Shadows of Sin (Jessie Drake Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Rochelle Majer Krich (Author)

Book Description

Series: Jessie Drake Mysteries | Publication Date: September 18, 2001

One of the "top ten women who write superior crime fiction" (Charles Champlin, mystery reviewer for the Los Angeles Times), Rochelle Krich propels her exceptional sleuth, LAPD homicide detective Jessie Drake, into a deadly maze of rage, revenge, and moral complexities in what is the award-winning author's most gripping and provocative novel to date. At first glance it appears to be a random multiple murder -- a prominent plastic surgeon and his nurse and receptionist shot dead in their plush Century City office. But to Jessie Drake, the savage nature of Dr. Ronald Bushnell's fatal wounds suggests a crime of intense passion...and bitter retribution.Following her suspicions, the conscience-driven detective takes her investigation to the core of the seemingly harmonious family life of the slain surgeon. On the surface, Bushnell had everything: respect, money, a palatial home, a loving wife and daughter. But there is a joker in the deck, Bushnell's foster son, Ethan Meissner -- a troubled young loner with dark periods in his history. And the boy hasn't been seen since the murders.Ethan's unexplained disappearance suggests that the runaway knows something; he may be a material witness in a triple homicide or a premeditated killer...or another victim. The search for the missing teenager takes Jessie across many volatile borders -- those between nations, between families, and the razor-thin one that separates love from hatred. But the truth lies somewhere in a harrowing past of tainted blood and horrific personal tragedy. The deeper Jessie ventures into this shadow world of cruelty and secrets, the more she is haunted by the echoes of a lost soul's unanswered cry for help...and by the most heinous crime of all, in which the sins of the guilty are visited on the innocent.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

LAPD Detective Jessie Drake needs bulging biceps to lug all the baggage that Anthony award winner Krich dumps on her in her fifth series entry after Dead Air (2000). In addition to investigating a triple murder in a plastic surgeon's office and trying to clear up another case she's distracted by her nagging mother, her father's erratic behavior, her continued attraction to her ex-husband and the pregnancy of her sister, a reformed child abuser. Then there's her budding relationship with Ezra Nathanson, who is instructing Jessie, recently informed of her Jewish roots, in Hebrew tradition. When Dr. Ronald Bushnell, his nurse and his receptionist are murdered, Jessie and her partner, Phil Okum, uncover a wildly dysfunctional family. After a nurse once employed by Bushnell committed suicide years ago, her husband was incapable of caring for their son, Ethan. Bushnell and his wife, Celeste, raised the boy with their daughter, Adrienne. Just before Bushnell's murder, he discovered the teenagers were in love and forbade them to see one another; Ethan fled. Although the troubled Ethan, a past alcohol and drug abuser, is the most likely suspect, his father, Celeste, Adrienne, a nurse Bushnell fired and a dissatisfied patient all had motives and opportunity. With a complex plot more dizzying than a roller coaster ride, Krich again delivers a well-written, though often repetitious, suspense-packed novel. The compassionate Jessie nearly becomes another victim in a harrowing finale that leaves the reader limp. (Oct. 1)Forecast: Fans of Faye Kellerman and Susan Isaacs should go for Krich, while the upscale L.A. setting and moody jacket art will help attract casual browsers.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

LAPD detective Jessica Drake (Dead Air) investigates the murder of a plastic surgeon and two of his staff. Suspects include the surgeon's former lover, his own daughter and foster son, his disillusioned wife, and the foster son's real father. An interesting puzzler.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company; 1st edition (September 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380977702
• ISBN-13: 978-0380977703
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,676,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Krich...bring on the next one!, November 25, 2001

By 

Marion E. Gold "Book Author & Editorial Writer" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadows of Sin (Jessie Drake Mysteries) (Hardcover)

As an avid fan of Krich and her complex characters, I was not disappointed in the latest tale of Detective Jesse Drake. Once again Jesse is faced with solving not just the murders that are part of her job - but the mysteries of her own spiritual journey and that of her family. The conflicts between good and evil, parent and child, society and the individual - this carefully crafted novel explores them all - and in the midst of a gripping mystery! After catching my breath at the surprise ending, I could feel the smile on my face as Krich carefully set down the tracks for the next challenge our heroine will face.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Constant twists and a wonderful protagonist, January 18, 2002

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Shadows of Sin (Jessie Drake Mysteries) (Hardcover)

A Los Angeles plastic surgeon and his staff are brutally shot and killed and LAPD detective Jessie Drake is assigned the case. There are plenty of motives--a patient has threatened revenge over a botched job, a nurse was recently fired, and the doctor has a history of affairs. Of course the family is always suspected. Yet, even with plenty of suspects, the hard evidence to convict anyone isn't there. And the one suspect Drake most wants to talk to, the adopted son of the slain doctor, keeps slipping through her hands.

Author Rochelle Krich has created a wonderful character in Jessie Drake. Her confused love life (she has recently ended an affair with her ex-husband), her history of abuse as a child, her fear of heights, and her exploration of her Jewish heritage add depth and interest. Like Drake, the mystery in SHADOWS OF SIN comes in layers of complexity with first one suspect, then another taking the primary position, with reality staying one step ahead of both Drake and the reader.

SHADOWS OF SIN is a fast-reading and page turning adventure. The killer is smart enough to throw suspicion off, and to play with everyone's sympathy, yet Drake is a bulldog after the truth. Topical references to the LAPD Ramparts nightmare add to the immediacy of the novel.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Edge-of-Your-Seat Must-Read, December 20, 2001

By 

Judy Gruen, author, "Carpool Tunnel Synd... (Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadows of Sin (Jessie Drake Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I'm a long-time fan of Rochelle Krich, and have always admired her intelligent writing in her finely crafted mysteries. Krich's ongoing development of Detective Jessie Drake, the "star" of many of her novels to date, has also added a deeper personal dimension to her mysteries, as Drake has uncovered some secrets of her own past (in previous novels) and continues to explore her own, previously unknown, Jewish identity.

Other reviews here have given the basic storyline, so I'll just add that, having read nearly all Krich's other books, I felt that Shadows of Sin is among her very best, one that had me really on the edge of my proverbial seat. As with any good mystery, Krich packed a surprise ending, but one which was consistent with the rest of the story. It's a cliffhanger, to be sure. I don't think you'll be able to put it down!