A Question of Despair

May 9, 2011
The main supporting character, Caroline King, who's a walking stereotype of an aggressive and unethical TV reporter, somewhat hobbles British author Carter's routine first in a new police procedural series featuring Birmingham Det. Insp. Sarah Quinn. Quinn and her team are dedicated to finding six-month-old Evie Lowe, who was snatched from her stroller while her young mother, Karen, ran an errand. Meanwhile, in a typical ploy, King poses as a social worker in an attempt to get into Karen's house and interview her. "You're the one who's being stupid," she tells the police who confront her. "I'm the one who could actually help that girl get her baby back." The frantic search for Evie and her abductor includes no unexpected twists or psychological insights. Fans of Carter's Bev Morriss mysteries (Death Line, etc.) will miss the grittiness of that series.

July 15, 2011

The clash between an investigator and a reporter hampers a gritty kidnapping case.

Karen Lowe is in full hysterics when police respond to a call that reports her crying and screaming on a Birmingham road. The teenager is barely able to explain to DCI Sarah Quinn that Evie, her 6-month-old daughter, has just been abducted. Karen is convinced that she'll never see Evie again, but Quinn is certain she can find Evie if only Karen will open up. Not noted for her bedside manner, Quinn can't even get the father's name out of Karen. The hard, jaded Quinn soon finds she also can't rely on her department for reliable backup since it seems clear there's a press leak to Sarah's nemesis, determined, underhanded reporter Caroline King. While King will stop at nothing to get the scoop, her tactics may be getting in the way of the formal investigation, inciting even more of Quinn's ire. The two have a murky past that neither has fully confronted, but their separate investigations may be permanently stalled unless they can somehow collaborate. Something's got to give, but neither woman wants to be the one to give it, until it becomes clear there may be more lives at stake.

This series debut from the chronicler of DS Bev Morriss (Death Line, 2010, etc.) features characters that are tough to relate to but a grim plot that may appeal.

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Starred review from June 1, 2011

Nothing horrifies us quite as much as a child abduction, and Baby Evie was indeed snatched off the streets of Birmingham, England, leaving her hysterical teen mother behind. DI Sarah Quinn, aka The Ice Queen, leads the hunt as the hours tick by and the trail grows cold. Concurrently, independent TV news producer Caroline King fancies herself the expert who can flush out the killer. Each woman in her unique, irritating manner shuts the other out because of their shared history, letting ego and pride hamper progress in this hard-boiled, briskly paced procedural. Carter uses multiple points of view to help tighten the psychological tension. VERDICT This is just the ticket for readers captivated by human depravity. Crisply written with an electric pace--this story won't soon leave you. Compare to Denise Mina or recommend to across-the-pond Lisa Gardner's Detective D.D. Warren series fans. Carter is the author of the Bev Morriss series (Blood Money). [Creme de la Crime is the newly acquired imprint of Severn House.--Ed.].

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011
Devoted readers of the author's Bev Morriss procedurals, set in Birmingham, England, may be confused at first as to why Carter has introduced a new female detective on the Birmingham beat. But her purpose soon becomes clear: while Morriss is a strong-willed, shoot-from-the-hip cop, she's also very likable. Detective Inspector Sally Quinn, on the other handnot so much. Abrasive and rather insulting, Quinn will take some growing into for most readers. Her costar, reporter Caroline King, can also be a bit abrasive, but overall, she's a much more pleasant person, helping to offset Quinn's lack of curbside appeal. The story, which involves the apparent abduction of a baby from a street in broad daylight, sees Quinn and King first locking horns and then forging an uneasy alliance in their search for the missing child. It's a well-crafted and suspenseful mystery (Carter has always had a sure hand there), but the author's risky choice of a relatively unlikable protagonist could limit her audienceunless, of course, Quinn's abrasiveness transforms itself into something like Inspector Morse's gruff charisma.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)