Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Missing Mark

Title: Missing Mark
Author: Julie Kramer
Publisher: July 14th 2009 by Doubleday
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Genre: Mystery
Series: Riley Spartz #2

After reading her first book, Stalking Susan, I was wondering if Julie Kramer could keep up with her initial offering. I was not disappointed; Riley Spartz is a dynamic lead character. Her day job as a TV investigative news reporter at a second position station in Minneapolis, keeps her in constant movement towards her next forty-share story, but somehow she seems to land smack dab into a mystery.

An advertisement “Wedding Dress for Sale: Never Worn” piques her interest and is much reminiscent of Ernest Hemmingway’s shortest short story – “For Sale Baby Shoes Never Worn”.

Not letting on that she is a reporter, Riley seeks out the seller, Madeline Post, and the back-story. What she tumbles into is a missing person’s case. Mark Lefevre failed to appear at his own wedding and no one can locate him.

Julie Kramer weaves three plot lines throughout this book. A neighbor with weekly yard sales, Big Mouth Billy – a large mouth bass that has been stolen from an aquarium at the Mall of America and a missing groom. Each has their own merit, but Mark takes center stage.

Since not all missing people are treated equal, Riley is unable to get her station manager interested in a missing man. Riley must now reaches out on her own. What she finds is actually a very cleaver and genius twist on the author’s part. Prosopagnosia – or face blindness. What allowed Madeline Post to fall in love with Mark in the first place was the fact that this was the first and only man that Madeline could recognize. This was why Madeline would never give up on Mark. This is why Riley cannot give up on this story.

Madeline was not the only one in love with Mark. The story is heartrending but Riley is determined to find the truth and it leads her to a very dark and dangerous conclusion.

No comments: