Date published: September 2006
ISBN: 978-1400095612
Cozy Mystery
Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Philomena Manfreda, aka Manny, is one tough cookie. With her designer shoes, purse and style, this attorney for the underdog takes on the big boys and wins.
Sometimes. Oh she does her homework. It’s just sometimes the other guy manages to do his a bit more. Such is the case with her most recent trial. She’s all set to go for the jugular when New York Medical Examiner, Jake Rosen takes the stand for the other side and blows the case out of the water. Furious with the ME because he previously testified for her side in a big case she won, she decides he’s among the lowest of the low.
When Jake receives a call from his former mentor, Pete Harrigan, without a second thought he heads to upstate New York to help him out. Pete, it seems, has found a graveyard. Not a forgotten or paupers’ graveyard, but a secret one. On the surface it seems that the only reason the local sheriff wants to just move on is to continue construction on a new mall that will bring considerable business to the small town of Turner. Below the surface lurks one of the most horrific crimes imaginable—testing of mentally ill subjects by the government. Yet that is merely the topping on the deeper mystery of just what Pete was doing to cause someone to murder him.
When Jake sends a family member of one of the graveyard victims to Manny, she simply cannot say no and finds herself with an entirely different view of Jake.
Michael Baden and Linda Kenny, the authors of REMAINS SILENT came to my attention when I received a copy of their newest release SKELETON JUSTICE and I checked out the back cover. What I was more than intrigued with, Mr. Baden was not only the medical examiner for the State of New York, but was also involved in some very high profile investigations. Ms. Kenny is an attorney not all that different than Manny appears to be. I had to wonder if their first meeting was anything like Manny and Jake’s. Well, actually their first meeting went well, after all, Jake did come down on Manny’s side. But that second encounter, my my, Jake sure rubbed Manny wrong and the writing had me chuckling through the whole scene. Manny’s initial appearance portrays her as a professional with an edge and a bias towards designer fashion. What we learn as we get further into the story is that Manny has a huge heart and those designer fashions are bought on a discount.
As odd as it may sound, I enjoyed learning more about what happens during an autopsy as seen through Manny’s eyes and heard through her ears. She’s a gutsy lady; someone I would like to know in person. Initially the internal thoughts were fun, funny and helped to move the story along. A few here and there added to the story. The last third of the story was so clogged with them I wasn’t entirely sure who was speaking, thinking or the point of view we were in. It became not only distracting, but jarred me out of the story each time it was used.
That said, I am eager to dig into SKELETON JUSTICE and I checked to see if there are more Manny and Jake stories in the mill. They are a fun duo to read, even if the subject is murder.
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