Category: Mystery
Publisher: MacAdam/Cage
ISBN: 9781596922778
Series: DI Tartaglia, #1
Pub. Date: October 2007
Date Read: July 2008
"Do you feel the attraction of the void? Do you feel the pull as you look over the edge of a high place, knowing that you're only a second away from death if you choose?"
Detective Inspector Mark Tartaglia reads this email that fourteen-year-old Gemma Kramer received and knows that she didn't jump to her death as was being assumed by others on the police force. He had a feeling that there was something more to the teen's death and the case is picking up momentum as he finds three more deaths similar in circumstances to Gemma's.
The key is to find out who Gemma kissing at the entrance to St. Sebastian's church just moments before she died. DI Tartaglia fears that the same man who approached Gemma has been targeting other lonely, young women and luring them to their deaths.
Aside from finding few clues to the case, DI Tartaglia is also finding it difficult to carry out his investigation given that he's just been replaced as the lead on the team and on top of that he has to cooperate with some people he'd rather not have to deal with.
The author does a good job of setting up the backstory for the Inspector and populating the novel with a diverse cast of characters. I quite liked his partner, DS Samantha (Sam) Donovan, and look forward to seeing how their relationship on cases will grow.
The only issue I had with the book is that I found it to be an easy mystery to solve. I hope in future entries to the series the mysteries and reasons become a bit more complex.