Cleo Coyle, Through the Grinder

Through the Grinder

Cleo Coyle

Berkley, Oct 2004, $5.99, 288 pp.

ISBN: 042519714X

After divorcing her husband Matteo, Clare took their daughter to New Jersey where they went suburban for a decade until Joy accepts a school in Manhattan. Clare eagerly agrees to a job offer by her former mother- in-law in the family-owned business The Village Blend so that she can be near Joy. She relocates to a duplex above the store while her daughter and her former mother-in-law hope that is the first step in binging Clare and her ex-husband Matt together.

Clare is more interested in monitoring Joy's men rather than meeting any males for herself. During a social gala hosted above the Village Blend, Clare meets and falls in love with Bruce Bowman; he reciprocates her feelings. Clare's friend, Detective Mike Quinn, warns her to avoid Bruce because he is the prime suspect in the murders of three women that he knew whose deaths were disguised as suicides. Clare refuses to believe Bruce is capable of homicide and with the help of Matt sets out to affirm her belief.

THROUGH THE GRINDER is a fascinating mystery, mostly because readers see the killer's point of view as he strikes at the victims. Though the logic why Bruce is a lead suspect seems thin, Quinn's jealousy forces him to rationalize his opinion. Though the tale takes a little time to introduce the cast once Clare takes Manhattan, readers gain an engrossing amateur sleuth, serial killer that stars a brave, quirky heroine.

Harriet Klausner