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PERFECTION
by Walter Satterthwait
St Martin's Minotaur, February 2006
336 pages
$24.95
ISBN: 0312352441


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Sophia Tregaskis and her new partner Jim Fallon are cops in a small Florida community on the gulf coast somewhere between Tampa and Sarasota. Sophia is a new detective and Fallon is a transplanted, retired NYPD detective. If Fallon thought his days in St Anselm would be quiet, he is soon to learn otherwise.

When Sophia and Jim are called to a homicide scene, neither one is prepared for the horror they find there. The killer, who apparently had problems with women of size, killed and mutilated 27-year-old Marcy Fleming. The detectives learn from a neighbor that Marcy had no friends, no job and hardly ever went out. How did the killer single her out? And they realize they are dealing with a very smart perp -- nothing was left at the crime scene; no fibers, no hairs, no fingerprints.

Naturally the Chief and all of the politicians are hounding the detectives, practically demanding the case be solved immediately. Fallon assures the Chief that if it's a serial killer, there is usually a long waiting period between killings. Fallon is hoping to solve the case before that happens. When another larger woman is discovered murdered in the same brutal fashion, the press has a field day. Sophia, although relatively new to the job, is smart and creative in her thinking. She and Fallon, the old pro, turn out to be a formidable team.

The author also treats us to the point of view of the killer. Raised in poverty with an abusive, extremely overweight mother, the killer has an obsession with heavy women. Specifically he has decided that there is a thin person inside crying to get out and he wants to help. The reader follows the cold and calculating way he stalks his victims and learns the little things that 'disqualify' them.

The two main characters, the two detectives, are well drawn, as are the supporting characters: the TV anchor, the psychologist helping the police, the Chief, the mayor and the FBI profiler. This is the kind of thriller that pulls you into the action, which does not let up. Add an impending hurricane and a most unexpected twist to the book and you will agree that this is a most fascinating book.

The author has written various other mysteries, including those that feature famous personages such as Houdini and Lizzie Borden, to name two.

Reviewed by Lorraine Gelly, March 2006

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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