Dead Air

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have devoured recently. I am not a reader who keeps trying to figure out "who done it" before the author reveals the ending. But I truly appreciate a finely crafted mystery with unexpected twists and turns. Krich juggles several potential culprets convincingly. Just when I thought the ending was in sight, she turned another corner in the story line.After reading this I had to find another title by Krich to see if she was this good or if she just wrote a real "winner." Having read _Speak no Evil_, I can say, "She is a wonderful writer." I also devoured the second book by her. Now I intend to find as many of her titles as I can. I hope her publishers take notice of her "out of stock" and "out of print" titles and make them available as soon as possible.She is an author to discover, if you haven't read anything by her yet.

I waited for this new Jesse Drake book and was not dissappionted in it. It kept me spell bound to find out who had Molly .I enjoyed learning more about Jesse,but I was hoping her relationship with her ex would go in a different direction.I am really interested in how Jesse adds her jewishness to her life as a detective.If you enjoy Kellerman than you will love Krich and her characters as they keep you turning the pages for more.

In "Dead Air," the reader is riveted on the fate of a young kidnapped child. As the story unfolds, Detective Jessie Drake returns to try to outwit the kidnapper, who repeatedly calls the child's mother, radio psychologist Dr. Renee, insisting that Dr. Renee tell his wife to return to live with him. Earlier, Dr. Renee had advised the abused woman to leave her husband, and now he tries to get his revenge.Krich once again has captured several timely themes at once: the popularity of talk radio and ugly tales of police corruption that have lately been uncovered in Los Angeles.As the kidnapper begins to get more desperate, Jessie Drake begins to run out of time. As usual, Krich deftly has the reader wondering who the bad guy really is, and even when we know, we are just short of biting our nails to see how she will triumph over evil. A great read that gets better by the page.

Krich has delivered another suspense-packed Jessie Drake mystery with her usual talent for making her characters believable and compelling. In "Dead Air," Detective Drake is agrees to check out suspicions that her friend, radio shrink Dr. Renee, is being stalked. Krich capitalizes on the current popularity of radio talk shows as a timely backdrop to this story about the kidnapping of Dr. Renee's little girl and the murderously angry radio listener who blames Dr. Renee for convincing his abused wife to leave him. Readers of Krich's other fine Jessie Drake mysteries will appreciate and sympathize with Jessie's ongoing personal problems. In "Dead Air," Jessie is still grappling with her on-and-off relationship with her ex-husband, an L.A. Times crime reporter, and her tentative involvement with her Jewish faith. The backdrop of spousal abuse also resonates with Drake as she can't help but relive some of her own painful past with an abusive mother, who pops up now and then in Jessie's life.As usual, Jessie will save the day in the end, but not without some nail-biting on the readers' part and immediate pining for the next Jessie Drake mystery.

Dr. Renee Altman left her psychology practice to become the famous advice-giving talk show host Dr. Renee. Her career move led to her husband wanting a divorce, alimony, and child support because he demanded full custody of their six-year old daughter. As she struggles to cope with her former spouse's demands, Renee begins to feel that someone is stalking her. She receives strange anonymous gifts, letters with no return address, and phone calls without a speaker. Renee persuades her friend Los Angeles homicide detective Jessica Drake to conduct a discreet investigation.A man calls the radio show begging Renee to tell his wife to come home and bring their son with her. When Renee refuses to assist, the person kidnaps Renee's daughter, insisting that the little girl will be returned when his family returns to him. The abductor taunts Renee on the air, which sets off media and talk show frenzies. Jessica and her partner learn who the perpetrator is, but have no idea where the child is. Both know that if they fail to find the girl quickly, tragedy is imminent.Jessica Drake is a superb law enforcement official, but her personal life remains in shambles though she seeks contentment. She has mixed and confusing feelings about her ex-husband. She slowly is coming to terms with her Jewish heritage. Finally, Jessica struggles with an inner conflict involving her abusive mother and her "see no evil" father who ignored it. Because Jessica seems so real, the entertaining mystery appears even more genuine. An excellent story line is made even stronger by Rochelle Krich's talent for characterization.Harriet Klausner