Shadows of Sin by Rochelle Krich
A Jessie Drake Mystery
HarperCollins - October 2001
ISBN: 0380977702 - HC/25.00
Suspense / Police Procedural

Reviewed by Robyn Glazer, MyShelf.com
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Homicide detective, Jessie Drake, is having a hard enough time with her personal life and doesn't need the extra pressure of a high profile murder at work. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happens when Dr. Ronnie Bushnell, a plastic surgeon and his two employees are shot dead in his office.

Jessie is getting pressure from her superiors to solve this case quickly but is having a tough time of it considering that everyone she interviews, lies. These lies cause difficulties for many people, which leads to a tragic undoing. At home, Jessie is dealing with her newfound religion and is trying to decide what kind, if any impact this should have on her life. There are many pros and cons to both sides but Jessie knows that this decision will change her life forever.

At the time that I received Shadows of Sin I hadn't read any of the previous Jessie Drake books although I had them all in my humongous To Be Read pile. As an avid mystery reader, I refuse to read out of series order, so I sat down with the first in the series and was delighted to find that I liked it. Besides the great writing, Jessie Drake is an intriguing character. Her life is complicated and rife with tension yet she is able to let down her hair when the situation calls for it.

What stood out most in Shadows of Sin was the change that takes place in Jessie. I feel that Jessie has gotten harder, in regards to her job, in this book. While she puts everything she has into her case, she isn't taking the cases as much to heart as she has in the past. I feel this is the natural progression of any police officer that does not want the job to give them a heart attack or kill them and applaud Krich for taking this step to making Jessie even more realistic. I really love this series and can't wait for the next one to see where life takes Jessie next.