Liz Osborne, Masquerade

Masquerade

Liz Osborne

Five Star, Mar 2007, $25.95

ISBN: 1594145384

Near Seattle, forty-year-old widow and single mom Robyn Kelly works as the Patients' Relations Manager at Madrona Bay Hospital and Medical Center. However, an emergency occurs due to a multiple car accident that requires everyone available work the emergency room. One well-dressed patient is upset that he has not been treated first, but his injuries were deemed as not serious. Later, Congressman Jake Hamilton formally complains that Robyn was rude and down-played his injuries.

Not long after she learns about the Congressman's unfair and ungrounded complaint, he is found dead in his room at the facility. Police Detective Mathew Pierce leads the investigation into the chameleon who was a smooth charmer in public, but an abusive, vicious slug in private. However, not taking any chances with her reputation, Robyn conducts her own inquiries, not realizing that unmasking the killer could prove dangerous.

MASQUERADE is a fascinating amateur sleuth starring a dedicated heroine who believes she is not just the prime suspect, but the only suspect. The storyline is action-packed as Robyn and Mathew trip over one another while investigating a media-frenzy homicide. Readers will appreciate Thanksgiving in Seattle as Robyn rips away the masquerades of everyone she works with in an attempt to uncover the real culprit.

Harriet Klausner