A Trace of Death

A Trace of Death by Blake Pierce 2018

The writing is crisp and fast paced where the detective is a female “Dirty Harry” who breaks rules in the pursuit of justice.

Pierce introduces us to Ashley Penn, who is kidnapped on her way home from high school. Detective Keri Locke receives the phone call from Ashley’s mother, Mia Penn, and decides to talk to the mother although other police officers think Ashley simply ran away from home. Her partner, Ray, tries to talk her out of it.

Pierce gives Keri a past. Her daughter, Evie, was abducted five years earlier and that ties her strongly to Ashley’s abduction. Her partner, Ray, was a boxer and lost his right eye in a fight. Their tragedies destroyed their old lives, and they are building new ones. Because this is a series, Pierce hints that their relationship could develop into something more personal.

Mia is married to Senator Stafford Penn and his reaction to his daughter being missing raises alarm bells. Keri follows the suspects from one to another as she tracks down Ashley. Her interrogations often turn violent, which reveals how close to the edge she is to losing it. Pierce is good at showing Keri’s personality, determination, and weaknesses. 

Pierce leads us from a dumped boyfriend to a new boyfriend who introduced Ashley to drugs and reveals a dark path Ashley was heading down and makes it believable that she ran off, especially when a note from Ashley is found. But Keri trusts her instincts. She rescues a runaway she initially mistakes for her daughter and tucks away a clue that may help Keri find Evie when this case is over.

Pierce has several short scenes from Ashley’s point of view where she is trapped in a silo and makes plans to escape. This revs up the tension and is an important technique a writer can use in a story like this.

Pierce foreshadows Keri’s recklessness and when she goes in alone to confront the kidnapper, it is expected. The outcome is brutal but fulfills the need for the heroine to defend herself and bring the criminal to justice.

The only drawback was the kidnapper, who was not well developed. Pierce gave the reader a glimpse of his depravity but I would have liked a few scenes from his POV to give insight into the darker side that he hid and reveal his motivation beyond an interest in “experiments.”

This is the first book in a series starring Keri and I recommend the book. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was a quick read.

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