Missing Persons

Starred review from March 14, 2011
O'Donohue, the author of the Someday Quilts series (The Double Cross, etc.), puts her real-life expertise as a freelance TV writer and producer to good use in this sharp first in a new series. Late one night, Chicago TV producer Kathleen "Kate" Conway receives a surprise phone call from Vera Bingham, the mistress of her soon-to-be ex-husband, Frank. Frank, a 37-year-old artist, has collapsed after playing basketball all afternoon in the park. The two women meet at the hospital, where they learn Frank has died of an apparent heart attack. An autopsy, which reveals too much digitalis in his system, suggests murder. Kate's personal and work worlds collide as she learns more about Frank's affair with Vera and starts looking into the disappearance of 22-year-old Theresa Monetti, a popular community volunteer, for Missing Persons, a new crime TV show. A well-constructed plot, credible characters, and an insightful exploration of the grieving process make for an absorbing read.

February 1, 2011
A Chicago TV producer considers herself a cynic until her new project draws her into a heartbreaking investigation.

Kate Conway's assignment for a new show, Missing Persons, starts with the case of Theresa Moretti, a young nurse who's been AWOL for a year. Kate's life is a bit of a disaster since she split with her husband Frank, a talented but feckless charmer she met in high school. When he suddenly dies, Kate becomes the chief murder suspect when the police learn that she's due to receive a big life-insurance settlement and an autopsy shows an overdose of digitalis. Kate likes Frank's girlfriend Vera, an apparently nice person from a very wealthy family whom Kate meets at the hospital the night of Frank's death. But Frank's parents want Kate to find out if Vera murdered him, and Frank's best friend complicates the situation further by telling Kate that Frank had been hoping for reconciliation with her. In the meantime, Kate finds herself more involved in the case of the missing girl, who was not nearly as angelic as her mother claimed. When Theresa's body is found, Kate has a plethora of suspects, including Theresa's volatile brother, various boyfriends and a wealthy lawyer who seems suspiciously eager to help. Kate's finely honed interviewing skills will be necessary to find a killer and clear herself in Frank's death.

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May 1, 2011

Kate isn't prepared to be the prime suspect when her 37-year-old almost-ex-husband dies of a heart attack. A freelance TV producer of true crime shows, she finds her work converging in a very uncomfortable way with her personal life. While researching and interviewing people for a missing person story, Kate soon wonders if the two cases overlap. The dual mystery clouds Kate's viewpoint, so we have plenty of suspects to consider as the tension builds. If you've enjoyed O'Donohue's "Someday Quilts" series (The Double Cross), be sure to try her new protagonist. VERDICT Perfect for fans of Hank Phillippi Ryan's "Charlotte McNally" series (Prime Time), this title provides a true traditional mystery with two puzzles to solve and plenty of motives.

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