Monday, October 31, 2011

Picture of Lies

HA! I bet you thought this was going to be about me ranting about a picture... of lies. Well, it's not. Maybe another day? No, this post is about a pretty cool book that kept me intrigued to the very end.

Picture of Lies- C.C. Harrison
Picture of Lies (Five Star Mystery Series)
Investigative journalist Keegan Thomas is living a nightmare of guilt and grief since her little girl Daisy was kidnapped practically in front of her eyes. When the police investigation dead ended, she turned her grief to anger and buried herself in her work. The result was an award winning series of articles on unsolved child abductions. Her entire life became shaped by a continual search for missing children, her own included. On what is supposed to be a working vacation, Keegan travels to Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation seeking the whereabouts of people in an old photograph found in her grandfather’s belongings after his death. Her assignment? Write an upbeat human interest where-are-they-now feature story for Arizona OffBeat Magazine. But the Indians do not welcome this prying stranger carrying a picture of their old ones, some of them dead. Archaeologist Dante Covelli, a walking wounded with secrets in his past, helps her navigate the mysterious ways of the Navajo, and eventually Keegan is told one of the children in the photograph was kidnapped by missionaries and taken to boarding school. What follows is a web of deception that stretches back fifty years, and the truth Keegan learns about her own family is the most shocking betrayal of all. Nothing can prepare her for the danger she encounters when she becomes the target of a powerful senator who will do anything to stop her from telling what she knows about the PICTURE OF LIES.

Here's what I tell you: it's a great mystery book that goes fast, keeps you on your toes and doesn't bore. There are no unnecessary details to bog you down but you get a really good background on everyone and the author keeps you moving. I did NOT see the ending coming as I didn't think.. well I can't tell you without ruining it, but someone close to Keegan is involved. I definitely did not suspect that. I also loved how at the end when you think things are wrapping up, the author punches you again and throws a curve ball. I really appreciated that because otherwise it just felt too neat of an ending. I also like that there was a bit of a love story... even if it didn't end the way I wanted it to. If there was anything about the book that bummed me out or disappointed me, it was that.

I will say I like how it is set up for sequels because Keegan's character is interesting and I would read more. The other thing was that her story with the kidnapped child reminded me of Linda Howard's Cry No More which is a fantastic book as well, so I wondered if the author had read that at all because it was reminiscent of that for me, at least Keegan's character.

So if you are looking for a short read that is good and keeps you reading- definitely check out this book! I also encourage you to see what other bloggers are saying!

1 comment:

C.C. Harrison said...

Hey Sara! Thanks for reading my book, and I'm glad you liked it.

But don't despair about that love story - it doesn't end. Well, not completely. I'm writing a follow up book now called THE MISSING GIRL, that answers the question at the end of PICTURE OF LIES, and shows what happens next to Keegan and Dante's relationship.

No, I haven't read Linda Howard's Cry No More, but I've just put it on my TBR list, and will look for it today. Thanks for the tip, and thanks for the kind words about PICTURE OF LIES.