Lullaby
Sherry Scarpaci
Five Star, Sep 2007, $25.95
ISBN: 9781594145834

Following the death of her beloved detective spouse Danny in the line of duty, cop Vicky Langford left the Westport police force to become a crime reporter for the Herald. She always felt crime king Richard Blackwell killed her husband and wounded his partner, who since recovered.

At a murder scene, Vicky meets the newest detective Jim McCann, a former Seattle cop who directs her to leave as reporters are not wanted at the crime scene (or anywhere else). He later learns her godfather, chief of police Paxton, has made an exception with her because she has helped them solve cases even though she no longer is a cop. However, when someone breaks into her home, Vicky realizes her obsession endangers her young son eighteen-month-old Josh so she plans to back off her investigation of Blackwell. However, that does not stop the Dark Man's stalking her from continuing his terrorist assault on her by apparently raising the stakes culminating with the abduction of Josh. As Vicky and Jim are falling in love, she risks her life to save her beloved infant from the Dark Man.

LULLABY is an exciting suspense thriller starring an interesting heroine struggling to move past the death of her spouse for the sake of their offspring, but unable to let go of his murder until the newcomer gets her to see the danger she causes to her son. The Dark Man's motive strongly parallels Vicky's obsession to see Blackwell go down. Although the romantic subplot between Vicky and Jim seems out of place, fans of tense mysteries will appreciate Sherry Scarpaci's strong debut.

Harriet Klausner