Kindred Crimes [Mass Market Paperback]

Janet Dawson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1992

When P.I. Jeri Howard takes on a missing-persons case, she's not the only person confused. The vanished woman's husband doesn't even know his wife's real name. But as Jeri digs deeper, she reveals long-buried secrets, old public scandals, and the real possibility that too much knowledge is a dangerous thing...
"A welcome addition to this tough genre."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

California PI Jeri Howard's new case seems straightforward: find Renee Mills Foster, nee Elizabeth Renee Willis, a wife who packed her bags, left her young son with her mother-in-law, emptied the joint bank account and took off. But the plucky and very resourceful Howard picks up a convoluted trail leading to a double murder committed 15 years earlier--a teenage boy's shooting of his own parents. Mark Willis, having confessed to the murders and served his time, is now trying to blend into a small-town community, an attempt made difficult by his sister's disappearance and Howard's investigation. To solve her case, Howard has to piece together events that led to the murders, determining where Mark's two siblings--Elizabeth and Karen, then 14 and nine, respectively--were when they occurred. Child abuse, adultery and blackmail are just a few of the sins hidden behind both disappearance and murder. This first mystery, winner of a contest sponsored by the publisher with Private Eye Writers of America, features dialogue, plotting and characterization that come close to the work of some of the genre's more experienced writers. Dawson keeps suspense and interest at high pitch even for readers who correctly distinguish the guilty and innocent.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

When P.I. Jeri Howard takes on a missing-persons case, she's not the only person confused. The vanished woman's husband doesn't even know his wife's real name. But as Jeri digs deeper, she reveals long-buried secrets, old public scandals, and the real possibility that too much knowledge is a dangerous thing...
"A welcome addition to this tough genre."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 249 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (March 22, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449220141
• ISBN-13: 978-0449220146
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In elementary school, Janet Dawson wrote mysteries in longhand on lined binder paper, influenced by those blue-backed Nancy Drew books she devoured. Now Janet writes about private investigator Jeri Howard. Her first book, Kindred Crimes, won the St. Martin's Press/Private Eye Writers of America contest for Best Private Eye Novel, and was nominated for Shamus, Anthony and Macavity awards. Other books include Till The Old Men Die, Take A Number, Don't Turn Your Back On The Ocean, Nobody's Child, A Credible Threat, Where The Bodies Are Buried, A Killing At The Track, and the latest entry in the series, Bit Player.

Janet was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Colorado. With a journalism degree from the University of Colorado, she worked as a newspaper reporter, then joined the Navy. An enlisted journalist, she wrote news and features in public affairs offices in Guam and Pensacola, FL. As an officer, her duties took her to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives in Alameda. Janet has a master's degree in history from California State University East Bay and can't think of anything she wants to study enough to go back to grad school. She currently works at the University of California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXTREMELY ENTERTAINING, October 16, 1999

By 

MarySue Carl "messisue" (West Covina, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kindred Crimes (Mass Market Paperback)

A great PI series. This book is on the edge of hard core without all the gore. The character development gives you an insight into the feelings of the book and the plot development keeps you wanting to read on and on. I met Janet Dawson at a booksigning a number of months ago. Bought this first book to try "one of these days". When I finally got around to trying it I could kick myself for waiting so long. It is wonderful. If you haven't tried it, for crying out loud, get it. Just don't do what I did and wait for awhile. Buy it, read it, NOW!!!