Customer Reviews

Every Move She Makes

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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!

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!

I absolutely loved this book! Kate Gillespie ranks right at the top of my list of favorite female police officer protagonists. She's smart, funny, endearing, sexy, strong, intrepid, vulnerable, able to hold her own in a male-dominated world, but still able to be a woman and feel the emotions of a woman. The author's own considerable experiences in the field of criminal investigation are very evident in the development of the story. The budding attraction between Kate and Mike Torrance is so suggestive and subtle that it's more exciting than if it were graphic. Hopefully, the author will allow them to continue to develop their relationship, and to find a way for them to be together despite the difficult peer pressure, given the nature of their respective jobs (Kate in Homicide, Mike in Internal Affairs). I hope this book is the start of a series featuring Kate and Mike, and we won't have to wait too long for the next one.

Robin, good luck on your Anthony award nomination for Best Paperback Original. I'm not attending Bouchercon this year, but if I were, my vote would certainly be cast for your book!

This is a great book! I picked it up on a whim at my local Used Book Store and I finished it in 48 hours. I loved Kate Gillespie. She was smart, strong and daring.

There was so much to love about this book. First, the mystery surrounding Kate's partner was riveting....Kate's "new" realationship with Mike "torrid" Torrance was so mysterious and romantic. I love them together. Not so with her creepy ex-husband, but I loved to hate him! I can't wait until the next Kate Gillespie book comes out! I believe this is the best book I have read so far this year. Thanks Robin Burcell! You are a wonderful writer.

I've read many mysteries over the last 45 years and this is one of the best.SFPD detective,Kate Gillespie has to investigate several murders at once and gets overloaded with work when her partner becomes a suspect in the latest murder,his wife.This is a realistic look at policework when there is political pressure,exhaustion from overload,and many internal conflicts.The tension continues throughtout the story,leaving the reader without sleep!I liked the heroine and the supporting team.The ending is full of suspense and left me wanting to immediately read more about Kate,her favorite guy, family, and Dinko the cat.

The killer had been dubbed The SoMa Slasher. He prowled San Francisco, murdering women by slashing their throats. Homicide Inspector Kate Gillespie was picked to cover the case with her partner, a vet named Sam Scolari. But when Sam's wife was murdered (a medical examiner) the evidence pointed to Sam. Sam had disappeared, gone into hiding, occasionally contacting Kate.

Internal Affairs put Lieutenant Mike Torrance onto Kate's every move. Not only because of Sam being her AWOL partner, but also because Kate was getting death threats. Someone had tried to make good on those threats several times.

Now, throw in some thugs, more killings, stalkings, jealousy, and a lot of detective work, and you have the perfect thriller story to keep you guessing and keep you reading! I stayed up WAY past my bed time to see if I had figured it out correctly and how in the world Kate and Torrance would prove it! Patricia Cornwell has some heavy competition with Robin Burcell!

This book had me from the opening paragraph and kept me up all night reading. I love reading insider stories and this one is like a video of the day-to-day life of a police officer. The best part is that it's done seamlessly--no long explanations that interrupt the story. Bravo, Ms. Burcell. I'll be standing in line (or the first online) to buy the next one.

I loved this book!! I love Kate's character, her whole personality is very appealing. I was guessing through the entire thing trying to figure out what truly was going on and who was behind it. I enjoyed reading about the chemistry between Kate and Mike Torrence, they both basically felt the same but knew they couldnt pursue their relationship not only because of the case they are working on but because of their positions on the force. After I read this I quiclky went out and bought Fatal Truth by Robin Burcell, and it was so short compared to this one but equally great!! I definately cant wait for her next book!!

I liked Kate Gillespe a lot. She had enough emotional struggles to be a very real character, but was able to keep her emotions under control professionally. There was plenty of action to keep you interested, with enough psychological plotting to keep you invested. I hope this character is the beginning of a series, as I would like to learn more about Kate and her crew at work. I can see this character growing a lot based on this book.