Ellie receives a letter one day that asks for her help. It seems that Ben Sinclair, an elderly stranger, died suddenly. Among his possessions was a scrap of paper with her name on it. When she tries to follow up, she is faced with more death, a break-in and other unexplainable happenings. She finds a possible Nazi connection as well as a link to a current politician. Things get more curious with every uncovered clue, and I found myself drawn back to the book when I should have been doing other things.
While this book was first written in 2002, it felt like I was reading a book written this year. Hellman's characters are well developed and interesting, and her descriptions are vivid. I enjoyed the history and found myself anxiously turning pages as Ellie got in and out of her jams. Her problems with her ex-husband were upsetting, and I would have liked to get to know him a bit more. Her relationship with her dad was realistically portrayed and made me smile watching the two inter-relate. I even liked the few Jewish words thrown in here and there...I felt that it gave the scenes authenticity.
All in all this was a great find for me, and I look forward to reading the rest of this series.
- Beverly
Publisher - The Red Herrings Press
Date of Publication - December 28, 2006