towards her partner killing his wife, but still she believes he is innocent. Her efforts to solve the mystery are impaired by Reid's selfish antics, by the interference of an Internal Affairs officer, and finally by a mobster she plans to send away for a long time.
Internal Affairs put Lieutenant Mike Torrance onto Kate's every move. Not only because of Sam being her AWOL partner, but also because Kate was getting death threats. Someone had tried to make good on those threats several times.
The budding attraction between Kate and Mike Torrance is so suggestive and subtle that it's more exciting than if it were graphic, it's probably the most interesting part of the book. Of course, finding out your partner may or may not be a killer, ranks right up there as well.
Kate has enough emotional struggles to be a very real character, but still able to keep her emotions under control professionally while trying to clear her partner of his wifes murder. There was plenty of action to keep you interested, with enough psychological plotting to keep you invested for the next couple of books in this brief series.
Burcell writes with an insight of the SFPD that comes from an insider. She's a former police officer and worked with the FBI as well.
When Patricia does the autopsy, Sam calls in sick as if he needs to avoid his spouse. When Patricia is killed, Sam vanishes into the city's underground. To her shock, Kate realizes the evidence points towards her partner killing his wife, but still she believes he is innocent. Her efforts to solve the mystery are impaired by Reid's selfish antics, by the interference of an Internal Affairs officer, and finally by a mobster she plans to send away for a long time.
Internal Affairs put Lieutenant Mike Torrance onto Kate's every move. Not only because of Sam being her AWOL partner, but also because Kate was getting death threats. Someone had tried to make good on those threats several times.
The budding attraction between Kate and Mike Torrance is so suggestive and subtle that it's more exciting than if it were graphic, it's probably the most interesting part of the book. Of course, finding out your partner may or may not be a killer, ranks right up there as well.
Kate has enough emotional struggles to be a very real character, but still able to keep her emotions under control professionally while trying to clear her partner of his wifes murder. There was plenty of action to keep you interested, with enough psychological plotting to keep you invested for the next couple of books in this brief series.
Burcell writes with an insight of the SFPD that comes from an insider. She's a former police officer and worked with the FBI as well.
December 19, 2013
PROTAGONIST: Kate Gillespie, police inspector
SETTING: San Francisco
SERIES: #1 of 4
RATING: 3.0
WHY: Inspector Kate Gillespie and her partner, Sam Scolari, have been investigating the "Slasher" cases when Scolario's pathologist wife, Patricia, is murdered. He is the prime suspect and promptly disappears. Meanwhile, Kate is in danger and is under the protection of Management Control (Internal Affairs) with her main watcher being Lieutenant Mike Torrance. There's a big attraction between them. The plot becomes extremely overly complex (a normal freshman error). The characters aren't developed very much, and the book would have benefited from more editing. Showed potential but tried to create too many threads which resulted in confusion.
SETTING: San Francisco
SERIES: #1 of 4
RATING: 3.0
WHY: Inspector Kate Gillespie and her partner, Sam Scolari, have been investigating the "Slasher" cases when Scolario's pathologist wife, Patricia, is murdered. He is the prime suspect and promptly disappears. Meanwhile, Kate is in danger and is under the protection of Management Control (Internal Affairs) with her main watcher being Lieutenant Mike Torrance. There's a big attraction between them. The plot becomes extremely overly complex (a normal freshman error). The characters aren't developed very much, and the book would have benefited from more editing. Showed potential but tried to create too many threads which resulted in confusion.
August 6, 2011
A good first start. Kate's a refreshing heroine who will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of the attempts on her life and the murder of her partner's wife--not to mention the slasher cases.
From seedy motels to pharacutical companies, it's a wild ride around San Franscisco up until the surprising finale.
This was a hard book to track down. I bought "Face of a Killer", then realized that there were books that predated it. It took me a few months to get it through the public library but it was worth the wait. It's thicker than most of the follow-ups, but a good intro to Kate.
From seedy motels to pharacutical companies, it's a wild ride around San Franscisco up until the surprising finale.
This was a hard book to track down. I bought "Face of a Killer", then realized that there were books that predated it. It took me a few months to get it through the public library but it was worth the wait. It's thicker than most of the follow-ups, but a good intro to Kate.
August 28, 2014
No spoilers! What an awesome debut novel by Robin Burcell. Really like the Kate Gillespie character, perfect police procedure book, like how she inserts possible suspects, doesn't give it away and at the end, you realize the bad guy was hidden in the story line all along.
Wish I had picked this up years ago. Glad that I finally picked up the entire Kate Gillespie series, taking advantage of them being re-released, the great prices on bookdepository.com and highly recommend her books.
My all time favorite 1st novel has been Ace Atkins - Crossroad Blues (Nick Travers #1), like this one just as much and now guess I have two favorites.
Wish I had picked this up years ago. Glad that I finally picked up the entire Kate Gillespie series, taking advantage of them being re-released, the great prices on bookdepository.com and highly recommend her books.
My all time favorite 1st novel has been Ace Atkins - Crossroad Blues (Nick Travers #1), like this one just as much and now guess I have two favorites.
December 28, 2008
A pretty good story about a female cop. She has to prove that her partner is not guilty of killing his wife and several other people. An Internal Affairs cop has to stick close to her because she is being threatened. A lot of sexual tension between them and the ending leaves the door wide open for a sequal. A good read..
March 3, 2010
Very good book. I enjoyed the pace of the plot and the character development. The author does a good job of not bogging down the reader with needless details while holding reader interest through the story. I will be looking for more titles by this author.
February 22, 2012
This book is well worth hunting down and reading. Really enjoyed the interaction between the characters and the feel of Inspector Kate Gillespie's San Francisco homicide unit. A very solid first efforst and I highly recommend it!
January 15, 2008
Kate Gillepse is a good character and I'm happy to see she is used in later books. I enjoy these mysteries!
September 3, 2008
This is a great series. Read them all wherever you can find them.
April 16, 2009
part of a good series
June 20, 2011
The first book I read in the year 2000. Unfortunately I cannot remember details, only noted that I thought it was good.
May 15, 2013
Liked the pace of this book, and there is still enough of a mystery that I want to read the next one.
May 26, 2013
Really enjoyed this story about Kate Gillespie female homicide inspector.
June 21, 2013
I loved this book so much I went out and found the rest of this series and found she has two series!!
August 17, 2013
It wasnt the best writing but the story got interesting
March 30, 2016
This writer is not my style. It is much theory and talking,.....not much romance,...
She knows much, but in books there has to be more exitement!!!!!!!
She knows much, but in books there has to be more exitement!!!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews