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Is it some new exotic drug? Or something else? It may be that only the Girl Missing knows for sure… Kat Novak, medical examiner, is not sure what to think about the latest Jane Doe to come through her morgue. Evidence points to a possible drug overdose but if it is, it’s nothing Kat has ever seen before. Her only clue is a matchbook clutched in Jane’s hand, with a phone number written in it. Following her only lead, Kat calls the mystery number and finds Adam Quantrell, who just happens to be at the head of a drug company, and whose daughter has gone missing. Fearing Jane Doe is his missing daughter, Adam gets caught up in the mystery. Even upon discovering the corpse isn’t his daughter, he is determined to find the answers as well. When more bodies turn up, Kat and Adam fear that a brand new drug has prematurely gotten into the hands of users. Neither expects where the mystery will take them, nor did they expect the bond that would develop between these two reluctant partners. I’ve only read some of Tess Gerritsen’s more recent novels, getting hooked on her Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles series so I was glad of the chance to read one of her earlier works. Having not read the original version of the novel, I can’t speak on what changes were made to update the story. However, I can talk about how much I enjoyed the compelling romantic mystery that is Girl Missing. Stronger on the romantic elements than her newer books, we still have plenty of suspense to tantalize even more finicky readers. The mystery plot is brilliantly done and I found myself struggling to turn off the book when I had other things that needed done. While not quite as complicated a mystery as more recent novels, we are still taken on a wild ride through the dark side of town. Enough red herrings are tossed into the mix that I wasn’t quite sure who to trust and who was responsible, much like Kat felt. Some readers who enjoy Gerritsen’s recent works will be disappointed that the romance between Kat and Adam plays as key a role in the story as the mystery does, but I enjoyed having this added aspect of the tale. I’m a big fan of audio books and Susan Ericksen is a favorite narrator of mine. She does a wonderful job of developing voices suited to the characters, so well in fact, that I can’t imagine the women sounding any different in my own mind. The men’s voices weren’t quite as good, but then, they never are when a woman is playing the role. That doesn’t stop me from enjoying the audio version of my books however. Ericksen also is fantastic at her vocal timing, drawing out the voices in the right moments to increase tension, and speeding up to suit the faster paced parts of the novel. All in all, Girl Missing, while not one of Gerritsen’s best works, is a strong suspense novel that shows all the signs of the bestselling thriller novelist she was to become. Most fans would be happy to add this one to their Tess Gerritsen book shelf. © Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2010. All rights reserved. |
Girl Missing Rating:
Posted February 2010 |
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