Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Release Date: May 2003
ISBN: 0312310161
Awards:  
Format Reviewed: Hardcover
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Genre:   Mystery/thriller
Reviewed: 2004
Reviewer: Dennis Collins
Reviewer Notes:  
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The Feline Friendship
By Michael Allen Dymmoch


      Detective John Thinnes and his psychiatrist pal Jack Caleb get back together to hunt down a serial rapist. Along the way, Thinnes picks up a new partner, Don Franchi, a beautiful female detective with a not-so-beautiful attitude.

     Women in the Chicago area are being raped, beaten, and slashed by a psychotic assailant who has killed at least one and influenced another to commit suicide. He is a vicious and merciless attacker. Detective Thinnes recognizes a pattern early on and begins to put together a grid to see if he can devise a way to try to trap the man.

      Friction between Thinnes and partner Franchi seem to threaten the progress of the investigation but, with a little help from Dr. Caleb, both eventually display a professionalism that gets them beyond their petty differences and focusing on the much more serious problem of catching a madman. A break in the case comes when they are able to tie the assaults to a series of very similar rapes that occurred in a different city.

     The author does an excellent job of presenting a very sensitive topic in a way that doesn’t make the reader feel uncomfortable. Michael Allen Dymmoch is able to provide a ray of hope throughout this novel. She portrays the police as competent, determined, and methodical, which helps to put the reader at ease.

    There’s just enough of Dr. Jack Caleb in this story, too. As a peripheral character in the investigation, he assumes a methodical, if somewhat understated, role, providing valuable insight into the thought patterns of the rapist.

    This is a multi-layered plot that will have you turning pages. It’s an excellent story and skillfully told. This book is a real winner.