Every Move She Makes [Mass Market Paperback]

Robin Burcell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 1999

Gruesome slasher murders are spreading terror in San Francisco. The pressure is on the police force to track down the killer before another young woman is found, throat cut, body abandoned. Homicide Inspector Kate Gillespie is picked to lead the search with her partner, old-timer Sam Scolari.

This is the case that could make Kate's career. But the next victim stops her in her tracks--Sam's ex-wife. All evidence points to him. He goes underground, leaving Kate alone to prove his innocence, or his guilt.

Kate has to find the killer before the cops find Sam. Complicating matters is Mike "Torrid" Torrance, the sexiest Internal Affairs officer ever to carry a badge. He's watching Kate, an assignment that brings them far closer than they expected. Without a partner she can trust . . . "with a killer and a cop watching her every move" . . . can Kate find the truth before it's too late?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kate Gillespie, the first female homicide detective in the San Francisco Police Department, and her partner, Sam Scolari, are investigating the discovery of a dead body in a freezer when Sam's wife, the coroner on the case, is murdered, perhaps by a serial killer who has been terrorizing the city. Sam suddenly disappears, leading everyone to think he is the murderer--and leaving Kate to solve the mystery and prove his innocence. She is thwarted, however, by three men competing for her attention: Mike Torrance, the Internal Affairs investigator following Kate in the hope that she'll lead him to Sam; her devious ex-husband, Reid Bettencourt; and Nicholas Paolini, a local crime boss against whom Kate is about to testify and who has been making threats on her life. Real-life police officer Burcell's (When Midnight Comes) latest thriller is fast-paced but overly complicated and lacks focus. Kate's motivation for believing in her partner's innocence and risking her own career to prove it is unclear. Kate is a well-developed character, and the details of police investigation are interesting, but by the end of the story, the central mystery has been lost in the myriad subplots. (Dec.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A sizzler! This smart and sexy thriller kept me up all night." -- -- Janet Evanovich, Bestselling Author of High Five

"A sizzler! This smart and sexy thriller kept me up all night." -- Janet Evanovich, Bestselling Author of High Five

"Smart, tough, and right on the mark. What a great kick-off for this new hard-hitting series."

-- -- Catherine Coulter, bestselling author of The Edge

"Smart, tough, and right on the mark. What a great kick-off for this new hard-hitting series."

-- Catherine Coulter, bestselling author of The Edge

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (December 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006101432X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061014321
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good mystery debut, December 6, 1999

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Every Move She Makes (Mass Market Paperback)

San Francisco homicide detective Kate Gillespie's plans for spending the weekend with her ex-spouse DA Investigator Reid Bettencourt abruptly end when the department pages her. Instead of being in Napa, she and her partner Sam Scoleri begin a gruesome murder investigation. Apparently the SoMa slasher has struck again. At the same time as the investigation starts, Sam has marital problems that started when his wife, Dr. Patricia Mead-Scoleri, a morgue pathologist, caught him with a clerk.

When Patricia does the autopsy, Sam calls in sick as if he needs to avoid his spouse. When Patricia is killed, Sam vanishes into the city's underground. To her shock, Kate realizes the evidence points towards her partner killing his wife, but still she believes he is innocent. Her efforts to solve the mystery are impaired by Reid's selfish antics, by the interference of an Internal Affairs officer, and finally by a mobster she plans to send away for a long time.

EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES is an interesting police procedural that takes readers inside the SFPD in a way rarely seen in a novel. Though the new author makes the classic error of debut writers by cramming way to many subplots into the story, the tale still contains a gritty, entertaining feel to it. Kate is a wonderful heroine and the support cast brings San Francisco to life. Robin Burcell demonstrates talent with her insider's looks at a police department and investigation that will impel readers to want more Gillespie tales, only a bit tighter.

Harriet Klausner

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great but could have been better, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Every Move She Makes (Mass Market Paperback)

For some reason it took me about 60 or so pages to get into this book. Although this is supposed to be Robin Burcell's first Kate Gillespie book it seemed like the first few chapters referred to a prior drama in Kate's career that would have best been explained in a prequel to this book. Once I got up to speed however, this book was hard to put down. Kate is a great protagonist. She is a strong female character that shows very little fear and hardly ever defers to the men either in her life or on the periphery of it. I hope this book is the first in a series. Keep up the good work Ms. Burcell!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Beginning...., November 22, 2002

By 

"acalifornialibrarylover" (Northern CA, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Move She Makes (Mass Market Paperback)

This first book by Robin Burcell is a good read and a great beginning. It has the same pitfalls that many new authors seem to fall victim to; it is not as tightly woven as I would have liked and there is not enough insight into the characters. I also felt as if I had missed a previous book with more of the background of Inspector Gillespie. However, just as "A is for Alibi" (see Sue Grafton's alphabet series) wasn't a true indicator the series' potential, I believe future books by Robin Burcell will only continue to get better.

"Every Move She Makes" stars San Francisco Police Inspector Kate Gillespie, a smart, tough police office with a weakness for latte's and a certain IA investigator that she can't get too close to.... add into the mix an untrustworth ex, a solid mystery, and the beautiful background of San Francisco and you have all the ingredients of a good book. I hope Inspector Gillespie enjoys a nice long run, I am very much looking forward to more!