Doubleback
A
Georgia Davis Mystery
Libby Fischer Hellmann
Bleak
House Books (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-60648-052-9 (1606480529)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60648-052-6 (9781606480526)
Publication Date: October 2009
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Little Molly Messenger is kidnapped on a sunny June
morning. Three days later she's returned, apparently unharmed. Molly's
mother, Chris, is so grateful to have her daughter back that she's
willing to overlook the odd circumstances.
A few days later, the brakes go out on Chris's car.
An accident? Maybe. Except that it turns out that Chris, the IT manager
at a large Chicago bank, may have misappropriated three million
dollars. Not convinced that his daughter is safe, Molly's father hires
PI Georgia Davis to follow the money and investigate Chris's death.
Working with video producer Ellie Foreman, the two women track leads
from Northern Wisconsin to an Arizona border town, where illegal
immigrants, smuggled drugs, and an independent contractor called Delton
Security come into play. Georgia and Ellie go to great lengths to find
the truth, and Georgia discovers that you can cross a line, but
sometimes you have to double back.
Review:
Libby Fischer Hellmann brings her two series characters together to
investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the kidnapping of
a young girl in Doubleback,
the second mystery to feature Chicago private investigator Georgia
Davis, with an appearance by documentary producer Ellie Foreman.
Ellie Foreman responds to a request from her best friend to council the
mother of a kidnapped girl by calling in Georgia Davis. Together, they
plead with Christine Messenger, who was told not to call the police, to
let the authorities handle the situation. She reluctantly agrees. Much
to everyone's surprise, Christine's daughter is returned several days
later, unharmed. Christine is so thrilled to have her daughter back
that she doesn't question what happened in the interim, and only wants
to get on with her life. But that life is tragically cut short when she
is in a fatal car accident only days later. But that only raises more
questions for Ellie and Georgia, who continue to investigate what
really happened during the period of the little girl's kidnapping ...
and together they uncover a far-reaching conspiracy that may have
implications for the country's security.
Doubleback
suffers primarily from an embarrassment of too many well conceived,
though not fully realized plot points. The author creates storylines
involving the girl's kidnapping, bank fraud, private national security
firms, illegal immigration, Mexican cartels, drug trafficking,
profiteering from ethanol production, and, oh yes, a radical family
that runs a winery in Arizona. To be fair, these disparate elements are
all eventually linked together, and in a reasonably logical manner, but
the path there has so many detours and side trips that it's hard for
the reader to remain fully engaged along the way.
Another minor issue is the inclusion of Ellie's character in the story.
Though told in first person from Ellie's perspective, Georgia is most
definitely the lead character in Doubleback
with Ellie relegated to at best a minor role. It seems her appearance
here is little more than a contrivance.
Something Hellmann does very well in her novels is to include factoids
that illuminate and help define certain plot points. Not only do they
add depth and interest, they're often educational and entertaining. Two
that come to mind here are how banks can loan money they don't have,
and that not only does the desert southwest have a good climate for
growing grapes, there are actually a fair number of wineries based in
Arizona.
Special thanks to Bleak House Books for providing an ARC of Doubleback for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Doubleback? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Easy
Innocence
Bleak House Books (Hardcover), June 2008
ISBN-10: 1-932557-66-0 (1932557660)
ISBN-13: 978-1-932557-66-4 (9781932557664)
Doubleback
Bleak House Books (Hardcover), October 2009
ISBN-10: 1-60648-052-9 (1606480529)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60648-052-6 (9781606480526)
Omnimystery
keywords for Doubleback
...
Location(s) referenced: Chicago,
Illinois, Arizona.
