Anne Strieber Little Town Lies

Little Town Lies

Anne Strieber

Forge, Nov 2005, $23.95

ISBN: 0765310945

Burned out at almost forty and tired of being AN INVISIBLE WOMAN to groping men, Houston social worker Sally Hopkins quits her job. Feeling more like Ms Dyingly Sad, the depressed Sal seeks solace by returning to the only place she ever felt was home in her troubled life Maryvale, Texas. The town sheriff Sally's Uncle Ed provides her work in his office though she has no experience.

Her first case is a disaster as she fumbles and bungles her investigation into animal mutilations. However, she begins to uncover that the town that she thought was her childhood haven is filled with criminal predatory activity. Besides the animal mutilations, sex with a minor, alcohol misuse, illegal drugs and spousal abuse are prevalent. Beneath all that is an apparent serial killer who has murdered three women with a baseball bat. Not trusting even her beloved Uncle, but instead teaming with State Trooper Rob Farley, Sally makes inquiries on all these sinister happenings.

Though well written, readers will have a hard time accepting nepotism (of course the White House cronyism makes it a bit more plausible) of a law enforcement official placing an amateur into investigative scenarios even if it is his niece. The story line is all over the place as Supergal Sal works on five major crimes and the homicide case. Still Sal is an intriguing protagonist who does the yeoman's job of keeping the plot somewhat focused as she solves case after case and finds time to fall in love.

Harriet Klausner