28 May 2012

Review: THE MISSING, P D Martin

  • Format: Kindle (Amazon)
  • File Size: 205 KB
  • Print Length: 38 pages
  • Publisher: Murderati Ink (March 4, 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B007H3JBRQ
Synopsis (Amazon)

The Missing is two Sophie Anderson short stories - one set before book 1 in the series (Body Count) and one set after Body Count.

Story 1: Sophie Anderson is working in Victoria Police’s homicide department when her boss assigns her to a local kidnapping case. Her boss’s deal is simple: ‘Find my friend’s ten-year-old daughter and I’ll send you on the FBI course you’ve been nagging me about.’ But Sophie doesn’t need incentive to rescue a young girl. She throws herself into the case, racing against the clock to bring the girl home…only too aware of what the perpetrator might be doing to her.

Story 2: Sophie Anderson is still a relative newcomer to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit when her profiling skills are called on for a kidnapping case in DC. Presidential candidate Senator Keen’s daughter is missing and Sophie’s mission is simple: find her and keep it quiet. But as Sophie investigates the senator and the daughter who’s kept out of the public eye, she discovers more than a straight case of kidnapping.

My take

A quick read, this one, just 38 pages, two short stories, both very polished.
Story 1 is an early Sophie Anderson, set in Melbourne before she has managed to persuade Victoria Police to send her to the FBI for training. Interesting to see how far her character has developed in later stories.

An interesting feature of the second story, published in the Australian Women's Weekly in 2006, is the two alternative endings. I preferred the first ending, which didn't have political overtones, myself.

What binds the two stories together is that both are about missing daughters, one in Melbourne, one in Washington DC. Comparing the two, and Sophie's profiling techniques, gives an excellent idea of how her skills have developed.

So if you have a Kindle, and 99 cents to spare, here's a quick taste of PD Martin, one of Australia's accomplished female crime fiction writers.

My rating: 4.6

Other reviews of PD Martin titles
FAN MAIL
THE KILLING HANDS

1 comment:

Becky said...

I want to read this one! Looks amazing! I am just finishing up a really great medical thriller, "The Rx Factor" by J. Thomas Shaw- which by the way is a great one that you may want to check out sometime- fast paced non-stop action, with a bit of espionage and a twist of romance. As soon as I finish I am going to check out "The Missing." Thanks for suggesting it. I am always looking for great books to read.
http://www.therxfactor.com/

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