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The Homicide Report

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Universally disliked (at least at the Grantham Gazette), obnoxious gossip Martina Gilroy is found dead by reporter Nell Matthews, shortly after hinting she has news about Nells father, missing these past 20 years for reasons unkown to Nell. Nell finds out her father is alive and working incognito at the Gazette, and after her initial rage, she see this as a chance to get to know her father and to dump all the emotional baggage she has been carrying for years and that affects her ability to handle close relationships-especially important now that she has Mike Svenson, Grantham PD's hostage negotiator, in her life. In another shocking revelation, Nell learns that her mother was murdered and that her father, as chief suspect, has been on the run for all this time.. Now they are together trying to find out who really killed their wife/mother. Someone feels threatened by their delving into the old murder--especially by Nell., who has more than one narrow escape. But what could she know? She was only 8 when her mother died. This is a very suspenseful read, It also developes the characters of Nell Matthews and Mike Svenson., opening the way for future growth in their relationship. And hopefully many more stories about them. Linda Snide

Grantham Gazette Chief Copy Editor Martina Gilroy asks Nell Matthews, who just transferred from the crime beat to editing to meet her in the newspaper basement, affectionately known as the hellhole. Since her boyfriend, police detective Mike Svenson happens to be at the paper visiting Nell, he accompanies her to the basement. There they see Martina lying unconscious. As Martina regains her senses, she mumbles something about Nell's family and someone named Alan. Martina refuses to provide any other information.

Martina soon dies from a suspicious fall. This motivates Nell into investigating what the woman had previously mumbled. Nell soon learns that her father, Alan, was accused of murdering her mother, a fact that her grandparents hid from her. Rather than face a certain conviction, Alan vanished into the night. Nell wonders if her father really killed her mother, and she plans to find out the truth, using all the means at her disposal.

Though r! eaders will need a leap of fate that the murder mystery of her parents could be hidden from an ace crime reporter like Nell, the second novel in the Matthews mysteries is a marvelous story that demonstrates why Eve K. Sandstrom has received many award nominations. The suspense-laden story line moves swiftly forward even as the sub-plot of the relationship between Nell and Mike adds a nice bit of romantic distraction that humanizes the protagonists. THE HOMICIDE REPORT, like its predecessor, THE VIOLENCE BEAT, is a fascinating novel that will leave readers clamoring for more regional tales starring this dynamic duo.

Harriet Klausner