Jo Bannister, The Depths of Solitude

The Depths of Solitude

Jo Bannister

St. Martin's, Dec 2004, $23.95, 279 pp.

ISBN: 0312337124

Math teacher Daniel Hood and his friend Brodie Farrell, owner of Looking for Something, argued whether the former needed to kill the homicidal Daws children (see REFLECTIONS). Their spat led to the end of their friendship as Daniel, feeling betrayed, cut his ties with Brodie before vanishing. Though her business of finding things, raising a young daughter by herself, and dating Detective Superintendent Jack Deacon keep her busy, Brodie misses her buddy Daniel.

Used to locating the impossible, Brodie decides to find her friend and if necessary apologize because he means a lot to her. However, the difficult search turns dangerous as someone begins an assault on Brodie, which becomes increasingly more perilous. She talks with Jack, insisting she has no enemies, but he says consider Daniel, who he detests perhaps because deep inside he deems the man a rival. Though with lingering doubt, Brodie rejects Jack's hypothesis while the frustrated cop struggles unsuccessfully to keep her safe.

Though the twists and turns never stop coming, the stunners in some ways hinder the pace (think of several miles of a serpentine road twisting around a mountain). Still, series fans will enjoy the refreshing change of Brodie in the lead instead of Daniel. The storyline is action-packed as a series of mishaps assault Brodie with even her wondering if her former best friend from his hiding place could hate her so much. The final spin is clever and will surprise readers will wonder what if the plot remained linear with a secondary theme involving Daniel as by the climax the brakes are worn down from all the meandering.

Harriet Klausner