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I’m glad that I have such diverse taste in reading material, because I get to read all kinds of great novels in almost every genre—and I’m often introduced to intriguing new series, such as the Sharon McCone mysteries by Marcia Muller.
After surviving a harrowing life-and-death situation on her last case, private eye Sharon McCone is holed up at the California ranch that she shares with her husband, Hy. She’s depressed, and she’s not at all sure that she wants to continue with her highly successful investigative business. But what else can she do? Raise horses? Not likely, since the one they do own seems to hate her. It appears, though, that her business follows her everywhere—and she just can’t resist getting drawn into the mystery and danger of a new case.
When a young Native American, Amy Perez, goes missing after her older sister was shot to death, Sharon promises Amy’s uncle that she’ll look into it and try to find some answers. What she unravels is a confusing web of lies and deceit, mixed up with murder, rape, and prostitution. One dead body leads to another, and Sharon fears that if she doesn’t find Amy, the confused young girl will be the final victim in a cover-up that’s over twenty years in the making.
Once again, I found myself picking up a mystery at a time in the series when the main character is burned out and depressed—but, this time, I didn’t find it as annoying as I have in the past. Sharon may be depressed, but she doesn’t dwell on it. Instead, she throws herself into an investigation that turns out to be complicated enough to keep her mind off her thoughts about her future. And, whether she believes it or not, the case is just what she needs to help her with her decision.
Burn Out will pull you into the quiet side of private detective Sharon McCone, but this story is every bit as interesting as any high profile case she’s investigated in the past. Thanks to the complex and riveting plot, you’ll be eager to pick the book back up after a long day at the office and lose yourself in the mystery of it all.
Will Sharon McCone become one of my favorite private investigators? That still remains to be seen. But I do intend to read more of Marcia Muller’s mysteries involving Sharon McCone—because Burn Out pulled me in with its well-developed plot and kept me guessing at every turn.
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