O’Connell, Carol – FIND ME

[LJ Roberts]

FIND ME (Suspense-US-Cont) – Ex O’Connell, Carol – 10^th book

Putnam, 2006- US Hardcover – ISBN 0399153950

There is a dead woman in her apartment and NY detective Kathy Mallory has taken off in a VW Beetle with a Porche 911 engine to travel old Route 66. At the beginning of the highway, the intersection of Adams and Marshall in Chicago, lies a body with its hand pointing down the road. As Mallory is in search of her past, her friends Riker and Charles Butler, are after Mallory and join with a caravan of cars driven by the parent s of missing children brought together by the discovery of children’s graves discovered all along this famous road.

Reading O’Connell is such a pleasure. In Mallory she has created one of the most interesting female characters written and then added Riker as her friend and partner who loves her as she is, and Charles who just loves her, much to his detriment. In her usual style, O’Connell gives us a layered story of Mallory’s search, the parent’s plight and the battle of jurisdiction and corruption of the lead investigator. There is tragedy on many levels, humor to lighten things along the way, twists to keep the reader on their toes, and the metamorphosis of Mallory. Is this the end of the series? I certainly hope not, but as long as O’Connell keeps writing, I could bear it. I enjoyed everything about this book, include Route 66, some of which I have driven, and highly recommend it.