Dead Air (Jessie Drake Mysteries, No. 4) - Hardcover

Krich, Rochelle

3.81

48 ratings by Goodreads

9780380977697: Dead Air (Jessie Drake Mysteries, No. 4)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0380977699 ISBN 13: 9780380977697

Publisher: William Morrow, 2000

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Radio therapist "Dr. Renee" is intrigued when a longlost high school friend turns up unexpectedly complaining of being stalked, but when her own daughter is kidnapped, she discovers that there was much more to this encounter than she at first imagined.

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Review:

The lead item in Dr. Renee Altman's "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" file probably reads, "Chuck the practice and become a call-in radio shrink, � la Dr. Laura." And no wonder. Things for Dr. Renee, which weren't so hot to begin with, have since gotten really bad. Her estranged husband, Barry, wants nothing more than full custody of their 6-year-old daughter, Molly (OK, maybe he does want more). Her ratings have tanked, ditto her finances, and she's being stalked by a psychopath who is probably the abusive, revenge-minded husband of a woman Renee advised, on the air, to take her kid and run. What could be worse than all that? She finds out when Molly's nanny is killed and Molly disappears:

She heard herself screaming and swayed for a moment, overcome with dizziness and nausea as bile rose in her throat. Then she ran to Blanca's side.
The woman's eyes were open, staring at the ceiling. Renee knelt and took her hand, warm but heavy. She couldn't detect a pulse, and when she placed her ear over Blanca's chest, she heard no heartbeat. Still she raced back into the house to phone 911. Maybe, please God, Blanca was alive after all.
Where was Molly?

A good question, and the main ingredient of Dead Air, the fourth Jessie Drake mystery (after 1999's Blood Money) by the accomplished Rochelle Krich, Anthony Award winner for her 1991 debut, Where's Mommy Now? and the author of three other well-received stand-alone mysteries. As Dr. Renee's old friend Jessie Drake and her partner enter the chase, the murderous kidnapper takes his case to the people of Los Angeles--via the airwaves of Dr. Renee's suddenly popular program--handily turning the case into a cause c�l�bre, a three-ring media circus, and a detective's worst nightmare all rolled into one. Through it all, and despite issues of her own--including an abusive childhood, on-again, off-again relations with her ex, and the gradual acceptance of her recently discovered Judaism--Drake knits up some awfully deft police work for a neatly finished cuff of a close. Krich has created a series with legs, and as Jessie Drake's character grows, so will the ranks of her fans. --Michael Hudson

From the Publisher:

Hailed by one of the "top ten women who write superior crime fiction" by former Los Angeles Times mystery reviewer Charles Champlin, award-winning author Rochelle Krich adds another superb novel of mystery, murder, and icy suspense to her outstanding collection. DEAD AIR starts Krich's popular LAPD Homicide Detective Jessie Drake in a case that begins with a surprise visit from an old friend and quickly turns into a heart-wrenching, life and death drama that rocks the city.

Jessie is astonished when her closest high school confidant, who hasn't been in touch for almost two years, shows up at her door with an alarming tale of being harassed by an unseen stalker. Jessie's friend is now "Dr. Renee," a popular radio talk show therapist who doles out quick-fix, no-nonsense advice to troubled callers on everything from lackluster marriages to steamy illicit affairs. Now Renee is desperately frightened and convinced Jessie can help her.

Skeptical, and with little to go on, Jessie agrees to investigate--just as a favor. But Jessie's interest quickly turns professional when Renee's six-year-old daughter Molly is kidnapped--and the child's nanny murdered. Renee and her estranged husband Barry, already in a fierce custody battle, trade angry charges of blame and suspicion while Jessie tracks a bizarre series of events that began a few weeks earlier when a battered wife phoned Dr. Renee for help. Now the woman's crazed husband blames the radio therapist for handing out advice that has ruined his marriage. And--on the air for all to hear--he threatens revenge.

With a child as a pawn, a killer plays a chilling game where he holds all the cards--and he's chosen Jessie to be LAPDS's top player. As the hours tick by, he uses the radio talk show to up the ante, sending shocking waves of horror and disbelief through the city and terror into the hearts of loved ones. And under the hot glare of media scrutiny, Jessie works feverishly against the clock to beat him at his own game.

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