Janice Cantore's 22 years of experience working for the Long Beach, Calif., police department lends authenticity to her romantic suspense novels, including Drawing Fire, the first in a series focusing on cold cases--unsolved murder investigations that are reactivated years later.
Cantore presents Abby Hart as a sympathetic character with a complicated history. The 30-something, Long Beach homicide detective has earned the nickname "Superglue" because of her tenacity in pursuing justice for the dead and closure for families. When Abby was six years old, she was rescued from a restaurant fire that claimed the lives of her parents. Although it proved the defining moment of Abby's life, the mystery surrounding the blaze was never solved. When a slew of homicides involving elderly women claims a beloved aunt of the governor, a man formerly connected with Abby's parents long before his political reign, Abby is eager to speak with him about the murder, and for the opportunity to discuss her parents' case. But does he seem tight-lipped? Amid Abby's pursuit, Luke Murphy--an annoying yet handsome private investigator--becomes embroiled in the "Granny Murders," and also seems invested in Abby's personal quest. Does he have information about the string of homicides, and might they somehow tie in with Abby's suspicions about her parents' death?
Cantore's well-drawn characters employ Christian values and spirituality to navigate them through tragedy, challenges and loss. However, layered upon the underlying basis of faith is a riveting police-crime drama infused with ratcheting suspense and surprising plot-twists. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines