Plot or Premise

Kinsey’s client thinks he remembers seeing two men digging a hole back when he was six years old, just days after a child’s kidnapping that subsequently ended tragically. Maybe it was the kidnappers?

What I Liked

The flashback story harkens back to a hippie-style couple living in a van in the driveway of his parents’ house, which was mildly interesting at first. The introduction of a reporter named Alvarez is good for future stories too. But the only really good part is filling in some of Aunt Ginny’s history, with old letters and a PI that was hired to look into Ginny’s parenting ability.

What I Didn’t Like

The flashback storyline removes almost any mystery or tension from the story. You know who the bad guys are way before Kinsey, and the storyline with the reporter holds some initial promise but ultimately goes nowhere. Just a lot of wasted time and space.

The Bottom Line

Nice ending, but the story feels like retread.

Plot or Premise

It’s a 35-year-old cold case of a missing mom, and the now 40-year-old daughter wants to know what happened to Violet.

What I Liked

Daughter Daisy needs to know what happened so she can move forward in her messed-up life — did Dad kill her? Did she run away? And why did she take the DOG but not her daughter? The people with info include the husband aka Daisy’s Dad, a babysitter who saw her get ready to go out, a best friend, a brother, a car salesman, some men at the local bar, etc. The story bops back and forth from the past to the present, like most cold cases do. And the tension ramps up when Kinsey finds out that not everyone seems to like her looking for Violet…either that or they just don’t like the tires on her car.

What I Didn’t Like

The characterizations of the kids and what they’re thinking or feeling back in ’53 seem “off”, more like adults guessing how they feel or act, and the interactions come off really clumsy. And I don’t think there is a single character that I actually like.

The Bottom Line

The story is okay but the characters are depressing.

Plot or Premise

Dolan brings Kinsey a cold case — an 18-year-old case of homicide for an unidentified Jane Doe.

What I Liked

The plot device of Kinsey working with Dolan while helping out a retired old-timer who was one of the original detectives on the case is flat out awesome. Kind of like the series Cold Case that was on TV a few years after the book was published. And the teamwork of three of them is a nice twist on the traditional “go it alone” storylines of most of Kinsey’s cases. As with some of the previous stories, she ends up in a small town where everyone knows everyone and the motives are all potentially interconnected. Finally, while there is some drama with Kinsey’s extended family, for once it ends up being relatively positive overall.

What I Didn’t Like

Dolan and Stacey bicker like an old married couple, and it gets tedious. The story is also about 30% longer than most of the novels, and it does drag in a few places.

The Bottom Line

Team Dolan works surprisingly well together.