Tuesday, June 29, 2010

TRIAL BY FIRE by J. A. Jance (Touchstone Books)

Ali Reynolds, a former investigative TV reporter, is talked into to being the temporary media relations spokesperson for the Yavapai County Police Department. Being on the other side of the camera and answering rather than asking questions is a new experience. Soon after joining the department a subdivision is torched and an unidentified naked woman is found with severe life-threatening burns. Ali has her hands full trying to handle the media; circumventing questions about arson and a domestic terrorist organization called the Earth Liberation Front. As the Feds get involved, Ali goes to the hospital to try to learn the identity of the patient and to keep the media at bay.

The patient is on a ventilator and drifts in and out of consciousness. Her only means of communicating is by blinking her eyes. Sister Anseim, a patient advocate, is assigned to protect the patient’s privacy and make medical decisions on her behalf. Fearing that whoever tried to kill the woman may try again, Sister Anseim asks Ali for help. When the injured woman's family shows up, they become prime suspects because they seem more concerned about her money and a missing painting than about the patient. Was this an act of domestic terrorism or a murder for revenge or money?

The characters are believable and the clues lead in a circle. As the story developed I could not put this book down!

--Helen Jones

FTC Disclosure - This book was provided by the publisher.

No comments: