Baby Mine

Janet LaPierre's Port Silva series is terrific. You really get to know the characters as they blend together to form a picture of the community. I love the way each of the books develop different characters as well as deeper insights into the continuing characters. The generational and cultural aspects of the community add to the richness of the stories. The mysteries are original and suspenseful to the end. I highly recommend this series and I can't wait for the next one! L. West, Martinez, CA.

Small towns and villages feel the downswing of a depressed economy as much if not more so than the large urban centers. The small California seaside town of Port Silva is wracked with severe social and economic problems. Schoolteacher Meg Halloran, wife of Police Chief Vince Gutierrez, watches a group of teens attack a homeless person. She tries to intercede, but is beaten up by the gang. Meg goes to the police station to file a report, but the officer, not recognizing her relationship to his boss, blames it on the Mexicans. With employment down, the Anglos resent the Mexicans who are taking away their jobs while draining the local resources. Things turn ugly when someone murders Mexican Esperanza Moreno. Soon a pregnant Mexican teenager disappears. Protests within the town have turned violent. Vince believes a link exists between the murders and the other incidents, that once uncovered, will lead to the culprit behind the brutality. BABY MINE is filled with several well designed who-done-its and other mysteries that blend together into a coherent and entertaining story line that dazzles the audience. Readers will find it nearly impossible to ascertain what will happen from one moment to the next. Small town life in a mixed community is vividly described. The sixth Port Silva novel is pure pleasure as old friends return after a long absence. This reviewer does not believe that absence makes the heart grow fonder because Janet La Pierre is too good a writer for readers to persevere that long between books.Harriet Klausner