By a Spider's Thread
Tess Moneghan Series, No. 8
By Laura Lippman
Read by Linda Emond

      To the Orthodox Jewish furrier Mark Ruben, the disappearance of his wife and children are incomprehensible. He hires Tess Monaghan on the recommendation of her uncle, who spent years working with Ruben in a volunteer program that instructed Jewish prisoners in rituals and traditions.

Tess networks with the Snoop Sisters, a support group of female Private Investigators, to locate the missing wife and children. Everything points to the probability that Natalie left home willingly. Ruben is adamant that he and his beautiful wife, Natalie, had a perfect marriage, but one day, without any warning or explanation, Natalie vanished with the children.

     Tess Monaghan is a complex, vulnerable, yet tough private eye that grew up Jewish. Monaghan uncovers a tangle of lies and dark plans that reveal that Ruben’s beautiful, young Russian Jewish bride is anything but innocent. The supporting cast of characters are believable, if not all likable. You begin to hate Zeke when he makes nine-year old Isaac ride in the trunk of the car. Betrayal and vengeance lead to desperation -- and the suspense escalates as the children's peril becomes more evident.

     Lippman held me spellbound in a story with a twisted, multi-layered plot that is full of surprises, and a few chuckles. This was my first audio book, but I can assure you, it will not be my last. Linda Emond is a marvelous narrator, with just the right emphasis on the important points of the story that helps you visualize the action.