• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation (March 28, 2017)
In Jane Haseldine’s new novel of riveting suspense, Detroit newspaper reporter Julia Gooden is up against the city’s most devious criminal—and her own painful past.
Julia Gooden knows how to juggle different lives. A successful crime reporter, she covers the grittiest stories in the city while raising her two young boys in the suburbs. But beneath that accomplished façade is another Julia, still consumed by a tragedy that unfolded thirty years ago when her nine-year-old brother disappeared without a trace.
Julia’s marriage, too, is a balancing act, as she tries to rekindle her relationship with her husband, Assistant District Attorney David Tanner, while maintaining professional boundaries. David is about to bring Nick Rossi to trial for crimes that include drug trafficking, illegal gambling, and bribery. But the story becomes much more urgent when a courthouse bomb claims several victims—including the prosecution’s key witness—and leaves David critically injured.
Though Julia is certain that Rossi orchestrated the attack, the case against him is collapsing, and his power and connections run high and wide. With the help of Detective Raymond Navarro of the Detroit PD, she starts following a trail of blackmail, payback, and political ambition, little imagining where it will lead. Julia has risked her career before, but this time innocent lives—including her children’s—hang in the balance, and justice may come too late to save what truly matters…
And I thought...
As I thought about what I wanted to say about this book I began to think about the main characters Julia and her husband the D.A. David Tanner. I thought about the suspense and twists and turns in the story.
Then I thought about the title and how it fit into the characters and the story.
And I realized the definition of 'Duplicity' tells it all. . .
du·plic·i·ty
d(y)o͞oˈplisədē/
noun
1.
deceitfulness; double-dealing.
| synonyms: | deceitfulness, deceit, deception, double-dealing, underhandedness, dishonesty, fraud,fraudulence, sharp practice, chicanery, trickery, subterfuge, skulduggery, treachery; |
The story line is filled with characters that are dishonest, double-dealing, deceitful etc. etc. which for me made for a good story.
Not necessarily a story that had me interested in becoming friends with or have coffee with a few of the characters.
I enjoyed the story. It was a little slow in the beginning but there was a steadiness that kept me interested enough to stick with it till the tempo sped up to the roller coaster ending.
I have no desire to 'spill the beans.' I just suggest if you like a good suspenseful story you'll enjoy Duplicity.
There are a few bedroom seems. In fact the story begins with a scene that some people might read and stop then and there.
That is not the theme of the book. Its a short part that sets the story into motion. There are a few descriptions of some sexual acts further into the story that are described by the police as a video tape is watched while the are gathering evidence. And there is a little graphic detail in some of the crimes that are committed.
This didn't bother me. I just mention it because some people might wish to have a heads up.
Overall I really liked Duplicity and look forward to reading additional books in the Julie Gooden series.
I received a complimentary copy from TLC book tours.
This review will appear on retail sites where the book is available.
This review will appear on My Journey Back and Good Reads.
Coffee with a character
I had a hard time choosing the character that I wanted to chat with. It was easy to know who I didn't want to 'get to know'. And actually it wasn't difficult know who to choose. The hard part was choosing 1. So I didn't choose 1. I chose 3.
Never done before. Probably never done again. But here goes in no particular order.
Character #1 is Salvator Gallo I suspect that if I was to sit, chat and consume some sort of beverage with 'Gallo' who is kind of a 'mob type' fellow but ends help helping Julie. He just seems like the character that I would love to see in another book.
Character #2 is an informant that has helped Julie in the past and comes to her rescue in Duplicity he makes a short appearance but I was fascinated with his character. Tyrone is a rapper that is
wheelchair bound. He has connections and associates that he utilizes to help get Julie out of some jams. And he 'knows' and has 'information' that helps Julie in her investigation.
The last Character that I would love to share probably a cup of tea or coffee with is the neighbor/baby sitter Helen. Helen is a grandmotherly type woman that jumps in and helps with her children. Helen covers the home front for Julie when business and investigations call Julie away.
This review will appear on retail sites where the book is available.
This review will appear on My Journey Back, Good Reads and
Springtime in Magnolia.
Available
About the series
In Jane Haseldine’s gripping and brilliantly crafted debut, a reporter searching for her kidnapped son must untangle the connection to her brother’s long-ago disappearance.
Julia Gooden remembers nothing about the worst night of her life. Thirty years ago, her nine-year-old brother Ben—the person who promised he would always protect her—was abducted from the room they shared. Try as she might to recall any clue or detail, there is a black hole where Julia’s memories of that terrible event should be.Now a crime reporter at a Detroit newspaper, Julia tries to give others the closure she’s never found. But guilt and grief over Ben’s disappearance have left her fearful that whoever took her brother is going to come back. Nowhere seems safe—not the city, not the suburbs, not even the secluded lake town where she plans to raise her children. And then, on the anniversary of Ben’s disappearance, Julia’s worst fears are realized when her two-year-old son, Will, is snatched from his bed.Convinced that the crimes are related, Julia tries to piece together memories from her final day with Ben. Are the sudden reminders of her brother clues that will lead her to her son’s abductor, or merely coincidence? Julia knows she has hours at best to find Will alive, but the deeper she digs, the more personal and terrifying the battle becomes, and an undying promise may be her only hope of saving herself and her son.
About the author...
Jane Haseldine is a journalist, former crime reporter, columnist, newspaper editor, magazine writer, and deputy director of communications for a governor. Jane graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a degree in journalism. She resides in Southern California with her husband and two sons, but previously lived in Boston, San Francisco, New York, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana.
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