A
Picture of Guilt
An
Ellie Foreman Mystery
Libby Fischer Hellmann
Poisoned
Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-073-7 (1590580737)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-073-8 (9781590580738)
Publication Date: July 2003
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): The big news story in Chicago is the murder trial of
Johnny Santoro, a dock worker whose girlfriend has been killed. Most
Chicagoans are betting on a quick guilty verdict, but Ellie Foreman has
doubts about his complicity—Santoro is strangely familiar to
her.
Checking back to the outtakes of a video project in progress while the
murder took place, Ellie finds evidence that could save Santoro from a
lifetime behind bars. It seems the perfect alibi, but the tape is
compromised by radio interference and Santoro goes to jail.
Almost immediately, Ellie's world begins to shift: a suspicious vehicle
follows her, the Chicago mob shows up, and the FBI wants to question
her. She doesn't have answers, but she has questions of her own about
the radio transmissions. Everything indicates someone wants something
from her, something bigger than the Santoro case. If only she could
figure out what it is ...
Review:
A
Picture of Guilt is the
second mystery from Libby Fischer Hellmann featuring corporate video
producer Ellie Foreman.
Though not as powerful as the first book in this series, A Picture of Guilt
is very good nonetheless. For some readers, the plausiblity of the
topical plot will be suspect, but Hellmann's fine writing makes it seem
possible.
Most Chicago residents probably haven't a clue where their water comes
from, and Hellmann takes the opportunity to include a mini-documentary
within her mystery to inform them. The use of the Carter-Harrison crib
built several miles offshore in Lake Michigan makes for a fascinating
and interesting setting for the plot. Mysteries that are both
suspenseful and informative are generally winners.
This is not to say A Picture of Guilt
is without flaws. It isn't a whodunit, howdunit, or whydunit, but more
of a puzzle where the clues are the pieces and it sometimes isn't clear
how all the pieces fit together. Unfortunately, Hellmann leaves a few
plot threads unresolved, so at the end the picture isn't quite as
complete as it could have been.
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of A Picture of Guilt for this review.
Review Copyright © 2003 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read A Picture of Guilt? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
An Eye for Murder
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), November 2002
ISBN-10: 1-59058-035-4 (1590580354)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-035-6 (9781590580356)
A Picture of Guilt
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), July 2003
ISBN-10: 1-59058-073-7 (1590580737)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-073-8 (9781590580738)
An
Image
of Death
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), January 2004
ISBN-10: 1-59058-101-6 (1590581016)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-101-8 (9781590581018)
A
Shot to
Die For
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), August 2005
ISBN-10: 1-59058-185-7 (1590581857)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-185-8 (9781590581858)
Omnimystery
keywords for A Picture of Guilt
...
Location(s) referenced: Chicago,
Illinois.
