Hide: A Detective Harriet Foster Thriller by Tracy Clark
is the first book in a new police procedural series. It introduces a wide-ranging
cast of characters and establishes a ground floor for what one can expect going
forward. The solidly good book revolves around Detective Harriet Foster who has
been through quite a lot in the last few months and years.
A black woman in a heavily male
dominated environment, she brings a lot of baggage to her new posting in
Chicago. Others have expectations who she is and those expectations may or may
not be accurate. Word of what happened just
a few weeks ago has made it to her new boss and colleagues at CPD’s District One.
Her new partner, Jim Lonergan, appears to be your classic old school, non-politically
correct cop straight out of Hollywood casting. Like the old rickety desk she is
assigned, he is not fixable, so the two clash almost from the second they lay
eyes on each other. Things are wrong from almost the get go, but that does not
matter as they have a body this Monday morning.
It is also going to be a very high-profile
case as the body was dumped on the Riverwalk. Part of the nearby legendary, Magnificent
Mile, the body has a lot of witnesses. Many of those same witnesses have
thoughts about how quickly police responded to the scene as Lonergan and Foster
arrive to work the case. The murder and subsequent dumping of the body in a
very public place means the pressure is on from all sides to solve the case.
It also won’t be the last body with the
same signature style.
What follows is a complex and very
enjoyable read. Marketed as a thriller, it comes across to this reader as a police
procedural. Regardless of the marketing label, Foster, as well as nearly
everyone in the read, are complex. The focus is on Foster, but the secondary
characters get extensive details about themselves as well. None of the characters
are simple as even Jim Lonergan is a bit more complex than it first appears.
Then there is the complexity of the case
as the read shifts to follow other characters besides Harriet Foster. Plenty of
action, misdirection, and a hunt for a killer drive Hide: A Detective
Harriet Foster Thriller forward at a steady pace. The very good read is
well worth your time.
The second book in the series, Fall, is currently scheduled to come out on December 5th.
Make sure you check out Lesa Holstine’s far more detailed review from last December on her site here.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Z6Gzcq
My paperback reading copy came from the
Park Forest Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2023
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