Booklist Reviews
The indomitable amateur sleuth Ellie Quicke is back doing what she does to perfection. Vera, the young woman who lives with Ellie and her husband, has always refused to name the father of her son, Mikey. But she's brought the boy up lovingly, while eventually saving enough money to put herself through college. So it's a shock to everyone when an aristocratic Somalian named Abdi appears on Ellie's doorstep, announcing that he's Mikey's father and has come to take the boy to Somalia. Neither Vera nor Mikey are impressed, but Abdi is insistent and even threatening. Eventually, Vera reveals that, years earlier, she was at a party at the home of her then-boyfriend Dan, when a gang crashed the party. But worse, Vera was gang-raped, and Dan's father was murdered. Neither the rapists nor the killer were ever found, but Ellie knows it's up to her to solve the twin mysteries and keep the repercussions of that dreadful night from hurting Mikey, Vera, and Dan all over again. An absorbing plot starring the always-charming Ellie, and a slam-bang ending, makes this one a pleasure to read. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
One morning Ellie Quicke (Murder with Mercy) opens the door to a stranger but soon recognizes him as the man who drugged and raped her live-in housekeeper, Vera, at a school party 12 years ago. Ellie is determined to protect both Vera and her son, Mikey. Mikey's father, Abdi, is now a rich and powerful Somali businessman. Unable to have any further children, Abdi now needs Mikey as his heir and will stop at nothing to get his way, including accusing Vera of murder. As soon as Ellie starts asking questions about what really happened the night Vera was attacked, ominous warnings appear. VERDICT Since 2000, Heley has written 13 mysteries featuring Ellie Quicke, wife to Thomas Quicke, a retired Episcopal minister. The author's latest is equally amusing, with an intriguing plot and well-drawn, appealing characters; her protagonist is charming and loyal to a fault.
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In Heley's 15th outing for Ellie Quicke (after 2013's Murder With Mercy), the harried grandmother finds herself spread thin while caring for her cranky infant grandson, Evan, and helping her live-in housekeeper, Vera, through a crisis. Both women are shocked when Abdi, the man who raped Vera when they were both teenagers, turns up seeking custody of their son, Mikey, now nearly a teenager himself. Ellie decides to intervene after Abdi claims to have evidence Vera murdered one Dr. McKenzie, owner of the house where the rape occurred. Though Ellie has faith in Vera's innocence, she also knows the wealthy Abdi will use whatever means to get what he wants. Between defending Vera and discovering the true killer, Ellie is once again immersed in a web of deceit, debauchery, and death. Heley's prose is sure, her characters well-drawn, and though her tone is light, the plot is satisfyingly dark and sinister. (Sept.)
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