Full Frontal Murder

Full Frontal Murder was one of the most suspenseful mysteries I have read. The characters were good, and the plot was well done. A great continuation of the Marian Larch series.

Rita and Hugh are in the midst of a nasty divorce that includes child custody of their four year old son Bobby when someone tries to snatch the child. Only the quick intervention of a police officer stops the abduction from being successful. Though each parent accuses the other of orchestrating the incident, the lad's wealthy grandfather believes that a true kidnapping for ransom was attempted. The NYPD assign Lieutenant Marian Larch to investigate the case. Before Marian can dig deeply into the investigation, the case unravels as the lead suspects, the parents, are murdered. Still, Marian inches closer to solving the case when her lover, private investigator Curt Holland is kidnapped. His abductors want her to drop her investigation or they will torture their victim till he dies. Marian, who has always feared a commitment, now has a new fear to deal with: the potential loss of her beloved, who will certainly be killed if she does nothing. Barbara Paul has written numerous mysteries, but her Marian Larch series is by far her best. Marian is the complete woman of the nineties as she struggles with her ambition and independence Vs a commitment to her lover. FULL FRONTAL MURDER adds much insight to Marian's motivations as her personal and professional lives crash together. The Larch books are one of the finest police procedural series because it takes readers to the inside of Manhattan through the senses of a fantastic multi-dimensional protagonist. Harriet Klausner