With Child

Rating:
Summary: Another good story
Review: Once again, the reader is transported to the San Francisco scenes and neighborhoods travelled by Kate Martinelli. This time the story is close to home, involving the disappearance of the stepdaughter of her partner when she was in Kate's care. At the same time, her partner, Lee, has left town for a time both to recuperate and to decide about the future of their relationship. On several fronts, this is a difficult time for Kate.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but Laurie King can do and has done better
Review: This book is the third in a series featuring Kate Martinelli--a homicide detective in San Francisco. When Kate's lover, Lee, goes off to the Pacific Northwest to recover from serious injuries, Kate feels sorry for herself until she befriends Jules, a friend's daughter. She becomes involved in many searches for children---at the job, helping find Jules' homeless friend, Dio, and finally when Jules herself disappears while on a trip with Kate. This is a hard book to put down, particularly with the plot twists, including the possibility that Jules could have been kidnapped by a notorius serial killer. I enjoyed it but was somewhat disappointed by the unresolved issues between Kate and Lee at the end of the book. But then this is an incentive to read the next installment.

Rating:
Summary: Tightly plotted thriller
Review: This book is the third in a series featuring Kate Martinelli--a homicide detective in San Francisco. When Kate's lover, Lee, goes off to the Pacific Northwest to recover from serious injuries, Kate feels sorry for herself until she befriends Jules, a friend's daughter. She becomes involved in many searches for children---at the job, helping find Jules' homeless friend, Dio, and finally when Jules herself disappears while on a trip with Kate. This is a hard book to put down, particularly with the plot twists, including the possibility that Jules could have been kidnapped by a notorius serial killer. I enjoyed it but was somewhat disappointed by the unresolved issues between Kate and Lee at the end of the book. But then this is an incentive to read the next installment.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but Laurie King can do and has done better
Review: This book left me a little frustrated. I think Laurie King is great writer. What I believe sets her apart from other writers, mystery or otherwise, is her ability to cleverly weave research into an interesting plot. We've all read books where the authors have obviously researched--and I mean obviously. They may as well present their information in the form of a numbered list titled "Things I've learned about..." Laurie King, on the other hand, feeds us information on cults, obscure religious movements, the Bible while building strong characters and a riveting plot. Now the complaints--what happened in this Kate Martinelli book? In the first, I learned about art and about "the high-extracting personality." In the second, I learned about a religious movement called "the fools." In this one, she seemed to have fallen into the Patricia Cornwell trap. I didn't learn about anything except how Kate Martinelli always ends up being the next victim just like Cornwell's Kaye Scarpetti. Having said this, I should add that I still give the book 4 stars. It's a quick read and kept my interest, I just expect more from Laurie King. I know she can do better--I've read the proof.

Rating:
Summary: Different, but I liked it
Review: This book was a little different than the first two books, but I enjoyed reading it and finished it off rather quickly (a sure sign that it was good). I still have a hard time with the realities of Kate's job, but I can overlook some of that. I enjoyed this book a little more than the last, where I felt like I'd missed something. This book did a better job of filling in the "while you were away" time gap. Still think that more could be done with the intimacy in the relationship, but that's nitpicking.

Rating:
Summary: Different, but I liked it
Review: This book was a little different than the first two books, but I enjoyed reading it and finished it off rather quickly (a sure sign that it was good). I still have a hard time with the realities of Kate's job, but I can overlook some of that. I enjoyed this book a little more than the last, where I felt like I'd missed something. This book did a better job of filling in the "while you were away" time gap. Still think that more could be done with the intimacy in the relationship, but that's nitpicking.

Rating:
Summary: Emotionally affecting
Review: This is the most affecting of the Kate Martinelli mysteries I've read, both because of the heroine's physical and emotional vulnerability, and because of the sensitive handling of her bond with the missing girl. It compares well with A Grave Talent, and like it, presents a mystery focused on interpersonal, rather than more broadly social, issues.

Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: This would be the third book of King's Martinelli mysteries.
I skipped the second accidentally. After reading the first "A Grave Talent", I was hooked on the characters. Her writing is very visual and you definately feel for the characters involved. I couldn't wait to start yet was dissapointed to finish.
Definately an avid fan.

Rating:
Summary: Taut mystery featuring lesbian cop Kate Martinelli
Review: Yet another excellent mystery by Laurie R. King, who has yet to produce a bad book. I recommend this latest effort as well as her earlier books.