Fans of author P.J. Parrish have a new series to enjoy with this spin-off of the Louis Kincaid series. In this first book, Joe Frye, a homicide detective, relives the haunting memories of her first case which involved a serial killer.
In 1975 Joe Frye was a rookie and the only female detective in the Leelanau County sheriff's department. She had a lot to go up against, from dealing with unwelcome attitudes towards female officers, to not even finding a police uniform that fit as they were tailored only for males. When the discovery of human bones appears in the woods of Echo Bay, she wants to put her skills to test but often finds she's sidelined by the more experienced detectives.
Frye tries to keep her cool and knows she has the sheriff's support but it still rankles her that she is pretty much just being used to take stock of the evidence but as more bones appear she begins to connect the dots and points out her theories when she makes a critical discovery of some Native American symbols carved in the trees.
Along with the murder investigation, Frye must also come to terms with her job and how it's affecting her relationship with her boyfriend. Is being a detective what she really wants and can she withstand the pressure of being the only female on the force?
P.J. Parrish gives the reader a lot of background, perhaps sometimes a bit too much as there is a lot that takes place in the novel aside from the murder investigation and sometimes slows down the pace of this thriller. Frye's character is well-developed and the setting is wholly believable; I found it easy to picture it in my mind. What I wish this book had more of was further explanation of the killer's behavior, and perhaps a different resolution as I didn't feel satisfied with some of the actions by the main characters.
Added 01/08