An Image of Death
by Libby Fischer Hellmann
Published by Berkley Prime Crime
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Reviewed by Jill Stovall
The lives of two young women from different worlds collide in this fast-paced murder mystery. Fans of Leslie Glass, Lisa Scottoline and J. A. Jance will be thrilled to discover the author Libby Fischer Hellmann and her crime series featuring Ellie Foreman.
Ellie is an endearing and precocious young video producer who manages to fight crime, raise a teenager, care for a father and have a relationship with the man she loves. She describes David as too old for "boyfriend," but too young for "companion." He is too conservative for "lover" and not PC enough for "significant other." And, she dreams of producing the next award-winning video documentary.
Feeling cozy and safe, Ellie works at home in her small neighborhood north of Chicago. Stolen bikes and drunk driving are the high-profile crimes here. Her teenage daughter answers the door as Ellie is cooking dinner, and returns with a package containing a videotape. The tape is blank and Ellie lets it run as she idly stares at the snowy screen, and thinks it is a prank. Her mind wanders--until after a long lead in, it abruptly changes into a surveillance view of a young woman dressed in jeans and a t-shirt huddled in a small room. Her face looks bruised and her shoulders sag. Suddenly two men in ski masks rush through a door. The woman staggers up to greet them. As a puff of smoke explodes beside her the woman crumples to the floor and something dark begins to creep across her chest.
Ellie is stunned. Her intuition tells her that she has just witnessed a murder. Furthermore she feels responsible for solving the crime since the tape was delivered to her doorstep.
Arin's tragic story is revealed in surreal flashbacks. The reader is propelled along with Ellie Foreman as she is innocently entangled in this same dangerous world of murder and corruption. We learn she is from the Republic of Georgia whose husband was in the military before he was killed. What is Arin doing near Chicago? How did her life spiral into crime and prostitution?
Armchair Interviews says: A mystery that will keep you at the edge of your seat.