Through the Cracks

Anni Koskinen Mystery #2

by Barbara Fister

When Chicago private investigator Anni Koskinen takes on a new client, she finds herself working on an impossible case. After spending twenty years in prison, a black man convicted in a notorious rape case has had his sentence overturned. The victim wants to know who was really responsible for the crime that scarred her life. But even if Anni can find out who committed the brutal crime decades ago, a conviction will be impossible---unless the rapist has struck again.

The resourceful victim has uncovered evidence indicating that a serial rapist may still be at work, attacking women with ferocious anger. But as Anni digs deeper, the politically ambitious state's attorney who prosecuted the original rape case insists that the conviction was solid. He believes there was no miscarriage of justice---other than that a violent felon has been released on a technicality.

As Anni's cold case heats up, her friend Dugan, a CPD detective, is involved in a heater case of his own. An undocumented Mexican gang member has been arrested for the murder of a missing woman, and his uncertain fate has gripped the city and fueled anti-immigrant sentiment.

As both investigations unfold, the impact of racial prejudice radiates cracks through the criminal justice system, and it is through those cracks that Anni must try to glimpse the truth.

Genres: Mystery, Crime

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

I'm an avid reader, an academic librarian, and a writer of various things including crime fiction. My first mystery (or thriller if you like to categorize), On Edge, was published in 2002. In the Wind, introducing a new series set in Chicago, was published by St. Martin's in 2008. Reviewing it in the Chicago Tribune, Paul Goat Allen called it "an understated crime fiction gem." The second in the series, Through the Cracks, was published in May 2010. Library Journal said the story "packs a real punch. It will appeal to Sara Paretsky fans and mystery readers who long for tough and savvy female investigators."

Reviews

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4* of five

This ARC came to me courtesy of the author.

I like mysteries and I am especially partial to the cozier ones. This is about the farthest thing from cozy that I can imagine, with its cast of damaged, frightened people hunkered down against the seemigly endless emotional and legal storms that batter them.

And I loved it. It's very satisfying to read "outside the box" when there's a reward like this at the end. Anni Koskinen is about the last person on earth I'd expect to enjoy spending time with, and yet I do. She's a tough woman, but she's not tough in the faux-male swaggering way that's so irksome in PI fiction by other woman authors. She's tough in a genuine way, meaning her strength is what makes her tough, her decisions about her life as a result of the events in it make her tough, and her complete inability to imagine giving up before the Universe is compelled, by sheer force of her will, to deliver justice makes her tough.

In the course of solvng a decades-old rape, Anni fights through some of her personal demons and makes her peace with some terribly painful memories. She's involved up to the hilt in righting a series of very unpleasant wrongs. She's even, for the first time in a long time, daring to think about her own happiness. It's compelling reading.

Fister's Chicagoland is not a place I want to live, but I'll visit once in a way through Anni Koskinen's eyes. Recommended to those who enjoy fast-paced puzzlers, those who have a stronger-than-ordinary drive to see the evildoers in life punished appropriately, and the noir community at large. *NOT* for the tender of sensibility or those unable to endure violence.

[Viccy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anni Koskinen became a private investigator after she blew the whistle on some bad cops in the Chicago PD. She is hired by a rape victim who identified the wrong man as her rapist and he is out of jail as a result. She is determined to find the right man and see him prosecuted for the crime. As Anni investigates, she uncovers the tracks of a serial rapist, who is still out there, committing his crime. His crimes are spread around different precincts, so no one has identified him and linked the clues. Meanwhile, an immigration issue rears its ugly head when ICE breaks into Anni's house looking for an undocumented immigrant who used to live there. Anni is horrified by the treatment of these immigrants. Anni is a great character with heart and compassion for everyone. Chicago is a character in this book, as it was in the first book, In the Wind. Recommended reading.

[John Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and was all set to give it 5 stars except that then the ending kind of came a little unglued heading off into all sorts of directions at once. It’s not that it was bad - just a little messier than it needed to be in my opinion. Still, I heartily recommend the book. The main character is well developed and the supporting cast is also strong, the story is good and it’s nicely paced. I really enjoyed it and I’d gladly read another.

[Star Treusdell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A few surprises and twists and turns that made it a great page turner.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rapist's conviction is overturned, and after 20 years in prison, he's out on the street. Kathy Miller was the victim, and now she's determined to find the sadist who hurt her so badly, left for dead and one of the few to survive. Anni Koskinen is the investigator, now private after years on the force. Anni was blackballed after giving testimony against a fellow officer and is now faced with a justice system still closing ranks against the truth.

A great premise, solid characters and good writing in Barbara Fister's third book, Through the Cracks. There's outrage here, clearly directed and laser focused. Don't know how Fister does it - a full time job, active in the mystery writing community and a productive researcher. Congratulations, Fister - keep them coming!

Thanks to PaperbackSwap.com for the opportunity to discover Barbara Fister! I'll buy the next one!

--Ashland Mystery

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Chicago mystery. The main character, a mixed-race woman, is an ex-cop living in the Humboldt Park area. I liked this better than her first book "In the Wind." I think the novel stands on its own--you don't necessarily need to read the books in order. There may be a second novel that I missed.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

What to say? This is a decent book but it took me a long time to finish - it wasn't something that kept me up at night reading or distracted me from work that needed to be done. I actually didn't remember completing the book, and was looking for it my house so I could take it back to the library. It took me a while to realize that I HAD finished it and had already returned it.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved This Book!

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling characters.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great follow-up to In the Wind (2008), featuring Chicago cop turned PI, Anni Koskinnen. The local details are extremely well done. Hope to see more in this series.

[Carol Ann Hoyt · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like mysteries, you'll like this one. It involves suspense, racial tension, politics, illegal aliens, victims and the pursuit of the truth.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot going on in this novel. But instead of being interesting, it is rather murky. And you can skip over most of the middle part and not really miss anything.