From Publishers Weekly
The wrinkle in this brisk thriller (Powers's first, after a successful series of Regency romances) is that the vicious serial killer stalking blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girls in the bucolic town of River Oaks, Wis., leaves a trail of sunflower seeds beside each of his victims. Ambitious detective and single mother Lieutenant Sheila Brady picks up the clue, but it doesn't do the police much good: the economy of this small town is based on sunflower farming, and everyone has something to do with the ubiquitous flowers. Sheila is confident that the so-called Goldilocks Killer won't target her dark-haired, brown-eyed daughter, Meg. But as the fall Sunflower Festival approaches, the psychopath sees Sheila interviewed on TV; she is blonde and wears dangling gold sunflower earrings, and he confuses her with the woman who long ago triggered his murderous obsession. To lure Sheila into his trap, the killer abducts Meg, galvanizing Sheila and her boss, police chief Hank Harker, to hunt him down. Powers's treatment of such issues as sexual harassment on the police force and the perils of vigilante justice is more convincing than her superficial rendering of the killer's psychology. The eventual revelation of the killer's identity involves several implausible disclosures, mainly that nobody in town remembered a murder involving sunflowers 20 years earlier, or noticed that the suspect in that case is back in the area again, living under a thinly disguised name. But Sheila Brady is a quick-witted heroine whose courage and moral values make her an appealing protagonist. Editor, Chuck Adams; agent, Karen Solem.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
YA-Sheila Brady, a police detective, and her 11-year-old daughter Meg are newcomers in the small city of River Oaks, WI. Sheila finds herself investigating a series of murders of girls her daughter's age, victims of a serial killer who kills and then rapes them. The murderer appears to have the trust of his victims; in fact, all signs point to someone living in the community who is fond of sunflowers, since sunflowers or their seeds have been found at several of the crime scenes. However, practically everyone in the town grows sunflowers; in fact, plans are under way for the annual sunflower festival. Then, Sheila finds a pile of seeds on her own doorstep and sends Meg away to her grandmother for safekeeping. At last there are some solid leads, and the list of suspects narrows. Then comes a horrifying phone call from Sheila's mother: Meg is missing. This gripping drama grabs readers from the very first page and keeps the suspense building, with occasional glimpses into the killer's twisted mind and realistic depictions of modern investigative techniques. YAs will identify with this caring and sensitive, yet tough and insightful heroine as she risks her own life to save her daughter.
Molly Connally, Kings Park Library, Fairfax County, VACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
