Madeline Dare's not real sure she likes herself, and she sure doesn't like where she is in life, stuck in lower middle class Syracuse, NY, putting her journalism skills to work covering important subjects like "Hot Drinks for Winter." It's not so much the let-down from growing up in a society family with "money so old there's none left" - she's rejected all that too - as it is feeling like just another piece of jetsam in a city built of it.

But then she's handed a pair of dog tags found near a 20 year old murder site, tags bearing the unusual name of her favorite cousin. And nothing is ever going to be the same.

Frustrated disgust over her life may not have been enough to kick Maddie out of her rut, but that shock certainly is. She is curious about the murdered Rose girls but now she has to find out what happened, no matter where that search might take her or what it might cost her. Digging into family secrets has never been pretty, but this looks like a mess that might even make life in Syracuse shine by comparison.

An impressive mystery / suspense debut with some great characterization and some gorgeous prose wrapped around an intriguing puzzle. All of it told by a memorable heroine whose distinctive voice you'll hear in your head long after you turn the last page. Recommended.