First Impression

I've never read one of Margot Daltons books before. I couldn't put it down. The main character is very likeable. I'm especially excited because I've found a new "series" to read. I've already ordered the next two books in the series.

Detective Jackie Kaminsky is on a child kidnapping case. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot to go on. It happened in a mall broad daylight, with no witnesses/clues whatsoever. Further investigation reveals that the parents were in a custody battle, yet neither seems to have him. When carpenter Paul Arnussen comes forward to help the police by citing his psychic episode, he rockets to the top of their very short list. This is a whodunnit story steeped in police procedures, featuring a cop that cares--even if her own life ain't no bed of roses. I'll definitely look forward to seeing more of Jackie Kaminsky. I'd also recommend ALL of J.D. Robb's works.

Thank goodness for something different--the Jackie books go counter to the trend of unrealistic heroines who are supposedly tough and vulnerable, but are basically phony. Jackie is tough. Jackie is vulnerable. And best of all, Jackie is real. What a treat to read about a heroine who isn't Superwoman in a story that is really a story.

---- Michael Pansesivic is selecting a toy for himself when his mother leaves him alone to go to another store. When she returns, Michael is missing. The police investigate the case as if it is another child abduction even though there is no evidence to indicate that a family member took the child. They base their conclusion on the fact that Michael's parents were in the middle of a custody battle. Psychic Carpenter Paul Arnussen enters the investigation by claiming to have had a flash vision of Michael living underground in an area near a large chicken. The police including Detective Jackie Kaminsky dismiss the man as a nut. Soon Paul becomes the prime suspect. Jackie finds it tough treating Paul as a suspect because she is very attracted to him, but she does not intend to allow her feelings to interfere with solving the case. When a double homicide is committed with Paul being the only one on the premises, Jackie is forced to arrest him. His explanation seems implausible, but if Jackie takes the rational course that she is trained to follows, it is possible that the real killer and kidnapper will go free. Margot Dalton follows in the footsteps of Sandra Brown, successfully making the transition from romance to romantic suspense with an ease that will dub her as one of the rising stars in the sub-genre. There is another Jackie Kaminsky novel being published next year and it is this reviewer's fervent belief that it will not be the last because the genre needs an influx of new talent that will raise its standard of excellence to an even higher level of quality. Harriet Klausner