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Locked In
Sharon McCone Mystery #26

by Marcia Muller

     

It’s not everyday that you come across a book that you can't put down.  I found this one to be just that kind of book!

The writing style of Marcia Muller is eloquent yet natural.  She is very descriptive in the way she writes, and her stories develop start to finish following a coherent path.  Another part of her writing that I found unique: each of the chapters was titled with the person's name that the chapter was about, helping to keep each character separate and controlled.

Sharon McClone is the owner of a private investigative firm, and her employees have a vast array of unique backgrounds.  Each seems to bring an aspect to the group that the others may lack.  As a group, they work through an investigation from start to finish in a compelling and strategic way.

Private investigators walk around in the dark and shadows, but whether they ever get used to that remains to be seen.  Sharon doesn't seem to have.  A little paranoia is just another aspect of their lives that they learn to live with.  This night—dark, cold and foggy—made everything even more spooky.  It didn't help that Sharon’s car ran out of gas, she had left her cell phone back in the office, and she was already running late for a meeting with a client.

Sharon heads back to the office.  There are no cars in the parking lot and the security guard is nowhere to be found.  As she enters her office, a shadow catches her eye, but not soon enough. Then everything goes black.

Sharon is diagnosed with a condition called Locked In Syndrome.  Not much is known about it, but the reality is that no one ever comes out of it, so death is likely. Days progress and the only way that Sharon can communicate is by blinking her eyes.  Once for "yes" and twice for "no."  Her colleagues rely on her expertise, so they begin showing up at the hospital so that she can help them figure out their cases.  Days go on like this until one day, Sharon takes a turn for the worse.

Each member of her operative team is working diligently to figure out who shot her and why.  Case after case seems to have a hand in this, yet when push comes to shove, things are just not adding up.  Right down to the last chapter, you will be reading each line, adding it all together on your own, and will still likely be surprised with the ending.  I really enjoyed this one!

The Book

Grand Central Publishing
October 15, 2009
Hardback
0446581054 / 978-0446581059
Mystery / Suspense
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Sandie Vega
Reviewed 2009
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